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What I am thinking about 🤔
“If you’re thinking without writing, you only think you’re thinking.”
— Leslie Lamport
I am a strong believer in writing things down. Whether it’s journaling down thoughts, jotting down a to-do list, writing up a follow-up message after/before a conversation or exploring thoughts and ideas through written memos, reports or articles. Writing is a great way to record our thoughts, refine our thinking and communicate with each other and yet, we don’t do enough of it.
It especially worries me that as Africans, we aren’t particularly committed to writing more. Given that a lot of our history was erased or lost because of overreliance on oral tradition and literature, I’d expect that we would be fiercely dedicated to recording our current events and learnings for future generations. We however continue to be consumers and not producers of knowledge.
The Myths
Anytime I challenge someone to write more, I get a variation of these responses:
“I am not a good writer, you know ..it’s easy for you to say that coz you write well”
“I hate writing…it’s not my thing”
“I have nothing new or original to say. I don’t even know what to write about”
There is the perception that writing only belongs to a certain type of people.
The Facts
Writing is difficult for everyone, even for the best writers. The term “writer’s block” has been around for a while for a reason. This is not to deny that people experience different levels of difficulties and that some people may even struggle with learning disabilities that make writing even more challenging. At the core though, it’s no easy task to jot down your thoughts. It needs time and a sheer amount of discipline. So if you find writing difficult, well…sorry to break it to you but it’s not just a you thing- it’s a writing thing.
Writing is an extremely difficult task because it forces you to express yourself clearly. The words stare at you when they don’t make sense and it can be really disheartening sometimes. Writing is a skill that is honed. It needs revision. It needs patience. It needs willpower and intentionality.
I have personally experienced the drain, anxiety and torture of writing. For instance, I found it extremely difficult to write about this very topic and even broke my writing streak last month (not that you noticed…but my apologies nonetheless).
So why bother with something so difficult and yet sometimes thankless?
Because your voice matters.
Because, even if what you want to say has been said before, your way of saying it is important. The fact that you are the one saying it is what matters.
Because clarity of thought leads to good judgement and our world could always do with more people making better judgements.
Because refining thought enables us to hone and shape our ideas into actionable steps. It helps us build momentum.
Most importantly, fellow African, it is imperative that we record our experiences and thoughts so that we don’t forget how we are navigating this world. In this internet age, it would be tragic for our stories to be narrated back to us as opposed to us owning and writing our stories. We don’t even have an excuse this time.
A reminder though- when I talk about writing, I don’t mean that you need to write newsletters, articles or long reports. You can start small.
Jot down that amazing idea you have. Leave your friend a thoughtful message when you think about them. Tweet something instead of doomscrolling for a whole evening. Journal out your feelings instead of languishing in your mind. Write your colleague an email or slack message instead of contributing to the 18% increase in unnecessary meetings 😏.
Recording a voice note, video or reel may be easier. It is sometimes important to have a call, especially when context and tone matter. Other forms of media are a valid way of communicating, recording or processing thought. Am sure though that your favourite movie, YouTube video or podcast still started with some good writing.
The Conclusion
So…what will you be writing 😃?
Ps: If you write stuff in these internet streets or are inspired to write something after this. Please share it with me- I’d really love to read your writing 😊.
What I am listening to 🎧
DJ Wanjiks: Cool Kiswahili Playlist
Here is my attempt at being consistent with my amateur DJ Career.
I created this playlist after searching for Kiswahili playlists on Spotify and realised that ALL of them were gospel (WILD- right?😱) . The playlist features some of my favourite cool Swahili songs across East Africa (and a bit of Central Africa). Hopefully, this will get you up on your feet and deep in your feels.
The Knowlege Project Project Podcast: Reid Hoffman- Better Decisions, Fewer Mistakes
I am a bit obsessed with learning how to make better decisions because I think it’s the most high-leverage skill one can refine in life. This podcast episode perfectly fed this obsession. Co-founder of LinkedIn, Reid Hoffman explains his mental models around decision making and I think at the core of it- it’s just about taking note of your past decisions (aka writing 😉) and constantly updating your view of the world based on new information you learn.
I am starting to have a sense though that I am absorbing too many Silicon Valley mental models so if you listen to any really interesting podcasts from emerging markets please share with me. I particularly like podcasts that discuss big ideas and mental models as opposed to those that describe events or give opinions about events. More like this kind of content where they talk about building trust in an Indian society👇🏽.
Spotify Playlist: Dark Academia Classical Music
It’s been a really busy two months and so I have been listening to a lot of background music to help me focus on my endless tasks. I didn’t realize how much classical music I was listening to until Spotify introduced “Dark Academia Vibes” to my home page. It felt so targeted 😨!! I didn’t even know that this was a genre.
I have now really gotten into these dark academia vibes and would highly recommend it, especially if you also listen to lo-fi music for focus.
Audiobook: Mere Christianity by C.S Lewis
I have always been a fan of C.S Lewis but it’s mostly been from hearing about him as opposed to directly engaging with his material (except a few quotes here and there). Getting into this book made me feel like a legitimate fan. The great reputation and admiration he gets is not just hot air.
C.S Lewis is a beautiful writer and he is especially good at explaining “wooey” ideas in very logical ways. I love how he hedges his words i.e. makes it clear that he is saying X and not Y even though some people will say he is saying Y but he is not.
The book explains the fundamentals of Christianity and it took a tangent I really wasn’t expecting. Interestingly, I have seen more non-Christians than Christians recommend this book so I think it’s a worthwhile pick-up if you are spiritually curious but not necessarily religious.
Also, if you enjoy The Chronicles of Narnia, you may also like it (it’s the same author!😯).
What I am reading 📚
Kiswahili Book: Kiu by Mohammed S Mohamed
When I was younger, I used to think in Kiswahili but that slowly changed without my consent. I am now quite determined to take myself to process the world in Kiswahili as my default.
I took this strong stance on language after reading Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o’s, Decolonising The Mind, back when I was at University. He made me think deeply about the colonisation of the mind and how thinking in a language that’s not your own is a bit strange and yet we normalize it.
This read is heavily influenced by my recent move to the coast of Kenya (#smalltownlife) and my desire to think in Kiswahili again. What felt like an unattainable goal now feels a bit more achievable.
It’s really hard to engage with it though. It’s proving a difficult and slow process but I am enjoying it.
Essay: Failure to Cope Under Capitalism
There has been this growing narrative around “capitalism being a trap” and “opting out of labour”. I empathise with some of these arguments, but for the most part- to put it politely, I think it’s utter BS! This essay articulated a lot of the thoughts that I had but couldn’t put into words. I highly recommend the read, especially if you vehemently disagree with me on this.
I’ll leave you with my favourite paragraphs from the essay👇🏽.
What binds these pleas together is an application of “the personal is political” so expanded in scope that, for a certain kind of person, personal problems, anxieties, and dissatisfactions are illegible or illegitimate unless described as political problems.
This can be a compromise with a guilty, self-punishing instinct of the self-consciously privileged, especially if the political problem in question is borne on behalf of another. For the would-be steppe warlord, it posits an artificially withheld world in which, naturally and without friction, you would be every bit the man you long to be.
In either case, the complete identification of human foible with structural failure excuses you from identifying and dealing with personal problems as such. Especially when it turns out the real culprit is capitalism.
What I am watching 💻
In the spirit of thinking in Kiswahili, I am also trying to watch more Kiswahili movies (and more broadly East African movies).
I absolutely loved this one because the main character (Subira) and I have one thing in common: we both absolutely love swimming. I deeply felt her happiness and bliss every time she jumped into the water- mahn!
Dance Video: Ysabelle Capitule | Lloyd- Get it Shawty
Yet another amazing dance video by one of my favourite choreographers. Words will not do it justice. Just watch!
Netflix Series: Love is Blind Season 3
Fairytale love stories are my weakness and Love is Blind just satisfies the inner romantic in me in ways I cannot explain. I am currently counting down to the next episodes. The anticipation is hella exciting. Eeeeeeeeeek!!
Netflix Mini-Series: The Playlist
I was super excited to watch the story about Spotify’s journey (because it’s one of my favourite products in THE WORLD) and it absolutely did not disappoint. I am actually a little sad that I already watched it for the first time. That I’ll never get that feeling of awe again.
The series however left me with a lingering question in mind on compromise. I won’t expound to avoid any spoilers. I highly recommend it especially if you enjoy startup stories.
Quotes I am pondering💭
“Do not look to human relationships for justice; there are few entities more unjust.”
from Plain Living: A Quaker Path to Simplicity by Catherine Whitmire
“Whenever I read foreign books, they never explained the simplest things, like snow. How it crunched under your shoes, kissed your face both warm and cold. How you were driven to trample it, then loathed it after it became soiled. All these things! No one ever bothered to tell an African!”
from Everything Good Will Come by Sefi Atta
I am fascinated, intrigued and driven by how business works, I am industry agnostic but love the machinations of business.
I love to make businesses run in a human way by enhancing, empowering and collaborating with the most powerful resources- the people in the business.
I love to make things work smoothly by allowing people to use their superpowers, and not being bogged down with drudgery. I do love a good process…
I forgot to get the name of the person who said this but I think I remember seeing it on Operations Nation (see what happens when you don’t write 🤣🤦🏽♀️)
Ps: I know this post is a bit longer than usual. I think I was subconsciously overcompensating for last month’s post. Hope you enjoyed it either way! Please feel free to share your thoughts in the comments. I really love hearing from you! 😃
Why you should write
Thank you for this. I wrote something small about lots of things...
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1wE5Huy_E-WhwC7TdOUXuPofU-ddbanr_/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=105211171189025570988&rtpof=true&sd=true
Another excellent piece as always 😭👏🏾. Since you shared your reason why, here's a short bit that I wrote a while back on why I write - https://medium.com/@wchesoni/my-reason-why-860ec1fe136