My reason for writing

I recently read the excellent book by Dale Carnegie on How to Win Friends and Influence People. I initially thought the title sounded a bit shady, but its one of those books where you’re misled. The book is much more about how to become a genuinely nicer person, rather than faking it.

But one of the key things I took away from How to Win Friend and Influence People, besides the actual scope of the book, is how quickly we forget. Carnegie recommends to read his book twice, rather than just once, and to keep taking notes continuously. That is, if you plan to remember at least half of it. And he is absolutely right. Already a few days after reading the book just once, I surely remembered less than half of what was inside. Unbelievable how much we can forget in just a few days!

I believe there is a larger trend going on here. We process so much information these days, that we simply forget a lot. Do you even remember the last time you weren’t checking your phone when you took a shit? I didn’t think so. And that’s OK, we probably all do. But because of stuff like this, there seem to be less and less moments where we evaluate what we’ve learned. A lot of thoughts get lost.

This is the exact reason why writing is awesome. Besides the added bonus of sharing thoughts and experiences with friends, writing helps you remember the things that are important.

I know it’s not easy and its most definitely not for everyone. I know, as I haven’t been writing nearly as much as I should’ve over the past year. But this is one of my main reasons for making a fresh start.