Random Musings 😏, Part-18
Soul Letter #54
Hello👋 folks, Shubham here.
I am back with another edition of Random Musings.
Change of Plans
I love writing newsletters, but lately, it has started to feel like an obligation. As soon as I complete one, there’s a compulsion to work on the next.
I am tired. I have been feeling it for the last couple of weeks and therefore decided to make Soul Letter a weekly newsletter instead of biweekly.
Let me explain.
Along with the newsletter, I write daily on LinkedIn and Twitter.
My recent LinkedIn posts have done pretty well and I would like to focus more on the platform.
I can reshare the same posts in a newsletter, but that would be redundant since most of the readers already follow me on LinkedIn. Reading the same stories again isn’t something people look forward to.
To save my creative juices from drying, from next week, Soul Letter will be delivered only on Saturdays at 10:30 am IST.
It’s not a permanent change.
LinkedIn is treating me kindly as of now. Who knows, another algorithm change might be a turnoff and I make Soul Letter back to biweekly.
Bookshelf 📚
I started reading Maybe You Should Talk to Someone by Lori Gottlieb.
Lori is primarily a psychotherapist and a writer. She also fiddled with other pursuits, like journalism, radio, and television.
Based on her resume, she seems to be the ideal person who can’t get anything wrong.
But life can be a puzzle even for a pro like her.
Lori was about to get married to her boyfriend when at the last moment the latter backed out.
She broke into a million pieces, engulfed in shame because, being a therapist, how can she miss the red flags?
Assisting others in making better life choices is her bread and butter, and yet she herself got knocked out in a game where she’s the coach.
Lori confessed she was embarrassed.
She went for therapy after the ‘boyfriend fiasco’. It’s intriguing to think that a therapist might need to see a therapist. The book has anecdotes of her own sessions.
Apart from it, the book is largely based on Lori’s patients and their unique problems.
The patients are imaginary based on the experiences from her practice.
Reading for Numbers
I started reading books a few years ago.
My average number was around 20 books per year, however, I read 38 books in 2021.
Quite a feat, considering that it almost doubled.
In hindsight, I look at it with mixed feelings.
Last year after hitting the 25 mark, I knew I could make this my best calendar year.
Therefore, subconsciously, I began reading for the numbers.
More books meant a better social portfolio.
There was an imperceptible pressure to read more because I wanted to make the most of the opportunity.
Why do we become obsessed with stats?
I am proud that I read 38 books but this year’s plan isn’t to match that figure.
The aim is to read regularly for 20-30 minutes instead of reading 30+ books.
Focusing more on systems and habits instead of goals and results.
Let’s see how many books I end up reading, but then again, the number is futile.
Hope you enjoyed this edition.
Signing off for today :) Until next time, Houdoe! 🙋♂️
Previous Soul Letters 🗞
Keep 'em coming Goel !