The Writing Stuff

I’m not a big fan of writing about life hacks.  You won’t see many how to posts on this blog with the exception of real estate. Part of the reason is that I’m still struggling myself with the answers.  Maximizing contentment and minimizing sadness are not only a life long struggle but also a skill we acquire over time.  And the answers differ from person to person.  Various tips and tricks impact each person’s life in a different way.  Over the years, I have come to realize that there is one habit that truly helps bring my best self to the table.  In my day-to-day life, if I want to have the right stuff, I have to spend a little time on the writing stuff.

Only in retrospect does it become glaringly clear, the worst periods of my life are usually punctuated by an abundance of metaphorical and literal blank pages.

Writing makes me happy.

Especially if I do it everyday.

The Great Clarifier

My head is a bundle of facts, emotions, and ideas.  Clarity, it turns out, is not the default state.  Although not necessarily negative, there is a thrust to instill order.  But often, that’s quite a difficult task.  Stewing in one’s thoughts is usually not enough.

When I engage in the writing stuff on a regular basis, I begin to bridge the gaps.  The order I crave, the clarity, coalesces around the written word.  I won’t say the writing solves all my problems, but it certainly helps me enumerate them.

When I put pen to paper (hand to keyboard), the world opens up and ideas connect in ways previously hindered.

I think better.

Poor Man’s Meditation

A CampFI lecture by Anthony Ongaro over at Break The Twitch blew my mind yesterday.  One of his numerous messages was about the importance of meditation.  Although I am fairly comfortable with the concept, I struggle to incorporate it into my daily routine.

The writing stuff, however, in many ways achieves the same goal.  When I sit down to compose, I clear my mind and focus on a singular concept.  The world fades away, I mute my phone, and distractions are kept to a minimum.

This daily routine of writing for thirty minutes helps re-center me.  Not only do I clarify my thoughts, but also calm the continual buzz of ideas zipping through my head.

Content-ment

I am a content creator.  The writing stuff, for me, is not just an outlet or personal journal.  I like to create a cohesive narrative and sprinkle it with thought inducing ideas.  And then I like to post them on the internet.  Far from searching for fame or fortune, my intent is to spur creativity.

For some reason, I have found if the narrative is not public, there is less of a drive towards authenticity.  Creating for mass consumption keeps me honest and on my toes.

I am more likely to bring my best stuff when there is an audience.

Final Thoughts

The writing stuff is one of my best life hacks.  It brings great clarity to my thoughts and is like a poor man’s meditation.  It helps me focus and clear some of the clutter that inhabits my brain.

Writing consumes my inner urge to create content.  The more public the better.

Whether on this blog or elsewhere, I suspect my words will be floating through the internet somewhere in the future.

On a regular basis.

Some Last Words On CampFI

Day three was magical, and I am finding myself sad to be leaving this morning.  You might have already seen my posts about Day 1 and Day 2.  I already mentioned Anthony from Break The Twitch above. Tanja from Our Next Life brought like three to fours hours worth of great content which she shared in various forms.  If you weren’t impressed enough by her blog, she is super legit, warm, and kind in person.  And Carl from Mr 1500 Days did two somewhat disparate yet magical things in his lecture.  He made me both laugh hysterically and also think deeply.

This has been a life altering few days.  There were dozens of people who like me showed up to get something, and yet in the end shared with us their wonderful gifts instead.