The Lie About Writing That's Keeping You Miserable

A single mindset shift could reignite your love for writing.

Image via Substack

No one warns you about time slipping away. It doesn’t feel dramatic. It’s not calendars flying off walls or clocks chiming ominously. It’s quieter than that. One morning, you wake up. You realize the life you were waiting to live has already begun. Yet, somewhere along the way, you started living it on autopilot.

Happened to me a few weeks ago. I was sitting at my desk, staring at a cursor on a blank screen. But nothing came to mind. So I dreamed about the day I’d finally write a bestselling book. Sell millions of copies. And then, walked to the kitchen to make a cup of coffee.

The kettle hissed. Steam curled into the sunlight. And I watched it, thinking it might spark some inspiration. But my mind was already ahead. I was planning the next email, the next article, the next deadline.

When did writing, something I once loved, become just another task on my to-do list? When did I start measuring my worth in words produced, views gained, subscribers added to my newsletter?…