Read time: 3.5 minutes
My head bounced off the blue mat.
I sat up and shook my head, like a dog when wet. But as I made the motion, it failed to shake the pain. It did summon some questions though.
Good ones, too:
- Why am I here?
- Why do I do this to myself?
- Is there really a benefit behind it?
No time for answers, I thought. Back to battle...
You see, that's the sort of stuff that goes through my head at Jiu-Jitsu. It's tough, it's uncomfortable, and it's not always the place I wanna be.
But why am I telling you this?
It's got nothing to do with writing!
And at the surface level, you're right. But what if I told you that it actually has everything to do with writing? At least, the core concept does.
❌ Opportunity cost
Remember?
It's what we're giving up by doing something else. And when we refuse to follow through with publishing our thoughts on the internet, we give up something great.
Just. Like. Jiu-Jitsu.
I'll explain...
When I don't go train, I give up the opportunity to:
- Improve my health
- Properly defend myself
- Make tons of new friends
- Confront my inner demons
And much, much more.
When I don't press publish, I give up the opportunity to:
- Improve my writing
- Make valuable connections
- Earn several streams of income
See? They're almost one and the same!
1️⃣ Cost: Writing Quality
Here's the thing about writing in private.
I love it, so know that. But what I don't love, is the absence of feedback loops. My leather-bound notebook just doesn't have the type of virality that I'm looking for.
It doesn't have any potential to go viral.
And I don't want to go viral just for the sake of it (although that would be nice).
I'm after virality because of the feedback. The answers. The information.
That's the problem with keeping our thoughts to ourselves. Sure, it can help us grow as writers, but I'm afraid that it will never allow us to grow at the pace we would if we published online.
When you have 300 million possible people seeing your work, it helps us tell the good from the bad. And they won't be afraid to let you know, trust me.
Don't let that scare you.
Publishing online is the best decision I've ever made.
And I wish I started sooner.
2️⃣ Cost: Valuable Connections
This is a big one.
If we don't put ourselves out there, we can't attract the people that'll improve our lives! The people that'll help us grow. The people that'll be there when we need them.
You'll always be there for your journal. But at the end of he day, will it really be there for you?
I don't think so.
And here's something crazy. I think I've made more connections online than I have in real life at this point.
I'm not sure it's great for my physical social life, but it's amazing for my digital one! Remember that it only takes one valuable person in your network to change your life forever.
ONE.
When we just do the journal, we give up that opportunity.
That's the cost.
3️⃣ Cost: Income streams
This is the most obvious opportunity cost of avoiding the publish button.
Given its simplicity, I won't spend too much time on it.
You can't earn for what's not there. That's the reality. If no one sees your journal, they can't see the value that's inside of it.
But...
Here's an idea. What if you took a picture of your notebook and posted them on Instagram? Pinterest? TikTok?
Anywhere.
Just get eyes on your work. It'll help. Once you build up the confidence to start really writing online, you can take advantage of it.
It = Thought Monetization.
🧠 Final Thoughts
There's one good thing about writing in your journal.
If you've done it for long enough, you've built a killer backlog of content.
Publishing online is the first step toward monetizing your thoughts and making money online. To learn how to write in a world where communication is completely essential.
To change your life...
Don't give up the things you could have out of fear.
Fear is good.
We need it to grow...
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