As part of my volunteer work to promote tourism to Henderson Harbor, where my partner has his marina, I recently wrote a non-paying article about the area for American Bass Anglers Magazine, the publication for an organization that will be hosting a fishing tournament here this fall. The article appeared virtually unedited in the July/August issue

Upon reading it, a friend and local businessman named Charlie remarked to me, “You ought to write professionally. That was an excellent article—exceptionally well-written!”

I thanked him. What I didn’t say is that I have written professionally, and um, sort of, still do. Those newsletters I create for my day job count, right? And the local paper published my most recent letter to the editor. But otherwise, I can’t really remember the last time I submitted more than a filler for publication, and I’ve lost count of how many half-started articles I have stored on both my home and work computers. Not to mention a couple of partial novels.

Can you identify? Chances are you, too, have gotten positive feedback on your writing over the years, whether from friends, relatives, teachers, bosses or co-workers. Deep down, you know you have talent and a certain level of skill when it comes to stringing words together on a page. But, like me, you write in fits and starts, with half-baked projects squirreled away and untapped ideas swimming through your thoughts. Or maybe you’re not writing at all.

Shame on us, the struggling and aspiring writers of the world. We have been given a gift, one that could better the lives of others, make them laugh or cry, inform or motivate them, educate or enlighten them. Others recognize and value what we can do. Why do we allow ourselves to let days or weeks go by without using our gift, developing it further, and sharing it with the world?

Yes, writing is hard work, and there are so many reasons for not getting around to doing it. But we do ourselves and the world a disservice with each day we let slip by without exploring the extent of our skill, without writing something people could use or benefit from.

Thanks to Charlie’s compliment, I have gone back to the keyboard once more, because he’s right, I ought to be writing professionally. Not talking about it, or reading about it, or daydreaming about it—but doing it. And so should you. So pick a new idea, or dust off an old one, and get cracking. Your readers are waiting for you.