There is no difference between writing and thinking. When we write, we organize and structure our thoughts. This process of organizing our ideas leads to clear thinking, which is vital for understanding and personal growth. Unfortunately, in today’s social media-dominated world, writing is becoming less common. The emergence of generative AI platforms that can generate content for us further exacerbates this trend, resulting in a decline in our writing habits. And as our writing diminishes, so does our ability to engage in holistic thinking. It is important for us to recognize the value of writing and make a conscious effort to write more.
The Bible teaches us to “write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, so he may run that reads it.” This demonstrates the importance of documenting and clarifying our vision so that those who read it can understand and act on it. This is an unavoidable call for nurturing a writing tradition. For instance, the book of Nehemiah can be viewed as Nehemiah’s personal journal, showcasing the power of recording one’s thoughts and experiences. Writing helps to crystallize and clarify ideas, as well as improve them. This call to write specifically urges us to clarify our thoughts about our life’s work and future plans by putting them into words.
Write a letter to your mentor. One effective life strategy is to approach writing as a way to communicate your ideas and plans to a mentor or advisor. Writing a letter is better than a verbal discussion. Your ideas are better articulated and comprehensive when you write. Even if the mentor does not reply, or you discuss verbally, the letter-writing experience is transformative in and of itself. Writing this letter will be difficult because thinking is difficult. However, it is something you must do and master. Make a commitment to write a letter once a month or once a quarter. Begin right now.
