Why and When Do You Write?
A few weeks ago I changed my personal email signature. Not at work, but my personal one. Now it has the links “Website & Newsletter” at the bottom.
A small change for some, it was a big step for me. I embraced my identity of a writer for all my friends and acquaintances to see.
Inevitably I get asked now more than before “why do you write?”. Often this question is followed up by “But when do you find the time?”.
Ok, a quick explainer: our living circumstances are a bit odd.
My wife and I live in a household of 16. Some of those 16 are family members. Half are not.
We run a care home for four people with learning disabilities. We also have another 5 people living with us who are school leavers, working and living with us for a gap year (between school and university).
We also have five children. Still fairly young, aged 1-11 years old. Oh, and we have one more on the way. And we have a dog.
The house we live in is part of a larger organisation, providing care and support to about 80 adults. We also employ around 90 staff.
I am also the CEO of the organisation.
During the day you will usually find me either in meetings, buried in emails or as a taxi service ferrying my kids to their school and after school activities. I am the proud owner of a $13.99 plastic tray that locks into my steering wheel (productivity hack).
And since I spend my mornings working out, my evenings with my kids, wife or with friends on zoom; the questions why and when do you write seem reasonable.
Looking back over the past year, I simply cannot overstate the impact that taking Write of Passage has had on me.
I thought I wanted to start writing to clarify my thinking. But what I found was that I had suffered all my life from thinking that I was not worthy. Starting my blog and sending my weekly newsletter now for nearly a year helped me to accept who I am.
Since this mindset shift, I feel that I have unlocked a different level of who I can become.
Today I:
Embrace the desire to become the best version of myself (physically and mentally)
Teach the leadership principles that have helped me run my organisation
Write fiction for my kids that marries their desire for environmental protection and fantasy
And the most amazing part I am now part of the most amazing tribe of people
So why do I write? Because it fulfils me and makes me a better father, husband and CEO. And I am proud to signpost my friends to that in my personal email signature now.
