After 264 weeks of writing and publishing on LinkedIn, this morning, when I was out for my walk, I thought to myself “Do I have something useful to say?”. Most times, during the week an idea or two jump out at me and I jot them down. An insight, a learning, a moment that I want to hold on to, or something painful or difficult that I do not want to confront, this has been the material for my writing. I ask myself a simple question “What did you learn this week?” and then I write about it, to help me understand myself better. Examining the week gone by, helps me to process it more mindfully.
For the first time in a very long time, I felt empty, as if I had nothing to offer, myself or others. Maybe it is because I have not had time to pause. I have been lucky to be very busy over the last few weeks and when I do not find solitude or time to myself, I need to recharge. Time in nature offers me the space to reflect and be with myself. I enjoyed my walk but was still wondering what to write about when I got home.
Maybe I had run out of things to say. “What if I did not write this week?”. What difference would it make to anybody? Maybe not to others. But to me, it would matter. It would mean that I was not pausing to process my life. To examine “What stood out this week?” and “What is true for me?” I found my answer to the original question of “Do I have something useful to say?” courtesy of a message from Gunjan Kar, Sr. Account Director at PR Pundit. In response to last week’s article ‘How many meetings are too many?’ she wrote a comment that said “Hi Nikhil, your articles are my favourite. They are so relatable. Much to learn and introspect. Keep sharing.”
That was all it took for me to find the energy this week to sit and introspect and keep sharing. Every one of us has something useful to say. Gunjan’s comment was not an article, but the fact that she made the effort to articulate her thoughts mattered to me. It gave me the nudge to keep writing when I questioned myself. There are seen and unseen hands that touch my life. Many of them have come to me through my writing, so it is not about my writing being useful to others. It is useful for me. I see myself more clearly. I re-read old stories sometimes and am reminded of something that I have lost sight of. By writing, some new insight often floats to the surface, and through this ritual, my life is strung together. Like a necklace of weeks, held together with the help of a string of articles. I have something useful to say to myself.
As a coach and communicator, I help people find their stories and then tell them. The stories begin with those we tell ourselves. My inner voice, if unchecked is most often a fierce critic, that is trying to protect me. “Do I have anything useful to say?” comes from that place. Fear of not having something of value to offer the world. Fear that people will wonder about the time I spend writing and if I have nothing better to do. Fear that I am oversharing and that something I say may get me into trouble. If I listen to that voice, then the easy thing would be to stop writing. Or at least to stop sharing what I am writing. But life is about sharing and making connections. The quality of one’s relationships is supposed to be one of the keys to a long and happy life. I connect to myself and so many people through my writing. So, write and share I must. Who knows who will read this and reach out next week, to me or someone else that matters to them? Or simply find the courage to express themselves, to “keep sharing” should they too have been wondering if they had anything useful to say.
Life is full of twists and turns. I do not know what next week will bring. What I do know is that I will sit down, reflect on the week gone by, and write, with gratitude just to be alive and see the world through my eyes. If I am lucky, I may also help someone else see their world in mine.
The views and opinions published here belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the publisher.
A trusted coaching and communications professional, Nikhil Dey is a certified life and leadership coach (International Coach Federation - ICF). Nurturing talent and helping clients achieve their goals is what makes him happy. He loves learning from students of communication, teaching courses and guest lecturing at various educational institutions. When he is not working you will find him on the tennis court or out for long walks with his family and four legged friends.
Previously he has held senior leadership positions at Weber Shandwick and Genesis BCW.
He can be reached on twitter @deydreaming
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