A new series awaits - books? bibliography?

Hello there! 

Post 2 (of hopefully thousands) and I am already feeling the weight of inertia as I struggle to take up that proverbial pen. 

So, to set up some good systems—and to ensure I am keeping the inertia going forward (rather than just being a lazy bum)—I’ll be starting a new series with the working title “On Joel’s Bookshelf”. Here’s a mini manifesto as to what I hope to achieve with this new series. 

(PS: all thanks to the amazing James Clear for that concept of "systems" vs “habits”)

What’s on this “bookshelf”? 

I definitely enjoy reading books (particularly non-fiction ones) and I often find myself buried in them. This proverbial bookshelf won’t likely stop at books, however. Think: articles, magazines, YouTube videos, even workshops and sermons. As such, this “bookshelf” is not a physical one by any means. If you are reading my newsletter/website, it’s likely that you too are like me in some way—we enjoy a good read. I’ll stay true to the “book” part of the name for the most part, but what I realise recently too is that many authors (like myself) tend to write many shorter-form articles on the topic of their books, and it may just be much easier to reference to (just like how I referenced above to a short-form article from James Clear about a concept from his famed book). 

In terms of topics, I would say I am quite conservative—in that I generally read Christian books and some other “safe” self-help books without much deviation from my norm. But at the same time, I like to challenge myself, and at times I may bring in books that I have chanced upon that strike me in some way. Yet, in any case, I am going to stay true to this newsletter’s namesake. I will bring only the books I am reading in my daily life and only the books which are applicable to my daily life. 

In any case, I will stay as flexible as I can. Let’s see where that takes us. 

So why this new series now? 

The biggest reason honestly is what I already stated earlier. I am a lazy bum, and I need some impetus to get me writing and going. So this will be one of the quicker ways I can bring myself to write. It may end up not even being extremely detailed but just me quoting or pointing you to certain books I have recently encountered.

Another big reason of course is that I spend way too much time in books, and I need to put energy towards producing, rather than just consuming. I first caught this idea from Ali Abdaal’s summary of “The Millionaire Fastlane” by DeMarco. The general idea is we have been overwhelmed by consumption and consumerism, and we often forget to put our minds and hands towards producing. So my goal is to focus on creating rather than mindlessly absorbing. My hope is that whatever I read does not just end up being entertainment and for fun. 

One final reason is that many of these books I’ve read have shaped me in one way or another, and have given me ways of thinking and framing how I see life and live life in the complexities of this world. I don’t know anything, only what I learn and read, with God’s grace. So I really do find myself indebted to the many thought leaders both past and present. As Austin Kleon puts it: “Nothing is original.“ Or as he quotes William Ralph Inge, “What is originality? Undetected plagiarism” . 

A Bibliography of sorts

So think of this bookshelf like the “References” or “Bibliography” section of a Doctoral Thesis. (Hmm, maybe the name of this bookshelf shall be called “The Bibliography”… haha I do like the ring to it.) It will eventually come to form the entire complete list of the literature and sources that inform my frame of thinking which often is where my reflections spring forth from. I don’t want to become overly academic, though. I’ll try my best to stay reflective and more importantly stay curious about what’s being written and how that might apply to my life—and to yours. 

This new series will hopefully bring us into interesting territories we do not usually venture into in our day to day lives. After all, books are a window into many realities. 

Do stay-tuned as I post the first on this series real soon.