Writing Through the Dip

What I've been up to lately

Hey everyone! I had the privilege of speaking to a few prospective Write of Passage students this week. It’s great seeing so many people who are turning to writing to level up, reinvent themselves and cure intellectual loneliness. I still remember being in the same boat before I started my writing journey two years ago.

The next Write of Passage cohort is coming up in October. If you’re curious to get a taste of the course, they’re hosting a free Test Drive this Thursday (September 21st) at 12pm ET. Enrollment for the next cohort is open until September 26th (affiliate links).

---

I’m back after a brief break from the page. It feels good to be writing and publishing again. I missed the satisfaction that comes from a mental workout.

What have I been up to? Well, quite a few things. Some hard and some fun.

I. Working with a coach (hard)

What does success mean to me? What is my relationship with money? Where do I want to spend my energy?

These are some of the questions my coach has asked me over the last month. These have led to some long silences, awkward snatching at answers and a few epiphanies along the way. One thing is clear - it’s not easy figuring out what we really want, but it’s worth putting in the work to find out.

The coaching has helped me get my priorities straight, which led to the brief pause in writing activities. Through speaking to her, I realized writing had become an expensive hobby. Something I turned to instead of doing uncomfortable things that are actually important for my success, energy, and relationship with money, like focusing on my consulting work and growing my customer base.

I love writing essays, and I like expressing my ideas, but for now, it will be the dessert at the end of the day after I’ve had my veggies.

II. Learning C1 German (hard)

In an effort to improve my German and land consulting clients in Deutschland, I set out to reach business-level German in a couple of months.

I expected it to be tough, but I also thought I could take some shortcuts. Maybe I was lucky - Afrikaans, my native tongue, is a Germanic language so that helps. And I have a bunch of German friends I run and hang out with.

It turns out business German is actually difficult. The deeper I got into it, the more I realized I had to learn. Especially grammar. Different articles for each noun, different cases for each verb and multiple exceptions to the multiple rules. Madness (or should I say, Wahnsinn).

After starting off strong, my confidence took a knock. With every mistake I made, I froze up. I became blocked and stopped participating in class. 

Which was counterproductive. You need to make mistakes in order to learn. You need to speak up, volunteer and take chances. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Luckily my teacher picked up on my diminished enthusiasm and called me aside (virtually). We talked it out. It turns out she was happy with my progress and backed me to pass the exam.

It was a relief hearing this.  Similar to the conversations with my coach, I got a more accurate view of the situation by gaining an outside perspective. Things are not always as bad as they seem.

I returned to class with a bounce in my step, determined to make mistakes and continue learning.

III. Running far (fun)

Last month, I completed an 80km ultra-run through the streets of Munich (and drank 8 beers along the way).

I’m a regular runner, but this was by far the craziest endurance event I’ve taken part in. I feel there is an essay there, but I’ve been struggling to put words to the experience.

The main thing that stood out to me is that I reached (and overcame) a new mental threshold when things got tough after 60km.

The team of crazy runners who completed all or part of the 80km route. Couldn’t have done it without them.

IV. Meeting fellow writers (fun)

Last week, I met up with Nik Göke, the writer behind Four Minute Books. He’s written over 1,200 book reviews and published two of his own books. Pretty prolific to say the least.

He’s a positive, switched-on guy and the best part is he also lives in Munich. 

We spoke about many things, but the main thing that stood out to me is this piece of advice from his favourite writer, Seth Godin:

“Short-term pain has more impact on most people than long-term benefits do, which is why it’s so important for you to amplify the long-term benefits of not quitting. You need to remind yourself of life at the other end of the Dip because it’s easier to overcome the pain of yet another unsuccessful cold call if the reality of a successful sales career is more concrete.”

This advice couldn’t have come at a better time. The Dip describes exactly what I’ve been going through the last few weeks. I’ve had some doubts about my message, my reason for writing and how this fits in with what I do to earn money. I’m two years into my journey and even though I have experienced immense personal growth and lots of new opportunities from writing, I had expected to achieve more by this stage.

It was good to hear that this feeling is quite normal. Nik has been writing for eight years. Even though we’re the same age, that makes him four times older than me in writing years. He’s been through many dips, but now he makes a living from writing and believes he’ll never have to work for someone else again.

Perhaps I had become too impatient. This is a long-term game with significant rewards at the end for those willing to keep at it. Onward.

---

My Favourites

💬 Quote: 

“You can’t be a good cook if you’re not a good person.” – Richie Jerimovich

From one of my favourite TV shows right now — The Bear. A cooking show that’s about so much more than just cooking. Richie is one of the characters in the show you love to hate. His character arc in the second season is incredible. From hanger-oner to inspired. From nuisance to value add. All through realizing nothing was below him and seeing that our highest calling is to serve others. 

📚 Book. Der träumende Delphin (The Dreaming Dolphin) by Sergio Bambaren. One of the books I read to sharpen up my German. It’s a beautifully written novel, meant for children and adults alike. In it, a dolphin breaks free from his clan in search of the perfect wave. He believes there’s more to life than eating fish and sleeping (what all the other dolphins do). A stunning reminder to find a deeper sense of meaning in his life above mere work and rest.

📸 Photo of the week: Greetings from Middle-earth. Hiking up to Soiernsee, just outside Garmisch in the Bavarian Alps.

---

👋 Thanks so much for being a subscriber. We're up to 383 readers this week. Please reach out if you have any thoughts or ideas. I'd love to hear from you.

💌 If you’d like to support my journey, the best ways are to:

• Grab one of my digital products. Procreate for Writers is a 60-minute video that helps you create visuals that grab your readers’ attention. Run Your Newsletter Like a Restaurant is a Notion dashboard that enables you to capture your best ideas & the best content you consume.

• Share my newsletter with a friend. I rely on word-of-mouth to grow, so your endorsements help a lot. They can sign up here.