The Explorer’s Mindset

I want to write essays more consistently, but I often find that something is preventing me from publishing. The easy answer is that “I’m too busy” or there are more important things to do, but there’s a more primal and visceral reason: fear. I’m afraid of being exposed as a fraud for not knowing everything about the topic I’m writing. As an introvert, I’m afraid of putting myself out there.

Writing has a certain cultural expectation of authority. This is true for longer prose and books — who wants to buy a book written by someone who doesn’t know what they’re talking about? My personal goal is not to write a book at this point in my life. There are plenty of authors who turned their blogs into books — folks like Mark Manson and James Clear. At this point, I just want to write from a place of exploration and curiosity.

I’ve decided that if I make my intentions clear, I can’t disappoint readers if I don’t position myself as an expert. Here’s my new Explorer’s Mindset writing mantra:

• I will write to discover – if I teach along the way, great, but teaching is not my aim.
• Questions over answers – I’d rather leave myself and my reader with a thought-provoking question than a definitive answer.
• Learning through curiosity – I’m a firm believer that learning happens through curiosity. Curiosity makes the mind a rich ground for knowledge.

I wonder what I can create if I just give myself permission not to be an expert?