Meet Rene Cizio

We were lucky to catch up with Rene Cizio recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Rene, thank you so much for making time for us today. Let’s jump right into a question so many in our community are looking for answers to – how to overcome creativity blocks, writer’s block, etc. We’d love to hear your thoughts or any advice you might have.

Writer’s block is one of those phrases that, as a lifelong writer, I do not allow myself to believe in. That’s not to say it isn’t genuine, only that I cannot afford to give it any power.

It’s a sneaky thing that comes in different guises. Sometimes, we tell ourselves we don’t want to write or not right now. Or we don’t have anything to say about a specific topic. The worst is when we believe what we have to say isn’t good enough.

We can become lost if we let these thoughts fester or reproduce. If we believed any part of those thoughts, we could become “blocked.” Why would you write if those things were true?

However, I trained as a journalist and the news waits for no one. You sit at your keyboard and meet the deadline whether you feel like it, have a brilliant idea, or think it might win an award or be called trash. You write anyway.

Force yourself to write. If you’re not a reporter, you can improve it later. Even if you never go back, it’s through writing that we find the truth of what we want to say and gems that we’d never unearthed by thinking alone.

Write something, anything, until you find the thread of what you need to say. Let others worry about whether it’s good enough for them. Creating and making it exist in the world must be good enough for you.

So, I don’t believe in writer’s block. I believe in never allowing the block to happen.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

I’m an author and writer of Middle Journey, a travel blog. I travel solo and create stories and imagery about locations and things to do to help others navigate.

I started the blog shortly before traveling alone across the US, Mexico and Canada several years ago. My travel stories mix personal narrative, helpful information and storytelling. My most popular blogs usually focus on finding something unique about the location, like meeting the local shaman, finding an energy vortex, visiting historic sites like presidential homes or unknown locations like the Titanic gravesite in Halifax, Canada.

I also write stories for other publications and have authored a fiction book, “The Fog.” I’m currently finishing a memoir about my nearly two-year solo road trip.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

Perseverance. Self-discipline. Curiosity. I’ve known many smart people who’ve wanted to be entrepreneurs and writers or have had other big dreams they’ve never fulfilled. The difference between the people who do and those who don’t isn’t about being smart or even good; it’s about grit.

The people who succeed just don’t quit. You read it and hear it all the time. Successful people fail. A lot. It doesn’t feel good, but you get used to it and move on quicker every time. Most people quit way too soon. It’s hard to feel like you’re not good enough. It seems like other people are always doing more, better, faster. But remember, there are people behind you who think you’re one of those “other people.” Keep going.

It takes extreme self-discipline to keep going. Nobody else can make you get up early, forgo nights out, give up other hobbies, and spend less time with friends or family in favor of working on this instead. It’s a tough trade-off, especially when the results are low for so long. Almost nobody suspects how long it’s going to take.

The third quality is curiosity. You have to be adaptable and find ways to reengage yourself constantly. If not, you’ll grow bored or stagnant. Whatever your field is, it’s continually changing. Twenty-some years ago, we went digital, then developed social media, and now we have AI. These impact everyone. It will be difficult if you don’t understand them well. Curiosity will keep you savvy.

What would you advise – going all in on your strengths or investing on areas where you aren’t as strong to be more well-rounded?

I envy people who are great at just one thing, but I’ve never been one of them. I’m much too curious and get bored far too quickly. Even in writing, I mix up the formats and genres.

Both strategies have pros and cons, but overall, a balanced approach is probably the best for most people. Investing a bit in weaknesses so you are not entirely ignorant or a prisoner to them is wise.

For example, I’m terrible at math, or I should say I never applied myself to learning it. A few years ago, when I started receiving income from various sources and my taxes became complicated, I thought finance classes would help.

I took an online training class and did a lot of studying. After a fair attempt, I learned enough to know there was a lot more I’d need to be proficient. I wasn’t interested in spending more time away from my core strengths, but I now knew enough to make more knowledgeable decisions about my finances.

This balanced approach is good because it maximizes our potential by not taking away too much time from what we’re good at, but it also enables us to be actors of our destiny. It promotes adaptability and depth, making me more well-rounded overall and improving everything I do. I’m more confident in that weakness now and I’ll take confidence wherever I can get it.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.middlejourney.comhttps://www.instagram.com/renecizio/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/renecizio/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/renesmiddlejourney
• Twitter: https://x.com/ReneCizio
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@ReneCizio