It breaks my heart to see this...
If you are struggling in your career, read this
Raw and Real Conversation
Hey Friends,
Before we start, I want to say that I am in a position of privilege and gratitude as I write what I am about to share in today’s edition. God has been kind to bless me with a career I love. Thus, I write to give this back to anyone who might be helped. Even if this helps one person, maybe we all have won :)
Okay then, let’s start :)
Sometimes I get emails or DMs from writers who are very early on in their journey, wanting to work with me.
Some days, I pause and go to their profile to check what all they have been writing.
Invariably, most people are NOT writing at all!
That profoundly breaks my heart.
Why would you want for anyone else to give you work, if you aren’t working already?
Why would anyone trust you with their work if you don’t trust yourself with your work?
Why would anyone take the time to mentor you if you have decided to never take time to mentor yourself?
I get it you have a full-time job. You are busy. There are things that come up.
But my question is, my friend, tell me one person who is not busy.
Everyone has things coming up. Everyone hates to practice. Everyone wants the rewards coming in.
But you and I are not babies of Shah Rukh Khan or Mukesh Ambani. We gotta work hard. Even their kids gotta work hard to make their own reputation.
…
This reminds me of another instance of a part-time content creator, who has a full-time job too, and wants to go big on content creation.
However, they spend a lot of time mentoring their team but zero time doing what they love: writing.
You can’t outsource what you love. It is like parents hiring a nanny to say “I love you” to their kid :D. Ain’t gonna happen, bro. Nanny could be hired to take care of the kid, to take care of their chores, to make the kid eat food. But love, my friends, flows from parents only.
A team could be hired to manage multiple things, but unless your purpose is to “build an agency and that is what you love doing”, you absolutely must devote some time to doing what you love.
To come to this content-creator, even if they spent a few minutes every week doing what they loved, they would enjoy the content creation process, instead of feeling drained.
Well, if you are in it for the money only, then too money comes to those who put in their heart along with their head.
Otherwise, in a world where people do not put their heart and only head, Generative AI will take them over faster than a car would take over a cycle. I am sorry for being brutal, but I know that the ones who want to bloom and blossom, will figure a way out to do what they love. Paul Graham has some advice on it.
…
The way to have a thriving career ahead of you is to spend time doing what you love, even if it is a few minutes a day. Even if you have a full-time job.
Get better at it daily.
Never skip showing up.
Learn to say no to everything that is a distraction disguised as dopamine.
…
So, what do we do when we don’t have time?
You make time, baby!
You become smart with the use of your time.
You switch the hours of scrolling reels with specific rituals.
Even if it is 10 or 30 minutes a day, you plan those days and show up.
I speak a lot about it in The Career Changing Guide, for those who want to change their careers, and in Every Writer Needs to Read This, for writers who are struggling to write or get work. The books take you to the depths of why you should be doing things, instead of giving merely tips and tricks.
You need not buy either or both of these. That’s absolutely okay with me.
However, you gotta love the grind. As much as the world tells you it is hard work, it is the easiest thing to do in the world if you compare it to working hard at something you hate.
To summarise:
Do what you love.
Along with your full-time job.
Make time for it.
Even if it is a few minutes every day.
Read The Career Changing Guide or Every Writer Needs To Read This (or not).
Build leverage (aka your body of work, i.e., be consistent), which is what will help anyone trust you.
Rinse and repeat. The world is literally your oyster. I promise.
Stay raw, stay real, never stop reading :)
Nishtha
Whenever you are ready, get 1% better with ebooks (Instant access):
The Corporate Life Handbook: The book everyone working a corporate job needs :)
The Career Changing Guide: My bestseller so far :)
How to Deal with Heartbreak: Because, life happens :(
Every Writer Needs to Read this: I wish I had this one, when I was starting out as a writer
This is What You are Looking for (Paperback): Small Life Lessons for a Happier Life