What are some things that helped you to become a better person every day? Reading & Writing.

Basically, there are only 2 things that I do that helped me to become a better person.

1) READING:

I read daily on topics ranging from adult fiction novels, young adult fiction to business, marketing, philosophy, psychology, writing related books. I read comics and Japanese manga. Reading helps me to quiet down my mind and absorb what is in front of me.

There are stories in these writings (especially in fiction) where you empathise with the characters. You get a better understanding of human emotions and human motivations.

From the non-fiction books, you gain knowledge on the subject matter. Be it marketing, customer relations, consumer behaviour, purchasing habits, online trends, e-commerce, fin-tech, it is infinite.

From the books you have read, you are shaping your mind to perform better in absorbing and processing, and retaining information. And when the time comes to apply your knowledge, say, in an interview, you will thank yourself you have been reading books all this while.

Not forgetting another benefit, you can start off a conversation with acquaintances and friends easily with your plethora of ideas and information. This is very useful in networking.

2) WRITING:

I am a writer. I write fiction and web content. I also scribble notes in my paper notebooks with my fountain pen.

First, writing to be published. The act of writing a piece of content requires you to think. To brainstorm ideas, topics, headlines. Then you have to structure the content in an easy to read way. In this process, you have put yourself in the reader’s shoes (empathy comes to mind again).

Next, in the body of the content, you need to put in relevant information for the reader to gain value, this is where your knowledge comes in. The books you have read and the experiences that you have gained through your work and personal life forms part of your knowledge. This knowledge could be transformed into useful information to your reader.

Before you can publish your writing online, you have to go through the editing process. The spelling errors, grammar checks, run-in sentences, coherence, use of white space, etc. All these have to be addressed. And during this editing process, you are exercising to be meticulous. You may not have noticed but you are also being respectful of the reader’s time as you do not wish her to waste time on your writing. Hence, you make sure it is easy to read (with no glaring errors) and the information is relevant to her.

That’s what you can gain from writing to be published.

What about doodling and scribbling notes on a paper notebook?

The internet is full of articles and researches on the benefits of writing longhand, here are a few of the benefits:

• better for learning
• prevents you from being distracted
• It keeps your brain sharp as you get older
• Better in creativity
• Improves critical thinking
• Improves your problem-solving skills

All the benefits stated are good but the one that helps me a lot many times over is “prevent you from being distracted”.

I am a writer. I have to write something every day. Short form copy for the web. Notes on my notebook. First drafts for my novel work-in-progress, short story drafts, etc. In this day of connectivity (phone-laptop-internet), it is a bane for me to focus on writing. It is too easy to click on the next YouTube video (I tell myself it is for research purposes).

However, with a paper notebook and my fountain pen, I can’t go anywhere.

I am forced to be “alone”.

This is where the magic happens.

Things slow down.

I become calmer.

I can write.

I can imagine.

I can think.

I can play.

I can link ideas. #creativity: new approach to old solutions and new problems

I feel safe. As no one gets to see my scribbles and doodles.

So there you have it, the age old Read and Write. So simple and benign. Too simple to be deemed as an effective skill but at least it is true for me. However, one key ingredient to make reading and writing work is Discipline.

Whoa, big word.

That’s for another time to discuss.

Have a good day.

Keep writing.