Inside the mind of a psychiatrist – Page 53 – Inside The Mind of a Psychiatrist

Most days, Smukler’s bookstore is a quiet, peaceful, contemplative place to be. Then, just yesterday, THE REAL STORY, started complaining.

“I’m lonely,” he whined.

“What?”

“Are you deaf? I’m lonely. There’s no one here to talk to. You’re a psychiatrist, right?”

“Right.”

“So you can understand what I’m saying.”

“True… But sometimes, being an only child has its advantages. No brother or sister to compete with. You get all the attention. Who’s to say that when there’s another book sitting next to you, that you’ll be happier? Maybe you’ll feel jealous?”

“Trust me. I won’t. And don’t give me all that sibling rivalry crap! It gets old listening to Joe be so gaga over Lara. And he’s so stubborn… If it wasn’t for her he’d be a goner.”

“That’s true.”

“I want to meet some new characters.”

I nodded.

“I heard you thinking out loud. Aren’t you having another baby?”

“I am.”

“When can I meet him?”

“Maybe a month or so.”

“Hmm. That’s not so bad. Is he interesting?”

“He’ll blow you away. But, he’s in a lot of danger.”

“Danger. I’m used to that. Maybe I can help?”

“You already have, Buddy. You’ll make a good friend for NINE NORTH to have.”

I poured myself a fresh cup of coffee, took a deep breath, and settled into my chair.

Thanks so much for reading.

Feel free to click away and buy THE REAL STORY, eBook or Paperback.

I wish someone had asked me that when I was a child, and I had asked the same question to my children.

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

Fareed Zakaria, the brilliant educator and commentator, shared some details of an interview he had 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?”

If you try something new, something daring, by my standards, that is a raging success!