Life is a journey, and we are all captains of our own ships, striving to sail safely across the infinite expanse of time.
Every now and then, our vessels become inundated with the mundanities of life. In our quest to navigate the often turbulent waters of this earthly journey, we sometimes embrace the humdrum and, in return, offload the very things that make us come alive. The sea of life is littered with gemstones cast off from once vibrant vessels that have now grown dull.
Writing, to me, is more than just a means of expression – it is one of my gemstones.
Granted, it is my preferred means of communication as it affords me the time and space to articulate my thoughts more succinctly. Beyond the outward role of communication, however, writing fulfills yet another vital function — it serves inwardly as a tool for refining and consolidating my thoughts.
Simply put, writing helps me think.
If you’ve ever kept a journal, you’d agree that one of the benefits of journaling is that it aids in processing thoughts or past events, either in search of answers, closure, or both. It can be likened to therapy. One of the primary roles of a therapist is to help you think through your problems in the search for a solution or a resolution.
Writing, like a seasoned therapist, compels me to scrutinize my occasionally chaotic thoughts, sifting through the excesses in search of a suitable resolution, which I then pen down.
However, the effectiveness of therapy is largely hinged on progressive continuity, which has proven to be my Achilles’ heel thus far.
For those who have been around since the inception of my blog (the actual “OGs”!), or if you somehow stumbled upon my “About” page, I mentioned that this space serves as an open journal where I document some of the lessons I’m learning in life, along with my thoughts and opinions on relevant issues; in other words, my “two cents”—hence the name “Two Cents Journal”.
The overarching goal remains to convey value through words in an attempt to inspire someone out there.
Well, it goes without saying that I have pretty much failed at being consistent at that.
Journaling as a habit is something I often struggle with, both privately and publicly, online and offline. Consistency eludes me every time I try to achieve it. I maintain this practice for a short while, and then I disappear for much longer. It is proving to be a wild goose chase.
Nonetheless, I cannot afford to quit therapy altogether, nor do I intend to cast away this gemstone that ignites my mind.
I have decided to pick up my pen and try again. The troubles of continually striving for consistency, albeit imperfectly, are far less than the woes of giving it up completely.
The most recent post on the blog was published back in September. It seems fitting to give an update on what I’ve been up to in the last five months.
During my blogging hiatus, I read viral writer Nicolas Cole’s book, “The Art and Business of Online Writing”. The book inspired me to explore writing on other public platforms, such as Quora, Threads, and X. It’s safe to say my little experiment was successful. Most notably, my Quora content has garnered over eighteen thousand views—that is quite a lot!
To further this experiment, I am also taking my writing to Substack, where I will be launching a newsletter. Feel free to follow me on there:)
In addition to writing, I explored other forms of content, too. I created a few short videos for Instagram Reels and some longer videos for YouTube. I am currently working on building a sustainable system around these, and I am excited about the journey ahead.
The voyage continues, and we keep sailing. When the storms roar, and my vessel is tossed about, I hope I don’t lose my gemstone… and I hope you don’t lose yours either.