I have always been a reader. Early on I remember being engrossed in books like the Fantastic Five and the Magic Faraway tree. That passion has certainly ebbed and flowed over the last 20 years, but over the past 12-18 months, I feel I have rediscovered my love for reading.
Writers/Authors enrich our lives through storytelling and fact-finding, expressing the way the world works in ways most of us can only dream of. I’ve always been amazed at the ways some people can utilise the English language with a certain understanding of the world and their perception of it.
This makes me want to write, so I started writing. Now I write things. Every single day. Whether it’s a stream of consciousness in my diary, a quote that has impacted me, a weekly email or a blog post. This is a new habit I am working on forming. When I think about it, I write for two main reasons.
Reason 1.
It makes me feel good. I love the fact that I can never write faster than I can think. When I allow myself to stop and disengage from the world for a few minutes, I can engage with myself, with my thoughts, and I feel patience, calm and understanding. Almost like I’m stepping back and subjectively observing who I am and the world I’m living in. Self-awareness, self-discipline, writing develops these things, daily.
Reason 2.
I want to be useful.
I write to help myself and others think and live better. If I can share my struggles, triumphs and learnings and that helps others use my hindsight, then that’s a win. If my ideas and learnings can inspire positive behaviour change, amplify understanding or spark a discussion, then I’m contributing to the body of work of all those who write. Empowerment comes from education and if the things I’m thinking can help others make better decisions, I’m all for it.
I’m well aware my writing needs work, a whole lot of it. Good shit takes time. That daily expectation to write is still fairly new, I’m a little over two months in, but through consistency will come improvement.
Who knows, maybe one day I’ll write a book. That would be incredible. That is if I feel I have something worth saying.
Have a wonderful day.
Wallace