Every Time I Want to Quit Writing, Life Sends Me a Sign
A reminder that the art of life begins when we stop comparing and start creating
One of my recent rose images represents the art of life.
There are days I think about renaming The Clarity Letter to Nobody Gives a Shit.
Sometimes, I want to quit. Delete my newsletters. Kill my LinkedIn. Disappear.
But I don’t. Because every time I feel that way, something unexpected happens.
Like today.
A new paid subscriber, Andrew, scheduled a Google Meet. We vaguely knew each other from college but hadn’t spoken in years. Within minutes, he said something like, “I love your writing. It resonates.”
That reminded me of why I started. And why I keep going.
Love is art, and art is love.
The art of writing is the art of life.
I’ve loved expressing myself since I was a boy, writing, painting, photographing, and drawing. It’s how I stay sane and remember who I am.
Like most creatives, I battle head trash. I often assume nobody’s reading. That my work doesn’t matter. Then someone like Andrew shows up and proves otherwise.
It’s serendipitous, and it happens often enough that I continue writing.
Being creative is a gift—if we let ourselves open it.
Most of us get our creativity pounded out of us early. Grown-ups say:
“You want to be an artist? That’s not a real job.”
But over time, we learn who we are by discovering who we’re not.
At 64, I know I’m an artist. Not because it pays. Because it frees me, I create for peace, clarity, and fun. Sometimes, I even get paid. But I don’t do it for that.
The enemy of creativity is comparison.
The more we scroll, the more we compare ideals and illusions to others. Social media fuels insecurity. It whispers:
You’re not enough. You’re behind. You’re failing.
It’s a lie.
“Comparison is the thief of joy.” —Theodore Roosevelt
We compare our lives to highlight reels. Our insides are other people’s outsides. This comparison will steal your creativity, peace, and purpose.
The purpose of life isn’t perfection. It’s progress.
We’re here to create, to grow, to love what is. Not what could’ve been. Not what someone else has.
The real work is self-discovery—learning who we are beneath the noise. That often starts with stripping away the false:
I am not my job.
I am not my past.
I am not my ego.
Eventually, we land on something real. Hence, I am who I am.
Self-discovery leads to self-love.
And that’s not selfish, it’s sacred.
It’s how we build patience, presence, and purpose. It's how we stop reacting to triggers and start responding clearly.
Now let’s be real—patience is hard. It’s been one of my greatest struggles. But the more I practice it, the more it teaches me to slow down, trust, and listen.
Like strength training builds muscle, patience builds soul.
If you’re struggling right now—read this twice:
You’re not alone.
Your work matters.
Even if one person reads it.
Even if no one does.
That’s reason enough to keep going.
So no, I won’t quit writing.
Not today.
Not when signs keep showing up.
Not when this is what I was made to do.
Because the art of life depends on us creating, one authentic word at a time.
Thanks for reading.
If this message resonated with you, consider sharing it with someone you know who’s fighting to stay creative in a noisy world. Or leave a comment and tell me what signs keep you going.
—Cliff