One Last Thing Before 2022 Ends

What Left To Write is becoming...

Hey Friend’s

I had planned a break for this week. But today, all the ink effortlessly flowed out of my 0.38mm Muji pen and filled up the blank pages of my black Moleskine notebook. So I couldn’t resist sliding into your inbox one last time before the year ended.

2022 was my first year as an entrepreneur and creative professional. I'll admit I spent most of the time focusing inwards. I thought about my needs, desires, goals, hopes and dreams. You know, the typical “In 2022, I want to accomplish…”.

But the goals I had for 2022 shifted in many different directions, and I’ve ended up in a place where I never expected to be. That’s what happens when you play the entrepreneurship game. You navigate the uncertainty, and growth (both personal and professional) is the byproduct. This Substack has gone through the same process. When I first created this, I had no idea which direction I was going in. I had aspirations to write content about creativity, behavioural science, psychology and writing. I didn’t really know what my niche was, but I said fuck it and started anyway.

Around October, I became restless with writing because I still didn’t know where I was heading. I was experimenting with content writing, personal essays, sharing things I discovered that week and so on. I still hadn’t settled on a niche or a direction. Until one day in November, I caught up with my old roommate over lunch, and we talked about my writing. She mentioned how some of these emails felt like I was writing a personal letter to her every week, and it reminded her of the times when we lived together: Deep late-night insights I would share with her and other friends over glasses of gin and tonic.

Since then, I’ve begun to shift the focus to the needs and desires of the audience I serve. Instead of thinking about my needs, I think about what is important to you guys, what problems I can solve, and how I can help you achieve your hopes and dreams. Even though Life To Write has ditched the content writing style and shape-shifted into a personal essay format, it’s in the service of helping you achieve what you want.

Ever since I made the mindset switch of serving you, I've received comments saying "that resonated" or"that hit home" or"that made me reconsider some of my decisions." And hearing that matters to me. Not the amount of subscribers or likes. But the fact that you've read something of mine and reconsidered taking a step towards a life more true to you. Last week on Christmas Day, my aunt mentioned how my piece On Navigating Uncertainty hit home for her. She had signed up for a course that could potentially alter her life but changed her mind because of uncertainty. After reading that I struggled with not knowing either, it gave her the courage to reconsider doing the course.

A lot of people who know me in real life perceive me as “having my shit together”, but it’s often not the case. The truth is I’m making it up as I go along. And Left To Write has become the place where I write about my raw and honest emotions. I often find it easiest to write to my younger self. A version of Jason who’s just like you. Scared. Clueless. Filled with doubts and looking for answers. But trying his best to navigate life.

So as Left To Write starts to take shape and hit its stride, I want you to know that I feel your fears and frustrations. But I also want you to know that you deserve to live a fulfilling life too. I’m not going to bullshit you with content like “7 Easy Steps To Get Rich” or “1 Simple Way To Find The Life You Want” (and that shit works on Medium). I’m not going to do any of the stuff because the truth is anything worth having in life is hard to attain. I’m here to be raw and honest with you about the struggle towards a meaningful life. Life is too short to keep wishing. Life is about living it to the fullest so that when you reach the end of your life, you can look back and say, “damn, that was one hell of a ride, but it was pretty fucking sweet.”

So as we head into 2023, I'll keep writing personal essays to connect the dots and show you a different way. I’m not for everyone. I'm not for those who are happy to limp their way through life. I’m not for those who want to play it small. But I am for those who dare to dream bigger and take action.

Happy New Year.

– Jason Vu Nguyen

P.S. Thank you to all of those who have read what I’ve written this year. I’m so grateful for your support.