When a person sits down in front of their computer to write an article, to write a story, to talk about something in their life, or to put something together for a class, knowing it's going to be published for the world to see, a moment of hesitation may occur. After all, if that person is writing something that strangers will see, coworkers will see, neighbors will see, or other unknowns may see, they are putting their life on the internet.

And the whole world can see it.

When a person like me sits down in front of their computer to write an article for an amazing publication like The Odyssey, what happens isn't a simple choice. It is a choice that may take a moment, an hour or a day to truly think about. It is the thought behind writing something personal, writing something funny, writing something serious, or maybe writing something to make a person cry. It may involve writing a story about the loss of a family member, writing about mental health, or writing about eating a Pop Tart.

And the whole world can see it.

When a person like me sits down in front of the computer and decides to write a story, it may wind up being a very personal, very emotional, and very serious moment. It may involve something or someone loved and lost. The story may involve eating a Twinkie at the crack of dawn. It may involve changing jobs. It may even involve deciding one of the hardest decisions of the week. What to have for dinner on a given night.

But the hardest part about writing, sitting down in front of your computer, or thinking about what you are going to write is whether or not to put your life on the internet. Because if you do, there is no taking it back. There is no deleting it and hoping it will disappear. There is no choice to retract something you've said, something you've written, and something you may have put your heart and soul into.

And the whole world can see it.

It is not an easy decision to sit down and write. When a person sits in front of a computer, such as a person like me, they have a difficult decision to make. Whether or not to publish something that could be very personal, that could be very dramatic, and that could even find the end result of having people laugh at it and say it's horrible. It happens. On occasion, I am certain someone may read an article I've written, judge it horribly, and think that it's utter garbage. And I'm here to tell you, I've written some articles that I've gone back to re-read, and I've said the same thing. It was garbage. The problem is... I wrote it.

And the whole world can see it.

Writing is an art form. It is a talent. It is something that not just anyone can do. It is not something that an average person can decide one day to take up, make a hobby, and be successful. Some people like Stephen King can sit down in a weekend and write a book that sells ten million copies. I couldn't sit down over a weekend and write a book that would sell ten copies. But I can write an article to be published online. I can state my opinions. I can speak about how I feel. I can talk about a subject I know. I can publish it.

And the whole world can see it.

Some people write in a different way. They insult their families. They call their ex-wives names. They say nasty things about their kids. They criticize coworkers. They degrade, insult and call names of people they know and don't like. They post it on social media. They put it somewhere that they can rant, rave, vent, and complain about everything. They put it on the internet. They hit the send button, the enter button, or whatever the case may be. In a matter of 3 seconds, it is online and it's for real.

And the whole world can see it.

When you write, you should take a moment to think about what you are writing. I should take a moment to think about what I'm writing. We all should. Because once you hit the button on your computer to publish it, to print it, to send it, to post it, or to do whatever you may choose to do with it, it's there forever. It's not going away.

And the whole world can see it.

I love being a writer. I like getting inspired. I like the opportunity to write something when I feel the urge. I like talking about subjects I know. I enjoy getting on social media and insulting Donald Trump. I like criticizing our pathetic government. I like insulting people who judge gun owners based on the activity of one psychotic person. I even like insulting the ATF because they totally blew the Waco, Texas thing on national news, and on the media 25 years ago. But what's the best part about it? I know what I'm doing when I re-read it. When I want to publish it. When I email it to someone. When I post it somewhere. And then I smile as I make that possible life-changing decision. I sent it on the internet. And I sit back, I smile, I chuckle, and sometimes I laugh. Because I've just taken another moment out of my life to write something I hope is inspirational and amazing. But the best part about it? I wrote it.

And the whole world can see it.