Summary

Alvin Ang is transitioning from entrepreneurship to a full-time writing career after realizing his passion for writing and the success of his articles on Medium.

Abstract

Alvin Ang has decided to become a full-time writer after earning $600 from just four articles on Medium last month, signaling a shift in his career focus. He has come to terms with his lack of enthusiasm for the entrepreneurial lifestyle, which includes the stress and competition he has faced. Despite the demands of his business, which he prioritized for three years, his writing and martial arts practice suffered. Alvin plans to increase his writing output, create a personal website, build an email list, and write books. He is reordering his life's priorities, placing writing at the forefront, followed by martial arts and entrepreneurship. Alvin is excited about the future as a writer and martial artist and is grateful for the support he has received from his readers.

Opinions

Alvin does not enjoy the entrepreneurial lifestyle, finding it stressful and unfulfilling.
He has a strong passion for writing, which he believes can provide him with a respectable income.
Alvin acknowledges the sacrifices made for his business and is ready to shift his focus to writing and martial arts.
He is committed to increasing his literary output and diversifying his writing projects, including books.
Alvin values reader feedback and is humbled by the impact his writing has on his audience.
He envisions a future where he is known more for his writing and martial arts than for his business endeavors.

I’m Becoming a Full-Time Writer!

I made $600 last month — and I think it’s time to take the leap.

I’ve been away for the past few weeks on a business trip.

Ironically it was during this trip that I came to a slow-boiling realisation, one that I can no longer ignore: I don’t enjoy entrepreneurship very much.

I mean, I don’t hate it. If I did, I wouldn’t have dropped out of University to start my own business.

But I can no longer flee from the fact that I’m not particularly fond of the roller-coaster ride, the anxiety, the fierce competition that comes hand-in-hand with the life of an entrepreneur. Simply put, entrepreneurship doesn’t set my soul on fire. Writing, however, does.

Which is why I’m taking the leap to become a full-time writer.

Any founder worth his salt can tell you that a business is like a newborn baby. You’ve got to nurture it, and it requires way more nurturing than you think. Like Nicolas Cole wrote,

“It takes twice as long and costs twice as much.”

So for the past three years, I’ve always put business first. As a result, my writing and my martial arts practise suffered. And although I still firmly believe that it was the right thing to do at that point of time, this lineup simply doesn’t fulfil me anymore.

Last month, despite having only published only 4 articles, I made over $600 off Medium alone. I believe that should I make writing my number one priority, I’ll be able to make a respectable income through my words within the next 12 months. Here are some changes I’m going to implement:

Tripling my literary output. 4–6 posts a month will be a thing of the past. Say hello to a dozen or two thoughtful, well-crafted articles every turn of the moon.
Creating my own website.
Building my own email list.
And the one I’m most excited about — writing and publishing books.

Essentially, I’ll be reshuffling the playbook of my life.

From now on, writing comes first; martial arts and entrepreneurship are a solid second. I’ve believed for a long time now that content creation is the job of the future and it is high time I put my money where my heart is.

That’s not to say that I’ll retire to the mountains and become an ascetic wordsmith. I’ll be happy to host events again once this whole COVID thing blows over.

However, it does mean that I will be more of a writer slash martial artist than a business person. I see my ideal future self as someone who is well-versed in the ways of both the pen and the sword.

I won’t be limiting myself to self-help articles about Miyamoto Musashi and The Art of War, either. With more time allocated to literary pursuits, I will be working on good old-fashioned books. My goal is to have one full-length novel and one autobiography submitted by December 2021. Like I wrote above, this particular project excites me to no end. I’ve always wanted to be a published author.

Above all, I would like to say thank you.

I have been receiving incredibly supportive feedback regarding my latest articles, and even though I strive to be unswayed by both criticism and praise, I appreciate your kind words and reading time more than you know. I am deeply humbled to be in a position where I can reach out with my words and touch the lives of thousands of readers.

So thank you. Thank you for reading my story.

I look forward to writing for you all, as long as I can and as best as I can.

Love, always.

Alvin.