WRITERS WRITE

I have always had the passion to write. Every day I would jot down ideas in my iPhone Notes app until I finally exported it to a Word document and found there was more than 700 PAGES! I have always been attracted to leadership, sports and self-help books, but it wasn’t until I came across Ryan Holiday’s books where I was introduced to Stoicism which flipped a switch for me.

“If you wish to be a writer, write.” — Epictetus

For months I would try to formulate my ideas that would be consistent with a strong brand. Trying to find my voice, I was constantly rewriting and deleting. Thinking that I needed a grandiose strategic plan to start a successful career, all I was doing was being another example of so many wannabe writers. So many excuses: Too afraid to let my ideas see the light of day. Not enough time. What will people think of me? I don’t want to say the wrong thing. I don’t want to be an embarrassment.

I have learned that writing is like any other skill — you need to practice. Just like a stand-up comedian needs to bomb hundreds of times before getting their routine down. Have you ever watched blooper reels? The best actors in the world require multiple takes before getting it right. So here I am, I am just going to write and see where it takes me.

Now, there is value in having a plan before you do anything. For example, you need directions before you get into a car and drive to a new location. But, by constantly putting off the opportunity to write and hit publish, I wasn’t even getting into the car. I had the keys, but I wasn’t jumping in…until now.

I know for a fact that there are thousands of others out there that share the same struggles. My message to them, watch me and then you do the same.

One final note, another idea killer that always reared its ugly head: What can I possibly write about that hasn’t been written already?

When The Killers front man Brandon Flowers was struggling with a debilitating case of writer’s block, he reached out to rock legend Bono via email with the email subject: Have All The Songs Been Written? Bono replied by simply saying, “I believe that is the title of your next hit song.”

In similar fashion, I reached out to Ryan Holiday with a story idea and he suggested I start writing articles on Medium. So here I am.

“It’s better to be in the arena, getting stomped by the bull, than to be up in the stands or out in the parking lot.” — Steven Pressfield

Keep pushing forward.

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