Transcriber: Emilia Pendones Reviewer: Samridh Aggarwal
Who here remembers hearing the term “right off” to describe 2020 at the start of
the pandemic? I know I did.
I saw it on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter... you name it.
When COVID first entered the scene,
I was in my last year at university and with classes going online,
I found myself with a lot of extra downtime that
I wasn’t too sure what to do with. So, I’m sure many of you can relate.
At first, I thought “huh, this is a great excuse to sit back, relax,
watch Netflix, scroll through tick tock...”
And I did,
for a little bit.
Then I got bored. Can only do that for so long.
So I looked back at that and I thought:
“Do I really want to look back and see that I wasted my days away?
No, I don’t want my 2020 to be a write-off”.
And so I decided to change the story and I wrote my own.
I decided to apply to a wonderful program
that helps aspiring authors write and publish their own books.
I pitched a book idea, was accepted into the program
and then worked with some wonderful editors
and coaches who helped me put my book out there.
But today I’m not going to be telling you about my book,
but rather, my book writing process, my journey, what I learned,
how it helped me grow as a person, and ultimately,
why you should write a book too.
Now, before I start, I want to start with a little survey,
so who here - raise your hand if you think that you consider yourself to be
a writer. Raise your hand.
OK, I feel like maybe four or five hands, not very many of you.
Not bad, not bad, but not enough because you can pick up a pen,
or now that we’re in the 21st century, get your hands on a keyboard,
you can be a writer. Now, I don’t mean that you’ll be
a five-star New York Times bestseller. We can’t all be that. I’m not either.
But that doesn't matter, because you don't have to be the best,
most amazing writer to be able to enjoy the benefits of writing a book.
You just have to write one. So what are the benefits?
Well, first of all, the process of writing a book forces you to be curious.
And no, contrary to popular belief, curiosity didn’t kill the cat.
In fact, it made the cat happier.
Studies have shown that there is a link between curiosity and dopamine.
So that means that people who are curious tend to have lower levels of anxiety,
lower levels of depression and have a better overall psychological well-being.
Furthermore, being curious helps expand our knowledge when we learn new things,
explore new ideas and pursue knowledge,
we end up having a better understanding of the world around us.
When I was doing the research for my book, I, you know,
looked at hundreds and hundreds of articles, books, blog posts, everything.
And it was great because I ended up absorbing all this information,
kind of like a sponge.
And now I have a tiny little box back my brain filled with fun facts
and tidbits of information that I can pull out,
one, when a conversation gets dull,
but two, to help use as context when I’m learning new things and
so you end up having a self fulfilling cycle of knowledge where
the more you learn, the more you can learn more. If that makes any sense.
Most importantly, however, in my opinion,
is the way in which curiosity improves our empathy.
So, when we are curious about new people and new ideas,
we end up expanding our social circle to include them,
and we end up gaining a better understanding
and being better able to connect with people whose ideas, values,
perspectives and life are different than ours.
And I think that’s something we can all agree
the world needs a little more of today.
Secondly, the process of writing a book gives you purpose.
It is so easy to get lost in the mundane day-to-day to-do list of life.
And so having a passion project on the side,
like writing a book,
helps give you a sense of self-empowerment and control over your life.
We’re not made to spend our lives at our jobs or, if you’re in school, studying.
We’re meant to have a life that is rich and full, where we create, grow, learn,
explore outside of those things.
When I was reading all those blog posts and articles that I mentioned earlier,
I found myself staying up until two or three o'clock in the morning,
completely immersed in what I was learning in,
and I would wake up the next morning,
talk to my roommate and complain that my book
into sleep deprivation was giving me gray hairs.
But I wouldn't have stayed up until 3:00 a.m. if I didn't want to.
I did it because I really enjoyed what I was learning.
That feeling of momentum and immersion you get when you're fully focused
on something that you love... Unbeatable.
Moreover, writing a book is your small contribution to the world.
Each one of you has unique thoughts, interesting ideas,
cool experiences that you can and should share with the world.
Be ashamed to waste it.
Last but not least, the process of writing a book helps you gain confidence.
There is nothing better than being able to set yourself a challenge
and rise to the occasion and succeed.
And when I say “succeed”, I don’t mean that there won’t be
any hiccups or bumps along the way.
In fact, better if there are.
Makes a success so much sweeter.
When I offered my first draft of my book to my editors, I was very proud of it,
I had worked very hard.
So I gave it to them and I said “here’s my first draft of my book”.
And they came back to me and they said “Great job,
but, if you want us to publish you,
you’re going to have to write a part two
and a part three
and you’re going to have to have some more fun stories,
less research, more personality.
Part two and part three? I had just spent months
just doing the research for part one.
How on earth was I going to come up with enough content
for part two and a part three with just two months
before my next deadline was due?
Well, it turns out that you can do anything when you want it enough
and when you have a tight enough deadline
and all of you, university students who have written a paper
the day before it's due, you know this is true.
That’s what gives you confidence:
having hurdles, having bumps,
having tight deadlines... then being able to overcome them
and come out on the other side.
Writing my book taught me that.
Writing my book forced me to trust myself and my capabilities
and have faith that I can accomplish whatever I want,
as long as I put my mind to it.
Ultimately, writing a book is a journey of self-growth, enlightenment,
illumination, to stay in line with today’s theme. Thank you.