Editorial Op-Ed | Of Reading and Writing
Illuminating How We Can Find Ourselves (Again) When We are Lost
There are times where we drift along, and not knowing where we are heading to. We grab onto a floating log and go where the current brings us. The spark of revelation will come when we drift along, long enough.
Let me share a beautiful passage from a story I just read.
“This year I’ve experienced a lot of losses. I’ve lost my childhood friend. I’ve lost my best friend. I’ve lost my freedom. I’ve also managed somehow to lose $35,000. Most importantly I’ve lost myself along the way. Somehow nothing excited me as much as it did before. I could not find a reason to be motivated to do certain things.”
The feeling of loss sucks. It sucks in part because it stings really hard, spiritually, emotionally, and physically. It sucks because it takes time to build back what we lost.
Some, we will never bring able to bring back.
Kinship is one example. Time is another. Unrequited love, perhaps?
Mila’s story reminds us that life is unpredictable. We should love the people around us, do our best all time, every time. She pens a beautiful story. I recommend it for a weekend read.
And that brings me to this week’s editorial op-ed.
Our True Self Emerges When We Get Lost
No one ever taught me this life lesson.
And yet, this is the best self-learning that has ever popped into my head. Listening to others and execute might give us a sense of certainty. But it does not give us a sense of direction.
The reason is simple. That is not the direction we seek. We need time to find out what we want. For ourselves, through others.
“This is what I am striving to do, even today. Finding a way to improve the lives of others through motivation and encouragement, is what my purpose in life is. Honing on this purpose is now my mission and I am focusing on what ways I can bring it to action.”
Finding purpose in life is not as simple as satisfying hunger. It has everything to do with our mission in life. I know I sound preachy. But far from it.
It is a form of harsh truth. It takes us years to find out who we are. One of the ways to accelerate this journey is to review what we do.
Think about the things we do daily. Why do we do it? If you write, then question yourself why you write in the first place. Do you write when you have no time to spare? Do you continue to write months down the road even when your readership is dismal?
If so, you have something there. You have an affinity with writing.
Writing more allows you to get closer to your life’s calling, word by word, inch by inch.
And sometimes, the trick is not to ask ourselves too many questions. We can work more and engage in the activities we love late into the night.
Our hands have a way to open our minds for deep engagement.
This is a segue to another great read I recommend this weekend.
“I’ve been to a minimum of 10 therapists, and each one was crazier than me. I didn’t believe that was possible. But some would help me justify my fucked up thinking when in reality, I need someone to call me out on this shit.”
I have been reading Chris’s work lately. I must say he says things as it is. I resonate. There are too many times when we feed our minds bullshit and toxic. And then, we take it one step further by seeking justification from others. That does not make us feel better.
The reverse happens. We feel like trash because people believe our make-believe. When this negative spiral happens, we stay trapped in the lost zone for longer.
If we want to find ourselves again and move on with life, we must call our own bullshit out. Face them, tear them apart, and start moving again.
And I would say writing is the best way to extract the bullshit from our minds.
Esther George will agree with me.
Summary
We get lost from time to time. There are no qualms about it.
It is a matter of when it will happen. And then, what we can do to escape the trap-zone.
Sometimes, we need a drift. Sometimes, we need a waking call. Regardless, keep moving and keep writing.
I believe that when our minds are the clearest when we are working on something. It is the restless process of working that we actually stumble on our true selves.
And when we do, we become alive for real.
Dr Mehmet Yildiz Liam Ireland Maria Rattray Carol Price Karen Madej Tree Langdon Britni Pepper Dr. Preeti Singh Josh Balerite Acol Agnes Laurens Claire Kelly Dew Langrial Noorain Hassan, BMS Zen Chan Technology Hits JS Adam Regi Brittain John Cunningham Lawson Wallace
Resources from Previous Editorial Op-Eds:
If you find this editorial op-ed helpful to your writing journey, you may uncover more gems in the previous op-eds written for the benefit of ILLUMINATION’s contributors and readers.
- Illuminating the Editor’s Dilemma: What We (Really) Do and How We Can Do Better
- Illuminating the Way to Overcome the Writer’s Silent Disappointment
- Illuminating A Potential Structure for an Effective Writing Week
- Illuminating the Need for a Writing Downtime
- Inside the Minds of Editors: What We Look Forward to and Look Out for
- The Future of Reading is in Writing
About the Author:
As a content contributor, I write my observations from daily life and my business exposure. Because our life experience is the bedrock of our unique perspectives.
