It’s Been 2 Years Since I Started Writing Online— The Lessons Are Not What I Expected
How it changed the things for me.
I started writing online as a fun hobby 2 years back, and now I’ve fallen in love with jotting down my life lessons, thoughts about healthy living, practicing mindfulness, and my journey as a part-time creator.
To say the least, I love it so much.
I didn’t have writing goals, aspirations, or intentions of turning it into a one-person business, until very recently.
This led me to reassess what I’ve been doing, how I can improve quickly, and what value I can offer to my readers.
Here are the lessons I learned over the last 2 years writing online.
Showing up is hard:
When you have a job, you need to answer to your boss, send them status reports every day or week on the work you did.
Being accountable for the work you take on is tough.
And we all know accountability is hard, especially when you have nobody telling you what to do and when you need to get things done.
Everything becomes an option at your own pace, time, and convenience.
There’s no pressure to sit down and write because you have one more episode to catch up on.
That new Tom Cruise movie seems enticing, and it’s the perfect time to binge-watch movies in the same franchise.
Writing becomes an option, not a must.
Getting distracted becomes a piece of cake.
Watching YouTube TV shows can feel like customer research, and scrolling through social media becomes a new obsession.
After dreading for 9–5 you’re tired, hungry, and just want to slip into your comfy pyjamas and relax.
Who wants to sit down and write, right?
You need to be your own motivation.
To get things done, you need to find the motivation.
Motivation comes from doing something, taking actions.
I found that I had to get good at self-motivation.
That meant being skilled at getting into a flow state and knowing my mission clearly.
All of this sounds easy, but it took a lot longer than I wanted.
Some days, I’ve nailed my accountability and kept my promises.
But there are still times when I struggle with accountability.
Last week, I had a road accident that severely damaged my car.
With all the paperwork and everything, I didn’t get time to write or even think about anything else.
I know it’s not an excuse, and the second week became even more of an excuse.
If you don’t show up on the first day, it’s okay, but when you stop showing up on the second and third day, it becomes a habit.
Personal accountability is something you need to master it.
Some weeks, you nail it.
Other weeks, you veer too far into the dark side and need to realign.
Working for yourself will never be perfect.
When you find the motivation, it’s good to get the work done.
You often end up working overtime because doing more always seems like an easy answer.
There’s an extremely fine and delicate line between doing enough and going overboard with work.
In 2021, I burned out to the core at my job and took me a while to realize it, reassess, and ultimately look for another job.
If you have to write an article, you could spend days making it perfect and burning yourself out in the process.
With many different type of experiments, right now I am settled into writing between 6–8 PM everyday that contains:
- Writing outline for an article.
- Edit previously written article
It’s been easy to follow and let me keep showing up.
Passionate work is much easier to do:
My 9–5 jobs have been in the banking and financial industry, and I have been working for a decade now.
When I started working, I thought this was what I wanted and how I would spend my next 40 years.
I didn’t know anything better.
Everyone told me that taking extra responsibilities, working late nights, and never taking a vacation or day off would lead to quick success.
This was the only path to success and reaching the highest title.
I dedicated my life to working extra hard, at one point doing the work of all five of my team members who had quit around at the same time.
All this happened within two months, and I ended up doing the work of five people for the next six months, with no one to backfill the positions.
That left me uninspired, burned out, physically and mentally exhusted all the time.
Since I started writing, I’ve found myself to be much more passionate.
That passion has translated into energy.
And a high-energy life is easier to live.
Even on my bad days, I manage to write a few words.
I take this as a win.
I don’t need an escape because what I now do for work doesn’t feel like work.
If I had a day off from work, I’d be doing exactly what I do on a normal workday.
It feels weird to type that, but it’s true.
Even though the ‘follow your passion’ advice is cliché, it’s really true.
Only one way to keep the dream alive:
In the last two years of writing, I’ve come across lessons and reassessed my life in many ways.
The only way to keep your dream alive is to show up.
Show up to do the work.
Sometimes it’s going to be hard, but this is the only way to keep you seperate from rest of the world.
To me, 2 years of writing feels like a lifetime ago.
And sometimes, it seems like I am just starting out.
Wierd, but it’s the truth.
I remember how much time I spent perfecting my articles and thinking one day I may loose the motivation to write.
But as people say, time flies when work doesn’t feel like work anymore.
Right now, I’m trying work on my writing craft, enjoy the process of creating, and looking forward to connect with the creator’s community.
There is still so much to learn, and I’m all here for it.
And lastely, to live and love my life the way it is and keep improving it the best way I know.
And you should do the exactly.
Live the life that works for you and let you live the way you want. :)
All the best.
Be Bold
Be Courageous
Be Your Best
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