Hello
Remember me?
I wrote the last edition of SLS on 19 SEPT 2021. It’s been thaaaaat long.
That’s long enough to get over an ex and forget their existence if you’re lucky. Jokes apart, I am grateful that you were patient and chose to stay connected via this newsletter.
I am not going to bore with the tale of my temporary disappearance, and the whirlwind of events that kept me away. But I’ll share the highlights of these months.
Life has its plans for us and we can never figure it out while we’re living them. We can only connect the dots after all is done. Even though these months were exhausting and daunting, they were also beautiful and ecstatic.
The best thing that happened to me this year was getting married to the love of my life. It was a lovely celebration of two souls uniting surrounded by our friends and family.
As life unfolded, I found myself drifting away from my passion for writing. The endless to-do lists, the ever-expanding commitments, and the demands of a bustling existence pulled me in different directions.
I became immersed in the madness of everyday life, striving to find balance amidst the chaos. It was a time of growth, of self-discovery, and of learning to navigate the intricacies of existence.
But the real reason was….
I must confess that during this time, I also grappled with an old nemesis: perfectionism. The desire to create something flawless, to achieve perfection in every sentence, became an obstacle on my path.
I have written so much about it and yet I couldn’t help myself from the illusion of perfection.
Every time I decided to send this out, I wanted it to be perfect.
I wanted it to have a long-term vision for this community I have built so patiently and passionately. “I will send one next week — the next week and a year flew by.”
I wanted to provide so much value that I got carried away with perfection, with the right value proposition, that I completely stopped writing them.
The irony!
I am not proud of it but writing this email feels like I have come past that phase, and I am ready to share my bit of the world with you again.
This break made me realize that
I don't need to be perfect to provide value and share my story
I don’t need to have a product
I don't need to have everything figured out
What matters is I talk about things that quench my curiosity and build a connection with you.
Now, I don’t want to be perfect. I want to be imperfect. I want to be raw and vulnerable. I don’t want this newsletter to sound like it’s from an expert…no.
I want this to sound like it’s from a human who fails constantly, who makes mistakes, and most importantly who is trying.
In this seemingly never-ending absence, however, I did manage to experience and achieve a multitude of things.
I embraced the wonders of the creator economy; exploring Web 3 and AI, diving headfirst into the fascinating world of emerging technologies that are affecting it.
I utilized my design skills and tried to explain my philosophy using them.
Breakdown my process of writing and creating content and crossed 6.5K followers on Medium.
I also got an opportunity to attend BCrypt Conference and address the creator economy.
Now, I want to use this space to share what ideas and frameworks I don’t share anywhere else and ensure I am being honest, creative, and less pushy ;)
I have nothing to sell
A Few Ideas
PS: There are too many great quotes, ideas, and videos I came across all this while. Not possible to add them all but I will keep sharing them every week’s newsletter.
Writing may have been a widely used skill. For me, it’s a way to think better.
Why do I wanna think better? So I can use most of my 🧠 nothing fancy and share my learnings with you. Here’s a visual representation of this idea.Why I Don’t Believe in Giving People Second Chances (friend link to read free stuff on Medium)
“Life is revealed as a place to contribute and we as contributors. Not because we have done a measurable amount of good, but because that is the story we tell.”
― Benjamin Zander
I hope you enjoyed this email as much as I enjoyed writing it :)
If you have any suggestions or feedback; feel free to comment and I’ll be happy to connect!
Do spread the word by sharing it with your friends and have fun.
Until next time.
Love and light
Shreya