Category: Writing

WHAT DID YOU FAIL AT THIS WEEK? by Art Smukler, author & psychiatrist

by artsmuklermd, posted in Psychiatry, Self Examination, Writing

I wish someone had asked me this question when I was a kid, and I had done the same for my children.

This is now third-hand, but who cares? Good information should be passed along.

Fareed Zakaria, a brilliant educator and commentator, shared some details of an interview with Sara Blakely, the self-made billionaire developer of Spanx, a must-have underwear for women.

Ms. Blakely attributed her success to her father. Once a week he would ask, “What did you fail at this week?”

“Daddy, why do you keep asking that? I didn’t fail at anything!” Sara said, a puzzled expression on her face.

“I want you to live up to your full potential. If you only try safe things and are afraid to fail, how can you grow and improve?”

So one day, Sara told her father about something that she tried and how miserably she failed. Her father beamed with pleasure, raised his hand and hi-fived his lovely daughter. “I’m so proud of you!” he said. “So very, very proud.”

This lesson applies to all of us, no matter how old, or how jaded we’ve become. Trying new things and risking failure to follow a dream is sure to entail periods of anguish.

Writers are especially vulnerable. Sitting alone staring at your Apple screen, as wisps of ideas make their way from the darkened recesses of your pre-conscious mind, is a unique task and leaves one vulnerable and disquieted. There are no cheerleaders or decibel-shattering student sections to urge you on when you find the right word or idea. You are a cheering section of one.

The chances of success may at times seem dim and foolish, but four times a month you get to ask yourself the question, “What have I failed at this week?” No agent. No publisher. No signing deal. Buck up fellow writers. Next week is another chance to fail!

If you enjoyed reading, Inside the Mind of a Psychiatrist, you might also enjoy Dr. Smukler’s novels, Chasing Backwards, a psychological murder mystery, Skin Dance, a mystery, and The Man with a Microphone in his Ear. All are available as paperbacks and eBooks.

REINVENTION IS THE ELIXIR OF YOUTH, by Art Smukler, author & psychiatrist

by artsmuklermd, posted in Psychiatry, Self Examination, Uncle Bill's Place, Writing

Sometimes I look in the mirror and wonder where all the years have gone. What happened to my dark hair? Who is that “older” guy staring back at me?

A new blog follower, Deborah, related that she is going to become a social worker at the age of 59. She feels a new sense of freedom, a chance to really be herself. Deborah got me thinking. It was just a few years ago that I decided to self-publish my novels and start a blog.

I thought a blog was where the Loch Ness monster lived. Twitter was a silly social media game where people could announce what they had for breakfast. Linked-in was another name for prisoners in a chain gang, and Facebook was just another waste of time. Boy did I have a lot to learn.

It took a visit to Barnes & Noble and a bag full of “Social Media for Idiots” books to get the real picture. I was the clueless idiot, not the rest of the world. The learning curve was harder than I thought, but I figured that if I could get through medical school and a psychiatric residency, I could do this.

Reinventing ourselves is not as hard as it sounds. It “merely” entails shedding the need to be defensive and protective of what you’ve become. It’s not weak to admit that there are millions of people out there who can teach you something. The something can be anything that interests you.

My Uncle Bill received his Phd in psychology not too long before he went on Social Security. When he would visit from the East Coast, I remember him wandering the streets of Redondo Beach and Hermosa Beach looking for small artifacts to add to his collection of Jungian figures. Anything that could help a patient get in touch with his true inner-self was something that excited him. He died in his eighties, a very happy, young man.

What better than my thoughts on reinvention to commemorate my 100th post…

If you enjoy being Inside the Mind of a Psychiatrist, you might also enjoy, Chasing Backwards, a psychological murder mystery, Skin Dance, a mystery, and The Man with a Microphone in his Ear. All are available as paperbacks and eBooks.