Why Do We Write — What’s the Point?
What’s Your Reason to Breathe, to Live?
Life can feel pointless at times.
It can feel like the things we do don’t matter or make a difference in the end.
So many of the things we do are mundane, after all. Our days are filled with chores and repetitive tasks and shifts at the same old jobs.
It’s hard not to feel like we’re doing the same old thing, day after day like we’re some kind of hamster on a wheel, struggling to escape a stagnant and boring old routine.
I mean, is it really possible to get excited about picking up groceries yet again? About waking up to the same job over and over? About seeing the same people in our lives, time and time again, even when we have nothing new to say to them?
You have to find a way to break out of this monotony, especially if you’re trying to find the energy to create on a regular basis.
And one of the best ways to do that is to connect with your powerful why.
Why Do You Write?
One of my most dreaded questions I get after some time off at work is “so, what did you get up to on your day off?”
No matter what answer I give, I always feel a bit judged, like I’m not good enough or not productive enough.
I mean, some people just don’t understand that I might have spent my whole day off cooped up in the house trying to put the finishing touches on a blog post I made, trying to get it ready for the outside world to see.
“What’s the point,” they say. “It’s just a blog after all.”
But they’re wrong.
This is more than a blog to me, more than a place to share my ideas. It’s a place to facilitate discussion, to riff on the world as I please, to inspire others to take action in their lives. It’s a place to smile, to laugh, to encourage and lift ourselves up when the world just wants to bring them down.
To me, this represents a place to inspire other to become the best version of themselves they can possibly be. And that’s a powerful thing in itself.
If any of that’s pointless, I don’t know why any of us go on living. Because without purpose, our lives will be devoid of meaning. Everything is devoid of a point without having one after all.
People need to hear your voice. They need your advice and your message, so don’t keep it buried inside of you because you’re too scared for them to see.
You Gotta Be a Bit Selfish to Be a Writer
If people ask you “why do you write?,” you’re not beholden to give them an answer that lines up with their worldview — because who cares what they think?
Who cares that you’re not making money off your writing (yet), and who cares that you’re doing this only to help others, and who cares that you’re doing this because you’re so passionate about it like no one else is?
If the answer is just you, that’s okay. I know what that’s like and it sucks.
However, any way you slice it, your writing will always be about you to a degree. It’ll form around your experiences and your worldview and what you have to say about the issues you find most dear to it.
And that’s okay, because you have to be a little selfish to make the impact you want in the end.
The good part is, you can forget about the rest and hone in on the people that understand you.
You can zoom in onto the people that respect you, that encourage you to go on, that prod you to keep doing this even though you might not be getting anything more than an intrinsic reward in return for all the hard work and grueling hours you put in.
You will always have the power to focus on what you choose to fuel your journey — so why not make it something that lifts you up? Why not craft a purpose that makes you smile every time you see it or think of it?
To me, that’s more than enough.
It has to be. Or else why are you doing this at all?
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Blake Powell is a writer, dreamer, and doer. He is sharing his journey and his soul every day for 30 days in March, and he aims to inspire writers and creatives as he goes. If you’re looking to grow your audience and engagement on Medium, you can click here to join his free challenge today.
