If You Write Online, You Don't Want to Regret Doing These 4 Things
Read this so you don’t repeat my mistakes
People think writers start the morning with a shot of bourbon.
But writers are real people. And real people go to work, make dinner for their families, tear their shoulders at crossfit class, and take the dog for evening walks.
And, after all that, they still plop into the old desk chair to write their book, blog, Tweets, or Substack emails — no matter what.
Writing is a superpower.
But with great power comes great responsibility.
That’s something I’ve learned over the last 3 years.
Regret does not equal remorse
It hasn’t been easy, and 250+ articles later, I have some regrets.
But regrets are life lessons spun into deceiving wrapping paper.
And my four biggest regrets are ones you don’t want to copy and paste.
Starting with number 1…
1. Not starting earlier
Writing is a drug.
I’m addicted, and my friends don’t get it. But they don’t need to. I wish they thought I was weird earlier because that means I started earlier.
If I’d started when I was in college, would I still work a 9–5?
Would I still grind every day, building someone else’s dream for them?
The obvious answer is there isn’t an answer. Everything happens for a reason, and the longest road is the shortest path.
Do I truly regret not starting a blog in college — no, because hindsight is 20/20. I’d only regret it if I’d never started.
“The way to get ahead is to start now. If you start now, you will know a lot next year that you don’t know now and that you would not have known next year if you had waited.”— William Feather
99% of people chase dopamine. That’s a bad chemical to taste, amigo.
Dopamine makes you want what you don’t have but doesn’t help you get it. You could waste years wanting something without knowing how or when you’ll get it.
The only way is to start today. Focus on actions, not results.
2. Being afraid to branch out
I’ve tried writing on Twitter and LinkedIn before but gave up quickly.
I didn’t want people I knew to see my writing.
Why?
It took me three years to realize no one cared. I put myself in a spotlight that didn’t exist.
We overestimate how much other people notice us: how we look, what we say, why we do what we do.
Life tip: Don’t give a damn — many things don’t deserve your attention.
This is the formula I follow now:
Ignore values that don’t align with you
Take responsibility for your problems
Decide on the things worth enduring
Choose values important to you
Embrace failure
3. Being stingy with my money
I love this platform because it pays me to write.
I’ve made over $500 with just one article but haven’t leveraged my money properly.
I haven’t bought courses
I haven’t joined communities
I haven't invested enough in myself
But I've been using my money all wrong. I’ve used it to buy beers with the boys instead of courses to elevate my IQ.
There’s nothing inherently wrong with using extra cash for wants, but this habit formed another regret.
Not only did I misallocate my money, I’ve been stubborn, thinking I could build a massive following all on my own.
It’s stupid but true. But writers like Dan Koe have changed my mind. If I want to make this my life, I need to be a student of the game.
If you want to build something, the money you make in the early days is time in the form of currency. Invest money now to get time back later.
4. Bashing people who support me
When I first started writing, I made a huge mistake
I wrote a hurtful article about a friend. The worst part is I was actually proud of it and showed it to the friend I wrote about.
I thought he’d love it. He didn’t love it.
Even worse, I was upset because the article was blasting off. It was racking up views like nobody’s business. But some things are more important than views. Actually, most things are.
I called up my buddy and apologized. Since the article didn’t move our friendship forward positively, I deleted it.
Content isn’t a competition
This story still resonates with me.
In fact, it changed the very way I treat people.
It follows the line that there’s no competition in the content game. You don’t have to compete with other creators in your niche or be a shark.
There’s room for everyone to thrive in the creator economy. And the lesson remains true here.
There are thousands of stories to tell and thousands of ways to put your spin on it. There’s no reason to put others down for your gain. And I’ll always regret it.
But every regret is a lesson. There’s nothing wrong with making mistakes, but you’re moving backward if you don’t categorize the lesson in your brain and rewire it to serve your readers better.
What are your writing regrets?
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Great thoughts here, thanks for sharing! Appreciate both the motivation and the wisdom this brings to the table.
Good reflections Ryan. No matter where you are in life this applies. You cannot write for self serving ways and be happy for very long. Life’s experiences are valuable and other people often need these lessons. Thanks