It’s celebration day! This is the 100th issue of Weekly Meditations.

When I started, I wouldn’t imagine that I’d come this far. I thought of this newsletter as a curiosity project and expected my interest to wear off soon. But fast forward two years and I’m still writing. Some days are harder than others, when I don’t have anything to say and get super close to quitting. But I’m glad that my writing streak is intact :)

What started as a curiosity driven project is more of a lifestyle now. Weekly Meditations is something that I do, that’s it. It’s not the means to an end, it is meaningful in and of itself.

Nevertheless, these letters have served me in other ways too. I’d like to use this issue to reflect on what I’ve learnt by writing a hundred of these, hope you can resonate.

Writing is a fundamental skill

Writing is the act of recording thoughts. You can have all sorts of amazing ideas, but unless you write them down, they can’t evolve into anything tangible. Every creative project is a writing project in the beginning, be it a YouTube video script or a product ideation doc. It’s only when you record your thoughts that you can build upon them.

It works the other way around too. Writing doesn’t just let you record your thoughts, it actively improves them. When you write, your vague ideas are solidified. Something that sounds great in your head might not turn out to be the same when you see it on paper. You identify the gaps in your thinking, the broken links in your mental chain of thought. From there you can begin finding those missing pieces and form a better model of the world.

So if you practice writing, you are able to think with more clarity and perform better in many areas of life and work. It is one of the most fundamental and transformative skills one can acquire.

Consistency has its perks

I say I like writing, but not all the time! Many days, I don’t feel like it and have to push myself. Nothing gets me more anxious than putting out a piece that I’m not fully satisfied with. I’d still publish, even if it means spending the rest of the week grinding my teeth in cringe.

Why so? Because I have observed that every single essay I write resonates with someone. It might not be for everyone, but there’s always someone who finds it helpful. A recent one “Nothing is Obvious” got me two feedbacks. One found it to be coarse, while another found it to be incredibly resonant. It helped put words to her recent thoughts about a workplace situation.

Several times I’ve thought of taking breaks or publishing only what I deem good. But this knowing that someone could (even vaguely) benefit from my “mediocre” ideas, it does not let me do this.

There are people who don’t read all my essays. They’d read some of them, maybe based on their mood or if the heading is catchy enough. Staying consistent and putting something out every week helps me get to those occasional readers. If I limit myself to only the “high-quality” essays, chances are, I’d lose that faction.

There’s strength in vulnerability

As you know, this is a deeply personal newsletter. I barely have any boundaries set in place. I try to stay as close to truth as possible, and write precisely what I feel. I include quotes from the originators of my ideas, I bring up personal anecdotes if they’re helpful in proving my point, and I publish poetry that’s full of grief and tension.

I hope you don’t think that it’s natural for me to write this way. To articulate my deepest desires, fears, and emotions, and wrap them nicely and deliver right in your inbox. No, it’s crazy hard! I make myself vulnerable because I feel that it gets me closer to the truth.

There’s no strength without weakness, no ambition without fear, no love without grief. So to paint the complete picture, vulnerability is important. Otherwise we’re only left with the shiny hollow parts.

I’ve been thinking of quitting a lot lately because life’s getting busier. All my days are spent on work or other chores. And before I know it, it’s Sunday again. Feels like life’s hopping between Sundays.

But the real reason I’m finding it hard to write is that I’ve got nothing to say. I’m not reading, not thinking, and not having interesting experiences. What can I write about :/ So words don’t come naturally, they are produced.

You might have noticed that I haven’t shared any aphorisms or other people’s work for weeks. Same reason, no time to think.

I’ll change this. It’s time to lean further into writing. So starting tomorrow, I’ll try spending the first hour of the day writing. This can include reading or thinking as well. Basically, anything that’ll contribute towards my writing.

What shall I write about? I guess I’ll start with a long form essay, something I’ve been meaning to do for a long time. Let’s see how much I can keep up. Maybe I’ll start from next month because I’m traveling to Dubai this weekend (yes, again!).

Midnight once again! Please help me break this cycle!!

Oh and if you have any feedback or suggestions to improve Weekly Meditations, please share by replying to this email or commenting on the website :)

See you next week,
Aachman