The Yearn For Salvation

Embrace change a step at a time

Photo by Ning Shi on Unsplash

I recently read from a seasoned Blogger about his writing journey and the challenges he faced in life. One thing he said about personal branding got me thinking.

He said that it is inevitable that things change and writers too. What we love about writing now we may not love one year or a few years from today. When it changes, what do we do?

There is much wisdom in his message because I know I will most certainly change with time, and so will you. It may not be now, but certainly, somewhere in the future. How can we facilitate the change and move forward without going through a painful process?

I understand the crux of his message because it is not the first time change has happened to me; I have undergone several transformational changes from being a photographer on Flickr to an influencer on Instagram and now a writer on Substack. Each change is a painful and arduous process, much like the metamorphosis of a caterpillar.

The Blogger got tired of writing what he had been good at doing. He wanted to change, but his “personal branding” chained him to where he no longer wanted to be. Essentially, he is stuck having to write what he no longer enjoys. His message rings a bell because that feeling is not foreign to me.

I had the same feeling a few months back while running Coffee Times Medium. I started something good, something I thought I would enjoy doing for a long time to come. But as the publication got bigger, the demand also got out of my league to the extent I felt I wasn’t in control.

I was stuck because I couldn’t let go. The personal branding I had created for myself on Medium was caging me. I was good at what I was doing, and people loved what I was doing, but the problem was I had no time to fulfil all my extra duties. Somewhere, something has to go. The volcano was going to explode one way or the other.

I am only glad fate decided on my behalf before something worst happens. If it had been left to me, there was no way I would bail. The last straw to break my back could have sent me straight to the hospital.

In a way, I don’t regret the exit from Medium, but the change from Medium to Substack was nonetheless a painful metamorphosis. I lost a lot of followers in that process. Like the followers I have lost on Flickr and Instagram, each transformational change is filled with significant losses, needing to start from afresh every time.

What would happen if such drastic change were bestowed on me once more? A Caterpillar needs only to survive one metamorphosis in its lifetime. I have already gone through three. I am not sure I have enough energy to survive yet another.

I can’t deny there are benefits to change, and I fully agree one must keep moving and keep changing. But how can one continue to facilitate change without peeling off one’s flesh and skin? Is there a less painful way?

What the Blogger seems to suggest is to be niche-free, change your style regularly and write differently every time. It may be possible for a seasoned writer like him to say, but for new writers hoping to establish a strong foundational base, you can’t start with that mindset. You have to first establish yourself before you even think of changing.

Change is inevitable, and change is constant. The only way to avoid painful change is to make small changes regularly. The analogy would be like the movement of the earth’s tectonic plates. If they are allowed to change position over each other regularly, you will only get some rumbles and seismic vibrations; the change happens almost unnoticed, causing no damage. But suppose the position shift is not facilitated over a long period. When the change does happen, the displacement will be big and it will be earth-shattering, bringing on a Tsunami of overwhelming pain and collateral losses.

So truly, the advice is NOT to make significant changes too often but DO small changes regularly. Avoid stagnation or procrastination, those are the ones that would lead to disastrous devastation, potentially wiping out all that you have achieved.

Recently I have also started writing a travel log for my country, which is a slight change from my usual self-development niche. This will be released tomorrow. I hope this will broaden my vision and provide me with more choices to adapt to future changes at a more gradual pace.

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