Hello readers, my god it has been sooooo long.
I missed you guys.
Yes, I have been inactive lately and we will address that.
But first thing first, Happy New Year to everyone. Wishing you good health and fortune.
And a special thanks to a couple of readers who checked on me on LinkedIn suspecting something was wrong because I wasn’t publishing. It means a lot :)
Moving on so why haven't I been writing?
There are multiple reasons which we will go through one by one.
You Are Privileged
In one of my newsletters, I suggested that one shouldn’t compromise with personal life just to earn a few extra bucks.
For this, I received feedback that I shouldn’t be preaching on money since I have never faced any monetary issues.
Similarly, I speak about how one shouldn’t be stuck in a toxic job. You guys might not know but I quit one of my jobs within a couple of months because of the unbearable stress.
On this, my friend highlighted that you had your dad’s business as a backup but many don’t have that luxury.
Fairly speaking, their views are absolutely valid.
In my heart I know I wouldn’t stick to a toxic job however you never know.
These interpretations abated my drive for writing since my content is largely hooked around self-development.
East Way Out
Before you jump onto the “Oh! poor Goel” bandwagon, here’s another side to the story.
Yes, these thoughts crippled me however I took the easy way out.
Publishing regularly is a tedious task. One has to make sacrifices in order to commit to something regularly.
By saying that I don’t have the right to write, I sacrificed my sacrifice.
The countless hours required to research, draft, and publish were spent on books, movies, and outings.
Moreover, there wasn’t any pressure to write or administer how well my article did.
Writer’s Block
This is an extension of the previous point.
Athletes can’t exhibit their A-game if they skip practice.
After a couple of weeks, I was short on ideas as I wasn’t putting in the work.
Gradually I convinced myself of hitting writer’s block.
My thoughts were saturated with nothing new showing up.
Also, I kept reiterating that anything I wanted to say was already being articulated by even better writers.
Therefore there’s no need for me to write anymore.
My Version of FOMO: DOMM
DOMM stands for Desire of Making Most.
You see, I suffer from this unique disease.
Let’s take health for example. I try my best to stay fit.
If I do home workouts, I feel they are perfect as I get to stay fit and allocate enough time to other pursuits like writing.
If I go to the gym, I want to stick to the gym it will help me tone up in a way home workouts couldn’t.
If I play badminton, I feel it is the best as I can stay healthy along with having fun.
You get my dilemma, which one shall I persist with?
Now add other different aspects like reading books, writing, working, spending quality time with family, hanging out with friends, etc.
You are stuck in an endless cycle, hopping from one activity to another.
So What Changed?
For starters, I never wanted to pause writing. It’s just that in the last few months, I was occupied with trips, marriages, and a few personal endeavors.
Talking about being privileged I don’t have any solid point to counter that argument.
But I did come up with a lame one, Yes I am privileged but so are most of my readers. Maybe not as much as me, but still enough to embrace my thoughts.
Writing makes me feel alive, there’s a kick in openly sharing your thoughts.
It somehow completes me and fills that internal void a bit.
Connecting with a community provides a sense of belonging. Also, I love the surreal attention I receive. This is my best shot at fame given my quotidian stupid stunts don’t go viral on social media.
And finally seeing newsletters from other creators regularly dropping in my mailbox filled me with awe for them and guilt for myself. Most of them aren’t even full-time writers yet they find time to do it day in and day out.
Each new year kindles us with a few unrealistic dreams.
Let’s back each other to fulfill at least a few of them.
We all have dreams. But in order to make dreams come into reality, it takes an awful lot of determination, dedication, self-discipline, and effort.
-Jesse Owens
Hope you enjoyed this edition.
Signing off for today :) Until next time, Houdoe! 🙋♂️