I am not a writer. I’ll admit it. I don’t really know if I can write anything worthy of others’ reading. I also don’t really know what I want to write about.
Sure, I have a few ideas. But are these things that others might bother to read about? Or am I writing for myself? I’ve decided that it doesn’t matter. Sometimes it’s just better to start something and to see where it goes. Yes, it will be rubbish. But it will be my rubbish. (And likely never to be seen anyway). I’ll eventually invite my family to check in on my sanity here. I will even use this space as somewhere to brainstorm ideas and to clarify my thoughts and maybe I’ll consult the Twittersphere for what I should write about. Here are some initial thoughts.
Idea number 1: I lead a very fortunate life. One that is quite different to most of my friends back in Australia and it is definitely not the life that I imagined as a kid. But I think it is interesting, at least. I get to live in interesting places like Bangkok and Baguio. I get to teach students from everywhere around the world. And I have this kind of ‘footloose and fancy-free’ situation where if I want to, I can just pack up and change countries every two years. I could write about that. I can show people contemplating this life, exactly what it’s like.
Idea number 2: I could write about places that I’ve been and places that I plan to go. Sure, there are plenty of travel blogs out there. But I could find a niche. Maybe I can write about attending football matches around Asia and my plans to get to the 2026 World Cup. Or running around Asia, if I got back into marathons.
Idea number 3: I’ve kind of undergone a transformation in my daily habits and mindset recently and have read a lot of amazing books. I’ve started a new morning ritual, gained greater focus and am generally benefitting from learning as much as I can and applying certain changes to my daily life. I’m not quite sure which change is having the greatest impact but I’ve replaced watching tv with reading, added exercise and meditation to my daily morning routine and listened to audiobooks and podcasts on the way to work. Could I write about these things and recommend books that similarly inclined people should read?
Idea number 4: Words of wisdom from a father to his daughters. I’m often telling my students that the best advice I can give is that they should seek out the wisdom of their elders and to listen more. Take knowledge from those who have gone before you and learn from their successes and their mistakes. My daughters do occasionally seek my advice. But living in different countries makes finding time to just sit and talk difficult. I know that there are many things that they could learn from my mistakes. Why not jot them down here?
We will see what other ideas pop up. I’ll probably just come back to this exact place to add them. At least I’ve started.