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3 Unexpected Benefits of Rereading Your Old Writing
Despite the cringe factor
I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t like to reread my old writing. It’s not usually very pretty.
But I recently had an enlightening experience doing just that.
The other day, someone clapped for one of my very old posts here on Medium. I don’t even know how this person found the post. It’s over four years old, and it didn’t perform well when I wrote it.
Out of curiosity, I clicked on the old post to have a look. When I got to the page, I discovered it was a post I’d completely forgotten about writing.
The years that had passed between when I wrote it and now gave me enough distance to view it with fresh eyes.
It taught me that — sometimes — I am my own best teacher.
Relearn powerful life lessons
Rereading a post I’d written so long ago reminded me of past important lessons I’d forgotten.
I originally wrote it while I was going through a difficult time, struggling to figure out a way forward.
If you’re anything like me, you’ve written about important lessons from your past experiences. Isn’t that what all writers do in some way?