Writing as freedom

How to be a 'Never Retired' writer

In 2009, James Clear started publishing small articles on a personal blog.

He had no audience, and no viral hits. He just had a commitment to writing consistently.

Over time, his newsletter grew, his reputation solidified, and his writing opened doors to speaking gigs, partnerships, and book deals.

Atomic Habits became a global bestseller, providing James with all the money and freedom he’d ever need. But the foundation was built long before that, through consistent writing, shared freely.

Writing online isn’t just about creating content. It’s about building leverage, influence, and freedom one idea at a time.

How much have you written so far?

Whether it’s some indecipherable scrawlings in a notebook or hundreds of books, writing words to share with others is a form of self-empowerment.

It has shown me that an average dude with a keyboard can make a small dent on the planet. Not all in one go, but with a commitment to doing it frequently.

Writing is one of the most accessible tools on the planet. You don’t need to be a certain age to be taken seriously.

You can write from pretty much any location, even on a plane twenty-eight thousand feet in the sky. You don’t need to set up any hefty equipment or need to possess vast expertise in anything specific.

To have influence requires only that you are a human with your own unique set of memories, experiences, struggles, opinions and accrued skills (if you have them).

It allows complete autonomy without relying on anyone else. You control your schedule, the projects you work on and the creative direction they take.

Words also create immense leverage. For example, one piece of writing (articles, posts, courses) can work for you indefinitely, just like other assets would.

I had an article I once shared on Medium that took me twenty minutes to write reach 48,000 viewers, earning me over $7,000. That’s leverage. I make tens of thousands each year from a single, written course I wrote in a weekend. And all this leverage can be scaled, as we’ll discuss.

Writing can build financial independence, multiple income streams, low overhead, and no need to be granted permission to do so. And you can do it while based anywhere.

Being untethered to any place has been a priority of mine since I was in my early twenties. So, writing became a central feature of my work and online brand. It allowed me to live in countries like Vietnam, Georgia, Poland and Japan in my twenties and thirties.

Writing also provides intellectual freedom, meaning that you shape the ideas you’re passionate about, challenge narratives and you get to express yourself in a way that is immensely satisfying.

Regular writing will open doors, creating new relationships, unexpected opportunities and influence beyond the written page (if you let them in).

For example, I always have someone I can connect with in the various countries I visit, and our conversations almost always start: ‘I found you through an article you wrote. Oh hey, let’s get some ice cream. It’s on me.’

Writing well is your passport to limitless possibilities (and I’m not even being cheesy), from business to thought leadership to lasting impact well into your later years.

Don’t listen to the doom-and-gloomers who think writing is done now that AI is here.

The opportunities are there, in full abundance, especially when you’re aware.

This is an excerpt from my upcoming book: ‘The Never Retired Writer: How to Turn Your Ideas Into a Life of Freedom, Income, and Purpose’ coming soon.

If you’d like further support with your writing, where I show you the 16 secrets I learned over 15 years of online writing to take your writing to even higher levels, you’ll want my Online Writing Alchemy course.

The course shows you everything you need to know to write powerfully so you grow an online tribe of fans and buyers.

Learn more about that here.

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