Patience gives you the will to endure and the strength to push forward.

In this realm of developing plots and structuring our thoughts into working this craft we call writing, why is it that we often feel like we’re spiraling as we constantly strive to be better, look better, sound better?

I guess these questions come after finally getting a podcast interview about my book, completing that interview (despite obvious internet glitches) and feeling good about it. Then it goes live and … crickets. The only “like” is my own. But that’s only after a day, so I do realize patience is key.

Writing and getting noticed takes time, but more importantly it requires some risk — risk of being wrong, risk of offending, and risk of nobody reading it. But as they say … “it’s worth it.” Why? Because, it makes us feel better about ourselves and the world around us. And, it teaches patience.

At the same time, writing can be painful, and the results — if they ever come — don’t come quickly. It’s not reasonable to look yourself in the mirror after your first workout in months and expect to have been transformed into the next Mrs. America. In the same vein, don’t expect your first story to turn you into a best-selling author.

If anyone does happen to read your story after relentless marketing, do you have patience to receive their reaction? Some disappointing reactions I’ve received have been: “I should have been the one to write the story” or “you missed your chance to …”

They won’t care. They won’t recommend it; they won’t comment on it. You’ll wish somebody would even write a comment disagreeing with you. You’ll stare at your stats page, chipping away at your self-esteem with each click of the refresh button.

But as one blogger says, let’s put all those feelings of rejection and despair aside for a moment. It turns out there are benefits of writing, and some of these benefits — perhaps the most valuable benefits — exist even if you feel like no one is watching. So before you delete your last chapter (blog, newsletter, or whatever it is you write), consider these benefits of writing:

Writing organizes our thoughts

Studies have shown that explaining a topic can help improve your level of understanding on that topic. This holds true even if you are explaining it to yourself. It’s even true if you are told to prepare to explain a topic to somebody, but you don’t ever actually explain it. The reason is that as you think over a topic in preparation for explaining it, your mind is working hard to organize your knowledge and identify areas that somebody else might not easily understand.

Writing about a topic involves the same mental process as preparing to explain. As you write about a topic, you’ll be more likely to uncover gaps in your own thinking, or beliefs that aren’t well-supported by evidence. You’ll be left with a better-organized set of thoughts, which will benefit your future endeavors.

Writing helps to focus on others

It might seem that writing is a selfish act. “Why should I expect people to care about what I think?” What you quickly learn is that it’s not about you. Writing for others forces you to consider what others want to read.

Yes, you want to gain readers and followers, and that is self-serving, but just like businesses succeed by serving their customers well, writers succeed by giving readers something of value.

The key is to find out what unique value you bring to the table. The good news is that it’s a big world out there and there’s only one you. You might need to work at it, but eventually you’ll find your niche.

Writing motivates

Whenever you put yourself out there — in a musical performance, a presentation, or publishing an article — you naturally want to do your best. Whether you’re worried you’ll write something that ends up being wrong (like that hasn’t ever happened before) or you’re determined to be the most informed person on the topic, you’ll find that extra drive to dig deeper and put out your best work.

So set a writing schedule and stick to it. You’ll push yourself to find clarity among your ideas, and you’ll eventually find yourself reflecting more on your work, which motivates you to keep going.

Writing is a tool for self-discovery

If fame is your primary reason for writing, you probably won’t stick with it. You’ll most likely fail. While that may sound harsh, if you stop to think about it: The only way to fail at writing is to quit writing.

If they’re honest, many successful writers will admit that their “overnight success” took years and years of hard work without anyone noticing. But they are glad they did it as they learned about themselves along the way.

Again, writing can be compared to exercising. Almost everybody who exercises doesn’t immediately become a fitness model, but everybody who exercises benefits from it. In the same way, you’ll be very lucky if your writing ever brings you money or fame, but even so, you will still be better off for doing it.

I’ve discovered that this blogging thing is also quite like journaling. Journaling is a personal form of writing that allows you to explore your thoughts, feelings, and experiences. It can be a powerful tool for self-discovery, stress reduction, and emotional regulation.

Trying to deny or bottle up the emotions doesn’t help. Acknowledge and let yourself feel emotion. Then, focus on gratitude, which can rewire your brain to notice positives instead of dwelling on negatives. Using healthy coping mechanisms like walking makes the struggles and setbacks of writing easier to face.

After contemplating these thoughts, I ventured out for a walk along the Ohio River. Seeing two barges carrying sand and coal slowly pass each other took planning and expertise for the navigators. It’s not only weather, but wear and tear, maintenance practices, and the undeniable role of human expertise that all come into play. It made me realize that no matter what vocation we choose, polishing our craft can only make us better – as long as we have the patience to get there.