Why I Write Online?

It makes my soul smile. Yeah, it does. But there’s a whole lot more to it!

#1- Writing puts me in a state of flow

I don’t think people ever got miserable working long hours. Not by the nature of the work per se.

It is not the long hours of grinding that kill someone from deep inside.

It is the mental stress. The cumulative stress of:

— your talent not being appreciated,

— your extra effort not being credited when its due,

— the unreasonableness of your immediate boss,

— the hand-me-down assignments of your boss and colleagues that they don’t ever intend to do.

It is not the very nature of the work that tires you. It is the peripherals attached to a job that are so soul-sucking.

I’ve always felt that you can be in a truly happy headspace whilst working.

If only …

If you enjoy the profile and the peripherals.

When you are so engaged in the activity that you pursue, you lose the sense of time. You’re in a state of flow.

When I write, it feels to me:

“Like my spirit is soaring.”

“It is a source of immense enjoyment. It will always be work that fuels your passion.”

“And if that work is intermingled with your passion, your true north in life, it will never clip your wings. “

“On the contrary, it will become the wind beneath your wings.”

“It will inflate your wings with joy, pride and fulfilment.”

“Life will suddenly feel like an adventure to be pursued, a dream that you never want to end.”

Now you guys know why I write.

#2- Writing is like a meditation, a prayer for me

It is a form of release for me. A therapy. A meditation.

What comes to mind right now is the blockbuster hit, ‘Like a prayer,’ by Madonna.

Yessir, writing, mentoring and teaching are like a prayer to me.

The blank page beckons every morning.

My feelings are exactly like this:

When you call my name, it’s like a little prayer I’m down on my knees, I wanna take you there In the midnight hour, I can feel your power Just like a prayer, you know I’ll take you there

- From the song, ‘Like a Prayer,’ by Madonna

When I’m punching words, oops, when my thoughts are flowing out of my fingers onto the keyboard, it feels like the process of finding my inner joy.

They pop in front of you here on Medium or my Twitter handle, on LinkedIn, on my journal, here and there everywhere where it gets published. It brings a smile on my face.

When the editor of a publication on Medium, writes me a personalised note telling me that, ‘it is a compelling read,’ it fixes a grin on my face.

For the whole bloody day!

#3- For me, it has always been about the little joys of life

Simple pleasures of life egg me on to keep building my body of work.

One day at a time.

One article at a time.

One page at a time.

One part in five minutes.

I came back to it 2 days later to tweak changes to my first brain dump.

After journaling my thoughts, I feel a deep sense of peace pervade over me.

I’m at peace with what ‘is.’

I cannot thank God enough for this wonderful gift that He has given me.

This talent that I’m blessed with, anchors me with my inherent sense of bliss.

But having said that, I feel that writing is a skill that can be cultivated.

Writing is more about thinking than writing per se.

Everyone can hone their writing skills, hence thinking muscle.

Some people need many things to make them happy.

Some need only a few things.

I am the latter.

#4- Writing helps me foster deep connections with like-minded people across the world

Writing not only fulfills in me a deep-seated urge to express myself but also, helps me foster connections with wonderful like-minded souls across the world.

I do feel gratified when people connect with my writing.

One of the human needs in Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs is the need for human connection.

You can journal for yourself and all by yourself but by writing and publishing on social media, you get to connect with other kindred spirits.

It cannot be done in a void. Writing in a vacuum defeats the very purpose of it.

A community is essential. To solicit feedback, iterate, and hone your craft.

To tweak those errors.

For the massive learning.

To bring forth your weirdness.

And support other fellow writers.

Together we grow.

#5- Writing helps me ideate when my mind draws a blank

So many times, I cannot think and my mind draws a blank.

What I do then, is pull out my laptop and start punching- the very first idea that has precipitated on my PFC (pre-frontal cortex).

One seedling of an idea gives way to another.

And the next.

And so on.

A momentum starts to build.

Of course, what you see is the edited version a few days/a week or two later.

#6- The first draft is all heart. The edit is where the scissors of the head come in.

I brain dump and keep it aside for a few days.

It is an outpouring from my heart.

I visit it after a week. Maybe earlier.

At least two nights of sleep should have elapsed between the first draft and the edit.

In those two days, I have acquired a couple of layers of objectivity around my piece. Have witnessed fresh experiences in a life after that.

I’m now ready to mutilate and kill all my darlings.

With my mental scissors.

With the discerning scrutiny of the analytical mind.

If you can’t ruthlessly slice and dice your own writing, you are not doing the final piece to be justice.

The first draft is a vomit of your innermost and spontaneous feelings, your precipitating thoughts in your subconscious, at that moment.

It is akin to venting in front of someone you trust.

In front of your confidante — could be your mother, your spouse, your therapist, your best friend, that stranger you met in the coffee shop and struck up a conversation with.

And ended up baring your whole life to. (happens, right ;)

Maybe, in parts.

Depending on how vulnerable you were feeling that day.

Disconnect from that brain dump for at least 2 nights.

Come back to it with fresh eyes.

I am so surprised to see that I’ll gladly kill my darlings after 2/3 days.

What I held dear three days ago can now be extinct.

I’m ready to sift the grain from the chaff.

#7- Writing helps to keep rediscovering my life’s purpose. And realign myself with my big-picture goals from time to time.

I write to keep rediscovering my life’s purpose. Writing helps me evaluate my choices through life’s journey.

And make sense of them.

It is like my process journal.

Through the process of writing, I’m finding my true north on an each and every day basis. Every day you are moving the trajectory of your plane, towards your goals. Your BIG VISION goals.

Through the process of writing, you learn at times, that your true north is no longer what it used to be.

You have evolved over time. Are in the process of continuous evolution. It is the quintessential nature of life.

I’ve always felt that:

“We live. We grow. We outlive. We outgrow.”

You need to realign yourself with your renewed sense of life purpose. Writing can be so life-altering. Has been for me.

It is a tool that helps me put in alignment with my true north, on a periodical basis.

#8-Writing works as my inner untapped mentor

On days when I’m not functioning at optimum levels, simply allowing my fingers to punch and toss ideas back and forth, between my subconscious and conscious mind helps.

Ideating one slow thought after another, serves as a pick-me-up.

In no time at all, I started to feel upbeat about life again. And get into the carpe diem mode.

Very soon the momentum of writing takes over and my mood is fixed.

I get clarity of thought in a space of two hours.

I know exactly what to do in that moment.

I know exactly what to do with my time.

Time is all we have, really.

Time and finite reserves of energy.

#9- I love to inspire my fellow writers and readers.

If my writing can inspire even one person to improve the quality of their life, I would consider it a win for me.

If you win, I win.

It is that simple.

Writing is enabling me to forge connections with my fellow readers and other writers. If my content resonates with people in the community, it gives me a high.

If my content can uplift your spirit by even one notch, I will feel that my work has been received positively.

What is the point if I cannot make an impact?

I am a work-in-progress (WIP), though.

But the intention remains to impart my learnings from my own experiments with self-improvement tools, journeys, and life hacks.

Thanks for reading about my ‘why’ for writing. And my process of ideation. If this article entertained, inspired, and gave you food for ideas, I invite your participation in the form of claps, comments, and follows. So that you can get to read more of the content that I put out there. And egg me on to keep churning out more of such compelling stuff :)