Writing is how you articulate your values to yourself and the world. It’s a must have asset for anyone building a meaningful career.
I was in a lounge in Victoria Island in Lagos. It was evening, music played in the background.
I sat at the table with my brother and two friends. We sat quietly, watching people trickle in. Suits. Ties. blazers. Loafers.
A few head nods. A few handshakes. It was one of those “reacclimate to Nigeria” networking events. My brother and I had just moved back from California. Speakers graced the stage, talking about how to “be professional” and “invest.”
It was just a “see and be seen” event. One of those where people look at your name tag and determine in snap judgment whether you’re worth saying a word to.
One of the speakers echoed what we’d heard: “You have to be out there. In Lagos, you have to be at the late-night dinners. You have to mingle with the dealmakers at the bars. Get your head in the game.”
My body was at the event but my head was in my laptop.
I was thinking about my upcoming conversation with the President of GE Nigeria.
I didn’t meet him at a bar.
I didn’t get a timeless referral.
I didn’t have to mingle with the yuppies.
I used a sales outreach system I had learned in a $25 Udemy class.
I created a list while shirtless in my apartment. I emailed him, his boss, and 200 other industrial leaders while eating breakfast at my desk.
His boss forwarded my email to him. He responded, “Nifemi would love to chat.” We spoke while he was on a business trip in England.
Deal or no deal.
Writing online was my networking event.
Freedom Ain’t Free
A lot of people are waiting for permission. Waiting to be told what to do.
Without knowing it, a lot of people have a fear of freedom. Most of us are not equipped for modern life and the freedom it brings. As much as we have the freedom to do our thing and have choices, we still want to be told what to do and how.
We shrink into our circles of certainty. It brings us enormous comfort.
We overthink, procrastinate, and distract ourselves.
We end up doing work that’s not meaningful.
Happiness happens when you are in a consistent state of flow.
Flow can be achieved in any activity: writing, drawing, solving math problems, building a business, cooking, or just interacting with people.
There are certain conditions for flow states, here are two:
1) it must be a challenge that slightly exceeds your skill level. Not too high above that it causes anxiety. But not too low that it’s boring. Just a little above that forces you to stretch and grow consistently.
2) it has to be a self-directed goal. You have to want it for yourself.
This can be anything and your professional goals are similar.
Whatever you want to achieve with your professional goals in this era, you have to be able to think critically and communicate effectively.
Both of which are done through writing.
Writing will help you escape from mediocre work.
6 Freeing Benefits of Writing
Over the last month, I’ve spent time interviewing entrepreneurs and business executives.
One very important insight I learned from the conversation is that most people want one thing in their career: options.
I’m not talking about trading.
Most people want access and options to get and choose opportunities as they please.
How do you build options? Well, by getting things done. Building expertise, delivering, and establishing trust. The problem is most people are so focused on building that they don’t know how to talk about their expertise.
A great way to build this skill is through writing.
When you write, you learn how to articulate your value, express yourself, and attract the right people to build whatever you want.
Here are some of six benefits of training your writing muscle.
1. Pursuing entrepreneurial endeavors
I get money. Money I got.
I’m reliving my 50 Cent dreams here. I mean, that’s the world we live in. Get rich or die trying. That’s what we think about when we think of entrepreneurs. But it’s not just about making money (although that’s a huge incentive).
It’s about calling your shots.
If most people who ventured out on their own wanted to make money, they would stick to their 9-5. They would work in a job they hate. Deal with managers they can’t stand. But they will make a lot of money.
Venturing out on your own might come with less pay to start with, but you get to build your own life and give yourself more options.
An important part of this is being able to communicate your value to the market.
2. Expressing creatively and therapeutically
Writing for the sake of writing.
The way you lead your life determines how you show up every day. Writing is not only about communicating ideas, it’s also about creating new information.
I started journaling 9 years ago.
I have stacks of notebooks. I don’t even know what’s on those pages. I hardly go back to read them. I used the page as a mirror to express myself. It helps relieve my stress. It clarifies my thoughts.
Thinking critically is becoming a lost art.
Only true leaders dedicate themselves to it.
Everybody else just wants to be friends with their echo chamber cronies.
Write to shield your mind from the chaotic world and show up with clear authenticity.
3. Attracting powerful networks
No one is an island.
I can’t stand networking events. They are too loud. Too many people shouting over one another. And for some reason, the music in the background is always trying to compete with the conversations.
“EVERYONE TURN DOWN THE DECIBELS” I yell, but only in my mind.
In reality: “Hey, my name is Nifemi….blah blah blah” I say, with a plastered smile on my face.
No one likes networking.
But the reality is, whatever goal you want to achieve, you need people. You need partners, colleagues, investors. You need community.
When you write, especially when you do it online, you attract the right people.
They come up to you and say “Aren’t you the one that does blah blah blah”
Great, you don’t have to give a spiel every two minutes.
Writing is how you scale your network in a sustainable way (without shouting over everyone).
4. Establishing authority
Most people want money when what they need is influence.
“Money, power, and respect” is not just a song by The LOX with Lil’ Kim singing the chorus. It’s what a lot of people strive for in our capitalist world. In reality, those three things are just means to an end.
What most of us need is the ability to influence people, society, and even our families.
It is not a bad thing. You try to influence people every day. Influencing friends to join you for dinner. Influencing people to join your team. Influencing your kids to get into the car on time.
It’s all influence.
Establishing authority is consistently building influence.
When you consistently share your experience, interests, and expertise over a consistent amount of time, you establish authority.
You build trust and influence.
Now, your influence can be used for good or bad.
You decide what you want to use it for.
5. Positively influencing people
The cool kids these days don’t care about legacy.
They are too busy living in the present and quoting Marcus Aurelius. OK, OK, I’m one of those people. Legacy is tricky. On the one hand, there’s the existential crisis of facing the inevitable: your death and the fact that the world will keep spinning even after you’re gone.
On the other hand, you want to leave something behind.
Something that makes life feel consequential. But what’s the point, if you’re not going to be here to experience it? You see. Back and forth, back and forth.
In 2022, I was surprised when I interviewed a few people about why they wanted to write. Most of them in some way mentioned: legacy.
They said:
“Live something for my kids”
“Immortalize my thoughts and ideas”
“Be remembered for being a good person”
Even the stoic lovebirds want to be remembered even if it’s for a short amount of time by their immediate family.
Writing is a way for you to build something. Leave something behind that positively influences people.
Write to leave a legacy and positively influence people.
6. Fostering impact and change
Revolution can only happen through dialogue.
Put your pitchforks down. This is not a call to go raid the stores and burn things down. The true change that you want in your life and your community can only happen through dialogue.
Anything else is oppression in disguise.
When you realize that true change happens when you and your fellow comrades are constantly reflecting on the world together.
Asking questions.
Understanding one another.
Building empathy.
Realizing that our shared reality is malleable.
That’s when you’ll take your words more seriously.
Real change happens when every single person feels they have the agency to change it.
When you go from doing it “for” the people to doing it “with” the people, that’s when the change you seek will come.
Don’t be a victim.
But don’t be a savior either.
Do it with the people.
To do that, you need to communicate better.
Write more to sharpen your dialogue skills.
Write to live more….
Living a more meaningful life is up to you.
You have to craft and curate it for yourself. Think critically, build the right network, and engage in the right dialogue. This can all create more options for you in your personal and professional life.
Rewrite your reality. Go get it.
Yours truly,
Nifemi
