Yes! You Should Start Writing

One of the challenging tasks is figuring out, “Where should I put my effort?” Over the past year, I’ve dedicated myself to answering this very question. From my experience, I’ve realized that this is a cognitively demanding task, requiring you to challenge your entire mental model—examining why you think the way you think, why you believe what you believe, and why you behave the way you do.

Our mental models—our thoughts, beliefs, and behaviors exist like abstract layers, overlapping one another. The goal here is to peel back these layers, whether they relate to your career, societal values, or perceptions of those around you. It’s definitely not a one-shot game. If you’re young, you’re at an advantage as you have relatively fewer layers to peel back and a long way ahead to surf with clear vision. And if you learn this process now, you can use it throughout your life to clear up your mental fog.

So, how do we go about this?

The method that worked for me, and one that I highly recommend, is getting into the habit of writing journals. The task here is to ask yourself a question and answer it with brutal honesty. There are no grades, so feel free to write haphazardly—forget about the essay structuring you were taught in school. Over time, you’re likely to encounter patterns, such as your thoughts and beliefs contradicting each other. The goal is to gain clarity, not to produce something for your friends to read or get any validations.

I often mention “assumptions” in my writings, and this comes from experience in self-reflection and observation. We often assume we want “something” and start marching towards it. The key is to ask yourself questions like: Why do I want this? What is attracting me to this “something”? It might seem like a long and tedious task at first, but that’s just your assumptions tricking you into believing it. If you keep asking these types of questions across different dimensions of your life, the fog will soon start to lift, freeing you from the limited life you might otherwise lead.

Your future self will thank you with a clearer head and fewer ‘Why did I do that?’ moments. Ready to clear the fog? Your journal’s waiting. Ask yourself a question—make it yours.

4 September 2024