Can I be a writer?

I have always loved numbers.

My brain loves to constantly process anything which involves numbers. It's just the way it is wired.

My early primary school memories involve loving the Times Tables games and later in secondary school I loved Maths, Accounting, Chemistry and anything else which involved numbers. In fact, for my final VCE studies the only subjects which did not require a calculator were English and French. But then again, French grammar is full of ‘maths’ and I didn’t have a choice about studying English.

Does this make me a numbers person? I have also always loved to read whatever I could get my hands on. I remember reading my sister’s school novel ‘Pride and Prejudice’ by Jane Austen in lower high school and have since read it probably too many times.

That being said, I did not really enjoy my career as an English student.

At one point, I remember being fed up in class. I had submitted an essay almost identical to the one I had ‘helped’ my sister in Year 11 write (I was in Year 9 at the time) and achieved a worse mark the second time around.

I mean, go figure.

Being a direct kind of person, I simply told my teacher that I was fed up. Or rather in an exacerbated tone I exclaimed “What do u want from me? I’m so frustrated!” She responded simply “write about that!”

And I did exactly that. After all it was the teacher’s instructions? I didn’t hold back. It was the best piece I probably had ever submitted in my entire schooling. I even finally scored an A+, despite my honesty which wasn’t at all that complimentary.

It was then that I learnt two powerful messages about writing:

1. Write what you feel passionate about. If you want to communicate a message, your passion has to scream through your words.

2. Write honestly!

Despite my angst at the time, I am grateful to my Year 12 English teacher who taught me so much that I probably only realised later on!

These two powerful messages apply not just to writing, but to all areas in life!

Be passionate and be honest with yourself! 

And most importantly, I’ve learnt not to pigeon- hole myself as a specific type of person. You are not a numbers person, a people’s person, a book worm or a history buff.

We are all comprised of a full gamut of skills, qualities and strengths. The myriad of aspects that make us unique enable us to live our best potentials, inspire others and add value to the world.

You never know, you may soon discover you are a budding artist, actor, the next mast

erchef or even a superhero!

#keepingitreal #infinitepossibilities