Is WRITING work?
I’ve recently had one of the most transformative experiences of my life (altMBA) and it involved a lot of writing.
So I remember that in anticipation of it I often asked myself, how could ONLY WRITING be work (Never mind altMBA is so much not only about writing, but how could I have known)? One of those questions that pop up in an engineer’s mind, you know? Dumb.
You write to get ideas. You don’t write because you get ideas.
Ideas are the best immediate byproduct of your biological existence. They are also ephemeral. By writing them down they are no longer so. Therefore
Writing gives substance to thinking.
Ideas are the result of your brain’s creative process. What if someone would tell you that you’re consistently throwing away the fruit of your best creative process?
Writing captures creativity.
When you start writing your thoughts, your ideas, ANY of them, others will strangely start to occur and flow naturally and before you know you will have filled a few pages already.
Writing gives structure and flow to thinking.
Writing will sometimes create an avalanche of thought and revelation, when you’re coming to a deep realisation, when you’re getting close to something important and then you feel it. The joy. The happiness hormones flooding it - your brain. I have felt this while playing World Of Warcraft and Dune online.
Writing is addictive
And like all addiction it’s self reinforcing. But this is the one addiction that you’ll never have to care about, or have to fix. It’s an addiction you can afford.
So is WRITING work?
Writing is foundational WORK. The foundation for a better YOU.
So think about what really stops you to start working on a better self right now? What is that really stays between you and that sheet of real paper in a notebook and a real pen? Push that away and write that first piece without judging it. Make it about anything. About everything. Make it your secret, if you like. It’ll be the best work you’ve done it a while. You’ll be reminded of that by your future self.
I may be also wrong.
