why i write
how writing teaches me to live with intention [52]:
A few days ago, a friend messaged me asking if I knew a blogger whose work she has been reading for years. This person was someone I recently connected with but have too heard of her a few years prior to my starting this publication. If it wasn’t for this Substack, I would probably not become friends with this blogger.
It’s funny how the world collides and shrinks in size as I get older and extend my reach into it. My mom’s long-time friend in Viet Nam shares a friend I had in Austin, both of whom are my high school alumni. I once reached out to
on LinkedIn because I found his profile and admire his work journey so much. I can see my dream career manifested and realized by someone, starting from a big and old corporation, to management consulting, freelance, and eventually sharing his knowledge and writing on the Internet for a living. As it happens, he lives in Austin and also writes a book that I have heard of from Ali and Taimur Abdaal’s podcast. This past year, I had the fortune to make friends with fellow writers who somehow know one another and share many values. The beauty of it all lies in living with intention.When I was in high school and in college, this serendipity almost never happened. I was aloof and indifferent to the details of my life. I liked a lot of things I do now but I didn’t actively pursue them. I was going through the motions: go to school, take classes, do group projects, take exams, and apply to X amount of internships and jobs.
I was waiting for someone to hand the solution to me like this is how I could get out of a rut, this is how I could stop being depressed or blame anyone but myself for not having the courage to leave a program I didn’t enjoy. I loved writing then but didn’t make it a routine. I wrote sparingly. I stopped reading. I didn’t have a single writer friend. I dreamt but I didn’t make it happen. I wasn’t taking any action.
I started writing in February of last year and had not missed a single week. At first, it was to hold myself accountable. Then writing became a habit and something I look forward to. Writing became an anchor that holds my life together when everything else is falling apart. When my work doesn’t love me, when a guy I talk to becomes eerily quiet, when my best friend and I have an argument, writing is there.
Writing and publishing weekly teach me one big thing.
To live with intention is to be in momentum.
To be in momentum is to be doing something, not thinking, reading, or talking about it.
I could not get better at writing if I don’t write every week. When I make myself sit down and write, even when inspiration isn’t there, my thinking brain empty and ideas dry, eventually, something comes up. I believe it when Anne Lamott says if you have a childhood, you have had enough material to write. Action alone gives you enough data points to proceed.
I make the mistake in college to be idled when I want to try something new. It takes a long time and I learn it the hard way but in order to know for certain whether you are interested in a field, you need to commit and get your hands dirty. Taking action is the first step in opening a world of possibilities. Taking action is also the first step in closing that door for you if you learn that a job or field is not what you expect it to be.
There is a lot of power in being in momentum and one of them is not feeling helpless. When you are taking action, you are taking life by the horn. You are writing your own story and dictating what the next step will be. (Of course with the exception where someone is physically endangered or socially/politically immobilized to take action)
To reshare one of my all-time favorite quotes:
The world will ask you who you are, and if you don’t know, the world will tell you - Carl Jung
I have had a few people ask me why I write. I tend to think long and hard because there is no single reason why I enjoy writing so much. For one, writing consistently marks the beginning of my living with intention journey. Writing is the most important thing in my life and by showing up for it, I let myself know that I have the ability to show up for everything else that I care about.
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Leave me a comment <3
hi minh :) your commitment to your writing journey inspires me so much, and this is such a comforting piece to read. it reminds me of my favourite quote by octavia butler: “first forget inspiration. habit is more dependable. habit will sustain you whether you're inspired or not. habit will help you finish and polish your stories. inspiration won't. habit is persistence in practice.” <3
i am myself in the process of building my own substack right now, and i aspire to be as consistent as you. excited to see what's to come. - lots of care from a new subscriber and fellow hanoian
This is one of the strongest pieces you’ve written. I really like it! Resonated a lot with “I was waiting for someone to hand the solution to me like this is how I could get out of a rut, this is how I could stop being depressed or blame anyone but myself for not having the courage to leave a program I didn’t enjoy.”