For society to develop fully, it MUST encourage members to write – and read – as frequently as possible(especially non-fiction).You can influence society’s progressive evolution, by acquiring qualitative experiences in pursuit of challenging goals, and sharing what you learn with others.
This article explains (in part) why I have written so dedicatedly, since 2002. And it highlights multiple reasons for you to do the same.
Writing is a powerful way to communicate useful knowledge,e acquired through years of experience and sometimes painful effort, by the writer, to others.
Many ideas that are used to influence happenings in society are often communicated in written form for others to read and reflect upon. Religious and political organizations send out written material “preaching” the ideals they want their followers to imbibe in order to actualize a vision of the future.
In this article I explain why each one of us needs to look deep within him/herself and discover the unique area of experience based knowledge s/he has, to offer others who lack it, which s/he can then start sharing TODAY by writing.
You may not believe it, but there is something you know, which some others NEED and would therefore be glad to read/learn about. But that’s if you would only write about it!
What would this world have been like if Hill had not written his book: “Think And Grow Rich”?
Think back to all the successful people you know who have mentioned that reading THAT book transformed their lives.
Imagine if they had never read the book, because Hill never wrote it. The implications would have been multiple fold.
Let’s consider a few examples
Maybe today, Dr. Walter Doyles Staples works would not have become a source of education and inspiration for thousands of people worldwide.
Robert Kiyosaki would probably NOT be the person we know today. A man whose message about proper education of children, and the need for a reform of our traditional educational system, opened the eyes of many parents to what they can do to help their kids succeed in life.
These powerful influencers noted that they read, and were influenced by Think and Grow Rich, while starting out!
That book helped them make the most of their own experiences, so that they were able to achieve their own purpose in life.
Coming closer home…
Without Wole Soyinka’a writing, I am almost convinced that I would not know as much as I do about aspects of Nigeria’s history. Especially events that occurred around the early years of Nigeria’s independence – including the civil war – that most of my peers seem disconnected from. Same applies to Chinua Achebe’s writing.
Many others exist on this part of the divide. And they have all enriched the lives of millions by choosing to write based on their experiences.
My point is that when people who undergo useful/authentic experiences (or who make contact with those who do so), write in order to share their acquired knowledge with others, significant positive social development can quite often take place as a result.
This will happen especially if those who read the written works, actually take action to diligently apply the knowledge they acquire from doing so in their personal lives.
You Too, Can Change Lives Through Your Writing…!
By writing, we give others the opportunity to embark, more intelligently, and therefore with greater chances of success, on doing something we(or persons we closely studied) have also done in the past and/or are still doing. Anyone who has applied honest and diligent effort to a particular cause, can write competently about what s/he has done in a way that can benefit others who wish to pursue a similar goal.
While we are on the subject, here’s something noteworthy…
Millions of parents worldwide have bought books by Robert Kiyosaki, and followed his advice about how to educate kids/prepare them to achieve financial independence.
And they continue to do this even though Robert clearly stated in the books that he and his wife(Kim) had no kids of their own!
To me, the ONLY logical explanation for what should have been an unreasonable action on the part of the parents is this…
They (wisely) chose to look beyond Robert NOT being a parent, to the intuitive and common sense logic of the ideas he presented, which resonated with those they had themselves battled with, during their own childhoods.
That’s why when you read some of the re-printed testimonials in Robert’s bestseller titled “If you want to be rich and happy, don’t go to school?”, you will notice many of those people quoted said things like “That’s what I think”; “puts into words what I have been thinking for a long time” etc.
I wonder if they would have ever done anything about what they were “thinking”, IF someone like Robert had not written it all in a book by himself?
Again, back to the questions with which I started this article: What if Robert had never chosen to write any of his books?
One thing at least is certain: our thinking about how children should be educated and prepared to pursue success in life as independent adults, would be worse off than it is now.
That is the value that Robert’s writing has added to millions of lives the world over – mine inclusive(the distance between our continents of residence notwithstanding).
Many People Who Should Write Are NOT Writing
In many societies, people undergo unique experiences of all kinds, every day, that those around them may never have the opportunity of going through.
For each person, the learning acquired through those experiences literally shapes who they become over time. And that ultimately determines whether or not – or better still how well – they succeed.
We can each draw upon the knowledge and insight acquired through such experiences, to teach others how to deal with them successfully, should they encounter something similar.
What I have just stated is the reason why I am convinced we can never have too many public speakers in the world.
It is not possible to have too many pastors, or preachers or trainers in the world either.
I speak with regard to the possibility of a situation arising where you end up with many individuals, who do the same thing in exactly the same way EVERY time, so that if you have seen one, you would have seen all the others.
No two public speakers can have exactly the same audience appeal, and effect on people when they speak.
Think about it. If you heard that Zig Ziglar (when he was still alive) was going to speak at an event, your expectation would be different from what you would have, when another speaker’s name is mentioned.
Each one of us has a distinguishing trait or quality that sets him apart from others who do what s/he does.
Another analogy: Not matter how many stand up comedians perform on one show, each ONE of them will always have at least ONE joke that is different from those told by his/her counterparts.
And s/he will also have a peculiar “style of delivery” that is unique to him/her – except of course s/he unwisely chooses to mimic a role model, mentor etc.
If all of the above is true, it then logically follows, that if an individual were to write based on his/her area of competence or experience, there is a possibility that a person looking for such information will find it a useful, if not entertaining, read.
It might help to inform (or remind) you, that even Napoleon Hill was initially plagued with self-doubt, when Andrew Carnegie first asked him to write the book(Think And Grow Rich).
Hill worried among other things that he was not “qualified” or “competent” enough – at the time – to write it.
But thankfully, he eventually brushed those fears aside, and did us all a favour by working hard to write the book that today has changed millions of lives for the better.
No One Needs A Teaching Certificate Or University Degree To Share His/Her Experience-Based Knowledge With Others Who Need It
Consider a person who – through great will power and endurance – survived years of isolation as a prisoner of war. And there have been people like that.
I doubt such a person would ever be required to get a writing degree, or teaching certificate, before s/he could write or speak to audiences about:
(a) what it felt like and
(b) how to survive under such situations
At the least, if you feel you cannot write it yourself, get help to do it!
For instance, engage the services of a freelance professional, who will work with you to produce a worthwhile summary of your experiences in your chosen area of interest or competence.
Having said that, however, I believe that developing your writing skills would not be a bad idea.
That’s because it would enable you do more spontaneous writing, than you could if you needed someone to take notes from you.
The second and concluding part of this post will be published tomorrow.
NB: This article is based on excerpts from a writeup first published online on 18th August 2006 on www.spontaneousdevelopment.com