19 Life Lessons From 100 Days of Writing
#6. Watch the world burn while you tell the truth
Today is a Dream Day for me. I started my blogging streak on March 25 2020, day 1 of nationwide lockdown. Since then, I am learning like a scientist. Researching, verifying, experimenting and sharing values with you.
But every journey comes with its struggle and lessons. Here are some of the life lessons I learned in my 100 days of writing.
Some of them are sudden realisations; some are shaping me right now.
1. Writing improves emotional intelligence
If you’ve been to a therapist, then they will tell you to have a thought diary. Why? Because emotional intelligence is the most under-rated trait in our society.
It helps us connect, but we don’t do it often. Instead, we drown in self-loathing and want the universe to fix everything for us.
Once you develop a writing habit, you become an emotional healer to anyone.
There are many moral values I learned along the way. Some of them are empathy, self-compassion, confidence and self-trust. But I don’t see people following it. They are hard-driven by ego. And it hurts!
When you write down your thoughts, they help you understand what emotions you are going through and how to heal them.
2. Education is essential. Degree is not.
I am from IIT, the prestigious engineering colleges in India. But not a shit of the academics knowledge I am using right now. Why? Because college doesn’t teach you academics. It teaches you life and gives you meaningful, lasting connections.
Here is the exciting part: people like to brag they are from IIT and want to be cool. I want to stay silent about that achievement because I am less egotistical than others. I try to be humble whenever I can.
After my college life, many people don’t know I am from IIT. And that is a different level of satisfaction when people see you as usual and are comfortable to talk to you like you are a simple human being.
3. Health is important than your salary
Day-by-day I am trusting my decision of leaving the full-time job. It is because of a straightforward reason: Indians are hard-working people. And even if there is no professionalism in the work environment, some people will just bust their asses 24x7 to flood their bank account. Money can blind us to this extent that we compromise our health!
Some of my college folks are doing it right now. They are the ones who questioned my method of spending money on an online course and look who is dreading for Friday night parties now?
I can party and relax whenever I want. They have to dread for the weekend to find party time.
4. Negativity spikes and dies, positivity builds momentum
Here is the wisdom and the ability to look at the bright side of everything, so you do good deeds and good things happen to you. Look around you; negativity has gone on a large scale.
Because of human evolution, we are hard-wired to negativity. Google “survival instinct” and you will understand how quickly we surrender to fear. Here I wrote about the scientific way to control fear.
Positivity, on the other hand, requires a peaceful state of mind. It requires doing good deeds and abiding by all the moral values you studied in your childhood.
Now is the right time to practice them. Positivity is essential for a long life expectancy. Science has it.
5. No one cares unless you impact them.
The problem with a new creative career is that not only you have the steep learning curve in the starting, but also there is a lot of backlash from these three groups of people:
- family
- society
- friends
Well, you know whom to explain: only your family. Friends understand with time.
With time, you will also realise who are your real friends with the support they give you in your hard times. Some will reveal their real character and leave you like a dog on the road. That’s how life goes.
6. Watch the world burn while you tell the truth
Here is a thing about honesty; no one shows that a lot. But people like to be on the receiving end of it.
Add truth to it, spark a controversial discussion and see what ideas clash among everyone. You just sparked your curiosity and a wrath of snap judgements is ready to start a useless debate.
Recently I wrote on a sensitive topic about religion, and I was scared whether to publish or not. Instead, I posted anyway, and the fear factor is gone now. Forever.
7. Courage and vulnerability: two sides of the same coin
It takes courage to stand up for yourself. To your boss, to your family or even to toxic people who try to bring you down.
The silent way works best in most of the cases, but when the level becomes intolerable, you have to fight and shun the shit out of them.
By showing courage, you are also putting yourself vulnerable. It is just a trade-off that you are taking risks to stand for your worth.
8. Time or money, one resource saves another
If you purchase an online course, you will get a customised learning plan where you can learn valuable skills in less time.
The problem with free courses is that there is not an interactive way (compared to paid courses) to evaluate the study material. Therefore it takes a long time to understand and confirm what we have learned is helpful or not.
People with obsolete ideas will despise you for trusting online education. But it is their outdated beliefs about education. Fuck them.
9. Fighting for your dreams is a life worth living
Life is better when action is your best friend. Experience is better when you want to earn every day, not just dwell in procrastination and wait till the end of the day to finish all the entire office work and then leave for home.
Find some side projects as multiple sources of income. Build financial freedom with oceans of sweat.
10. Don’t blame the generation gap in your family, fix it
Generation gap comes when our parents don’t have an open-minded approach to our way of life. Same was my case.
What did I do? I talked to my father and elder brother and told them the truth that they needed to hear in the bluntest way possible.
My dad only listens to reasonable argument. And now when I think his decision is nonsense, I correct him. He even agrees, and we connect in the end. This is called emotional healing.
11. Laughter is the fool-proof medicine
I can laugh whenever I want. For example, hahaha.
I don’t need anyone or any joke or any comedy show to cheer me up. I can do it whenever I want in two ways:
- practice gratitude and smile for the present
- I have a robust photogenic memory. So I can think of any past joke I made and go bananas!
12. Help people
That is the entire reason we are here. Our purpose is to help other people and add values to their lives by doing what we love.
Otherwise, you will feel a little bit selfish and won’t be satisfied with yourself. And also it will reduce your life expectancy. Again, this is science.
13. You are a brand, not a commodity
You need to hear this. Your voice deserves a megaphone.
I am saying this because everyone has a unique talent and needs a nudge to experiment with it.
The chance is never perfect. Do it whenever your gut feeling says. Now is a wonderful time in the history to start your dream career, if you want. Follow your heart.
14. The human brain is a fascinating thing in the universe
This walnut-shaped wrinkle bag is surprising the scientists in novel ways from time to time.
The latest one which I learned is neuroplasticity. I am using this concept to become a writer.
You can do anything in this world once you set your mind to it. I am a live example. I reached day 100 of blogging with consistent daily efforts.
15. You’re weird for a reason.
Not everyone will appreciate your craziness. Many people try to fit in. The ones who don’t, they create their tribe.
Like me, I am an extrovert, so I am easy going, but still, I face a lot of negative judgements because of my weird behaviour. These traits are not evil; they are just odd because I am different ( in a positive sense ) and can’t compromise with that attitude.
16. Do you think you have time? Think again
Ram Bansal, this guy can motivate fucking anyone to pursue their dreams. He is nuts.
He suggested me to start a blogging streak on March 25 ( day 1 of nationwide lockdown ), and we even have a project where we are supporting enthusiastic dreamers who want to take their art to the next level by providing a sharing platform.
Leave a private note to any of his Medium blogs and we have a preset audience waiting for you. Or you can leave a private note here too, if you like!
17. Flow state is real. You will feel the spirituality.
Though nowadays I can’t reach the flow state because I write just before bedtime. But when I used to write in the morning time, I set a time-trial and just race with words.
In the flow state, you are so involved in your work that you lose the feeling of self-consciousness. Try it in any work that requires concentration. You will find utter joy while being in the zone. You will feel spritituality also.
18. Trust your struggle
If you have a plan to move forward, then the struggle phase sounds inevitable to follow because it is the only way to build your character.
Sorry, but life without struggle is not a life worth living.
19. Content creation is the future
Content creation will help you set a brand for yourself. It can work as a side hustle for you and also generate multiple income streams.
I haven’t yet started freelance writing. But I am already getting offers. Now it’s time for me to filter and select what is fit for me.
This blog belongs to a series of posts I am publishing in this 100-days streak. Today is day 100. Tomorrow I will reveal the next target. It has been an incredible journey, and I need to digest it for some time.
~ S.
