Today I have completed writing my 15th entry, after this it will be published immediately on the website. I am not thoroughly amazed nor disappointed I am just happy that I got this far, to be honest with you if I published all of my drafts and say finished all of the things I started writing about, I’m probably sitting at about 30 published entries, all of those unfinished material are still stewing as potential projects for later but hey the point of this is not about those, I’m here because of my 15th published entry and here are some things I have learned since I started publishing my thoughts.
Lesson #1 I have much to learn.
Writing, is a skill like any other. For some it might sound easy-we have been writing all our lives, aren’t we all supposed to be good at it? Unfortunately, not, even after taking literature and writing classes during college, writing creatively is a different game. English is my second language therefore it’s a bit hard for me to manufacture phrases, I have to really think about it, so that words will sound a bit more pleasant when you’re reading. The fact that not all words are created equal is another thing I had to learn myself. Now I am always on the lookout to learn from other writers and authors as they create expert material for us to consume. Having to go through the creative processes and knowing how hard it is for these people to write makes me appreciate their work even more and has been a great lesson so far.
Lesson #2 I had to ingest information more than I thought
When I’m planning to write about a topic I had brewed in mind, I have to do research. Doing this accomplishes quite a few things; It lets me know if there are existing literature, which will then serve as a guideline for my entry, it also provides me a different angle with regards to the topic and a few more. If there are available material, then it somehow validates my thought. If there are none then I will be the first one to write about it. The lesson I learned is that most of my writing come from my own ideas but fortified by various information I have gathered from different writers, podcasters and content creators as well as experiences I have had. Just like wealth, knowledge can be compounded through the things we read, we experience and mistakes we learn from. The results that I produce are not only the products or byproducts of everything that I do for myself daily but also from the giants whose shoulder I stand on.
Lesson #3 Motivation can be exhausted
Having to write consistently is not an easy task, not for me at least, but it allowed me to explore my creativity in a profound way, that having said, writing on times when I’m overflowing with motivation puts me on a different kind of zone, writing is easy, ideas come write out of my fingertips, typing on that keyboard ever so violently until I get a finger cramp or something. It’s a great feeling so I make full use of it when it comes around. But when my motivation meter gets exhausted, that’s when discipline and habit comes to work. I have learned that to be a writer I cannot just rely on motivation; to be a writer I should be able to create something regardless of the mood I am in. My emotions, no matter what they be, will be evocative through my writing. The schedule I maintain for myself, the time where I sit and I am to write, the habits I created, so that I make sure I am creating something, be that as it may on paper with a pen, through a laptop or my work desktop at 2 o’ clock in the morning. A writer does not rely on motivation alone but also his will and discipline.
Lesson #4 I get inspired more often
In contrast to lesson #3, despite the fact that motivation does not always spark production, I often get inspired more, maybe it’s the fact that I can see beauty in a lot of things nowadays or maybe, just maybe I now have a different perspective compared to my younger self. Ideas flood me on my cardio sessions or during my trail walks, I get inspired when I hear something profound while listening to a podcast, I take interests in the things I read and on what people talk to me about. I do a lot of things right now, and I know that there are a lot of thoughtful work hidden everywhere it’s just a matter of perspective. Different points of view are existing everywhere, schools of thought are not only formulated but are being practiced in a lot of places, it’s how we visualize things that helps us formulate our own opinions and come up with conclusions. Everywhere I look I can see a potential story, I am now inspired more often and I am glad I can share some with you.
Lesson #5 The more I learn the sadder I get
The first lesson I wrote is that I have much to learn, paradoxically the more I learn the sadder I get and if I know one thing, it’s that I know of nothing. Knowing that, I tried educating myself more and more only to find out that I am ignorant of my own ignorance. In relation to this, the more I learn, the more I recognize what I really need, so I work on it right away only to find out that I now created an even more complex problem for myself. It is tragically beautiful, not only that knowledge teaches you but it also makes you experience humility. The better I think I get at writing the more I see the gap, the gap that separates me from different writers, the more I try and educate and rectify myself the further I get away from my friends and family. One day, I hope it will all be worth it.
#6 I have not been thankful enough
I am grateful with everything that has been happening in my life and I am grateful with everything I have but I believe I don’t say Thank you as often as I should. I am slowly starting to believe that the word Thank you is both over and underused and at the same time misused.
Over the past few months, I have tried reaching out to some people that have helped me in the past and people who I think would help me with the endeavors I am currently partaking. I have sought for more feedback than I have ever been in my life during this year. I want to get better not only in writing but also in my martial arts and weight lifting journey. Thank you for the feedbacks whether it was good or bad, I know I can learn from it.
I reached out to my high school teacher who I just found in Facebook last week. I thanked her for inspiring me as a kid, she was one of the first persons to believe in me and provided me with kind motherly encouragement instead of the usual tough love I got growing up. I know I should have done that years ago but like I said I am still learning and I’m just beginning.
Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, Until then.
XERGIUS 