Daniel, why did you start writing?

I’ll get to that, dear friend, but first, here’s the main idea:

Great writing is great thinking (It's 4:08PM on a Thursday as I do this final edit)

And great thinking leads to great writing.

Which makes me question 3 things:

When I'm confused, should I simply write?

When I feel confident, should I write?

When I'm curious, should I write?

In the confusion writing brings clarity.

In the confidence writing brings humility.

In the curiosity writing brings excitement.

Good writing is magnetic.

Why should you write?

Because stories and music are the only ways people remember things.

I can share the stories that aren't finished.

The stories where I've failed or haven't succeeded yet.

Speaking of stories.

There was this amazing story I heard this last week.

Writing is liberating.

"My brother is not a prisoner. He may leave when he so wills.”

“During the fourteenth century Raynald III, was a duke in what is now Belgium. As the result of a violent quarrel, Raynald’s younger brother Edward successfully revolted against him. When Edward captured Raynald he built a room around him featuring windows and a door and promised him that the day he left the room his title and property would be returned to him.

The problem with this arrangement was that Raynald was grossly overweight and could not fit through the openings in the room. Raynald needed to lose weight before he could leave the room. Edward knew that his older brother could not control his appetite and sent him delicious food every day. As you may imagine, Raynald grew fatter during this time.

Anytime someone accused Duke Edward of treating Raynald cruelly he said: “My brother is not a prisoner. He may leave when he so wills.”

Raynald stayed in that room for ten years and wasn’t released until after Edward died in battle. By then his health was so ruined he died within a year. He was a prisoner of his own appetite.”

Just as Raynald was enslaved by his appetite, consumption without production will enslave you to.

You and I, Dear friend. We're Raynald.

What are we consuming? Social media, Youtube, Movies. They are all doing something to you. Shaping your mind. Shaping your view of reality.

If you choose different inputs. (healthier inputs) what you produce will change too.

And as you begin to write you will notice how the people you follow are living rent free in your brain.

Learning without writing (or action) is like eating without exercise. No matter how great your diet is you need resistance to grow. (It’s 4:18 now, and speaking of growth I’m heading to a yoga class)

Problem:

Here's why I never wrote.

I didn't want to have people disagree with me.

I wanted everyone's approval.

As soon as I choose to stand for anything and put my belief on this page. I create allies and enemies. For most of my life that stopped me. Now it fuels me.

There is this concept I've learned from Sam Parr.

That it's important to define who I'm for. It's also equally important to identify what I'm against and what I don't want.

Writing Origin Story:

Daniel, why did you start writing?

Let me tell you the story:

I was in Ecuador, in this hobbit hole I'd rented for a few days. I was 24, and I was staring at a snow capped volcano. There were rolling green hills, and llamas that I'd fed bananas to earlier that day standing on those hills. and... silence.

Silence that felt like a heavy blanket.

I started thinking. (I was about to turn 25)

what did I wanted to do over the next 10 years?

There were a lot of things, but there was one that stood out. writing.

I wanted to write a book by the time I was 35.

I came back to the US and for the next two years I forgot about my dream. (isn't that so easy to do?)

But then something happened.

Something so simple it wouldn't even seem like it would matter.

A friend of mine (Evelyn) posted a graphic of Dan Koe on her story. (a beautiful mind)

I'm sure you're thinking "Daniel, who cares? people share stuff all the time."

Yeah, Yeah, yeah, I get it. Seems small.

But it wasn't.

Because of that graphic, and because she shared, it I started following Dan's Instagram, then found his YouTube.

In December of 2023, he launched something called 2 hour writer.

Have you ever had a dream that keeps nudging you?

An instinct that you need to do something but hesitate?

That was me. Waiting.

Then December 31st I made a decision.

This year, I'll become a writer. (Somehow I make the best decisions like buying this course, between 11:30PM-2:00 AM when I can’t sleep)

Not because I'm good at it, but because it is a learnable skill.

It's also a multiplying skill. If I become effective at writing it positively effects every other skill I already have developed and will develop.

So I Bought 2 hour writer. And I read through all the material once, in the first 2 weeks of January, then went through it again starting to apply the ideas.

What I found was writing is as much about capturing moments of inspiration and ideas, as it is "putting in the work." Because capturing ideas as soon as they hit, is a gold mine most people (and I until earlier this year) don't capture.

I wrote my first newsletter. I was so nervous to publish it. you can read it here: How I started a service based business (while in college)

My heart was racing. *clicks Publish now*

And it was okay. I'd done it! success! oh no.

Now I need to publish another one. can I keep doing this?

I had one that took me 3 weeks. It was on how to win friends and influence people.

I needed this newsletter to be amazing. I spent all my time on the body, and not on the title (that's a mistake) So It didn't do much better despite 2-3x's more effort into the body of the newsletter.

It hasn't been perfect I missed those two weeks. Imperfection almost killed this dream:

"As you read these newsletters there is this part of me that always wanted to do this. To write. To speak. To share my thoughts. but the truth.

The truth is I was always afraid. Afraid because I knew I'd make mistakes. I knew my grammar would be wrong. I knew that there would be so much imperfection and that the only focus wouldn't be on the effort. it would be on the imperfection. Crushing weight. 

With imperfection is this sadness.

An unwillingness to try because if I never try at least I have an excuse: I didn't put in full effort. Yet the harshest judge is internal. And when my faults are pointed out by others it's simply a reminder of the finger I was already pointing at myself. 

That at some point in the future I'd make a mistake. And even if I built something beautiful it wouldn't matter. I'd simply end up destroying it anyway. This assumed future failure was what was destroying my present." - The Dark Side Of Creativity (How Perfection Murders Your Future)

Despite that fear, I've now written 25-28 newsletters (depending when this comes out) this year.

I've had the chance to be a guest on a podcast talking about social skills.

Because I write, my thinking has become clearer. I understand more of what I believe, and why.

Writing has helped me understand my own thought process and world view.

Writing has changed me because I learn, I know I'll be using this in my writing.

My retention of information has gone up. My conversations with friends have changed. (the call to action of mini essay's was because of a conversation about this topic yesterday)

If you use it, it it may just change you too.

So... (you're thinking) if I want to do this where do I start?

Here's the first step

CTA: Write something and share it with 1 person

1. Choose a topic you care about (and are already learning about)

2. Choose to be a curious Beginner (mindset)

3. Choose one memorable line you want people to remember. (For this piece it's: Great writing is just great thinking)

4. Choose one emotion you want your reader to feel: (for me its Inspired)

5. Choose One Action you want them to take: (Write a mini essay and share it with a friend)

6. Write a mini Essay

   1. 1 page (or less)

   2. 1 topic

   3. 1 source

7. Use Beehiive to host and create this mini essay: https://www.beehiiv.com?via=Daniel-Baarns

P.S. Did I succeed? Here were my intentions with this newsletter:

1 Line to remember: Great writing is just great thinking

1 emotion you feel: Inspired

1 Action: Write a mini essay and share it with a friend

P.P.S. Want to improve your social skills? (or write a mini essay on them?)

Buy my course here: https://baarns.gumroad.com/l/qmygte