Authentic Voice Leads to Learning
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I’m currently in the middle of doing something new. Doing things you’ve never done before gets more important as you age. According to John Hopkins Medicine’s Science of Memory website, “when we learn something new - even as simple as someone’s name - we form connections between neurons in the brain. These synapses create new circuits between nerve cells, essentially remapping the brain.”
That’s why it’s so important to be a lifelong learner.
The new thing I’m doing is taking part in a writer’s conference, and it’s been amazing so far! I’m learning about things I had no idea existed, I’m meeting new people, and even learning new writing techniques.
When I was young, I dreamt of publishing books I’d written. I knew it would be a tough road, because you had to find an agent who would represent you, find an editor who would critique your work and improve it, and finally, you needed to write a letter appealing enough that a publisher would take a chance on you and publish your work.
One of the things I’m learning is that there are now easier ways to get your work published and out into the world. Thank goodness!
Although there are still writers who use an agent, an editor, and a publisher, there are also now an entire new crop of indie (independent) authors who don’t need an agent because they’re self-publishing their work.
One good use for AI
With the advancement of AI, indie authors don’t actually HAVE to have an editor either. There are AI platforms that will critique your work within minutes of uploading it to a website, and for a fraction of the cost - another worry I had when first thinking about becoming an author.
Why am I mentioning all of this to you, who may not even be interested in writing a book? Simply to illustrate the fact that when you want to be something, like an author or a chef or an interior designer, the means to do it will find you once you begin to believe that it’s a possibility.
Admit it, there’s a thought in your head that continues to resurface every now and then. It starts something like this: If only I had, I wish I would’ve, I wonder what would've happened if I had…
It’s never too late to be what you might have been. As long as you’re alive, you still have an opportunity to pay attention to the authentic voice in your head. Just considering possibilities can open up an entire new world.
And opening a new world can lead, much like if you give a Mouse a Cookie, to brand new synapses and connections in your brain, keeping you youthful for a long time to come.