Nothing has been as beneficial to every area of my life as writing.

• It's made me a happier person.
• It's given me something to look forward to every single day.
• It's connected me to new people
• It's changed my career in ways that I could have never imagined.

Whether you have aspirations of becoming a blogger, author, or you just want to be someone who writes in a journal for your own pleasure, writing will not only improve the quality of your life, it can teach you everything you need to know about life.

1. It Heightens Your Awareness

When see the world through the eyes of a writer, everything is material:

• A conversation with a friend
• A line in movie
• An experience with a family member

Writing makes you an explorer and observer of the world around you. It causes you to navigate the geography of your life with a sense awe and wonder. And it heightens your awareness.

2. It Clears Your Mind

Throughout your day, you read the news, listen to podcasts, watch movies, talk with friends, etc, etc. You consume a ton of information. Your brain is a terrible place to store information, and if you don' let it out, information overload becomes anxiety. Writing helps you to clear your mind.

In his book The Bullet Journal Method, Ryder Caroll recommends documenting your experiences because memory is unreliable. One of his readers started dating someone, and it didn't work out. When he looked at his journal entry from the first date, he saw that this person wasn't as great as he'd made her out to be in his head.

I gave this a try after a recent date. I had a lot of physical chemistry with this person. The next morning, I noted in my journal that while I had fun with this person, it didn't seem like we'd be a great match long term. A few hours later I got a text validating my thoughts and I wasn't upset. Documenting the experience cleared my mind and gave me an objective perspective on the experience.

3. It Helps You Separate Facts From Fiction

The most important decision you'll ever make about every experience in your life is what you make it mean. If you don't learn to separate facts from fiction, you'll always be at the mercy of what happens to you, and will let your temporary circumstances become your permanent reality. When thoughts are swirling around in your head, it's easy for you to make up stories that don't serve you. But when you put it down on paper, you see the facts and get to decide what you're going to make them mean.

4. It Gives You Something the Look Forward To

The people of Okinawa are believed to be the longest living people in the world because they have “Ikigai”, a reason to get up in the morning. Before I became a writer, I used to stay out until 2am drinking and smoking cigarettes. After I became a writer, I had a reason to get up in the morning. This keystone habit caused a ripple effect. I drank a lot less, stopped smoking, exercised more, and started getting up by 6am most days. I can say, without a doubt, the daily habit of writing is why.

5. It Can Pull You Out of an Emotional Funk

No matter what you're going through, you can always turn to the blank page. You can always get the emotional pain out of your head and onto a piece of paper. Writing can serve as a profound pathway to healing. It can help you get through a difficult period in your life and pull you out of an emotional funk. Some of the greatest art is the result of some of the greatest pain.

Writing is about far more than hitting word counts, publishing books, and increasing your productivity. It's about having access to what you think, becoming the author of your story, and shaping your reality. It's about living a noteworthy life.

Early (discounted) enrollment is now open for The Fearless Writer’s Workshop. This 6 week, live workshop will teach you how to write fearlessly and share your story with the world. Enrollment is limited, and the last session sold out in under a week. Get all the details at www.unmistakablecreative.com/workshop