Are Olympic level swimmers naturally good at swimming?

Are some people born with an eye for drawing, or throat for singing, or feet for dancing? Is there a gene for writing which bestselling writers have and we missed out on?

Some people seem to be way smarter than us. We all happen to know someone at school who was a genius in maths or wrote beautiful stories, or sang like an angel.

What makes people so good at something that others can’t seem to touch their heights.

We all want to be good at a few things, but it doesn’t…

Did you know that there was no consistent way or system to grade diamonds until the early forties?

Diamond merchants used various, usually broad- terms to talk about the quality of a diamond. Words like “river” or “water” were used to describe colorlessness. The term “Cape” was used to describe pale yellow diamonds from South Africa (following the 1867 discovery of diamonds in the Cape Colony). Words like “without flaws” or “imperfect” were used to describe clarity. And subjective terms such as “Well-made” or “made-poorly” were used to describe the cut of a diamond.

As a result, jewelers found it…

Two years ago, when I quit the competitive life to embrace the creative life, I went full throttle on several creative projects.

I wrote prolifically to populate my website, dusted a three-year-old manuscript, started working on it, joined multiple courses, started writing on Medium, commenced a Substack newsletter, and began a publication. I am not working, I told myself. I have no excuse to slack. My output should be double or triple as before.

On the contrary, my productivity dropped, and I reached a near burnout stage.

I tend to overcommit to the extent that I become obsessed with productivity…

In my previous article of the five-part series, I wrote about mindset as the first of the five pillars of authorpreneurship.

Who is an authorpreneur?

An authorpreneur is a person who creates written products, creates a brand, and actively promotes that brand through a variety of outlets.

In other words, an authorpreneur is a person who builds an empire around his or her writing. Think J.K. Rowling, think Stephen King, think James Patterson, and you will get the picture.

But first, a disclaimer; I am not an authorpreneur yet. I am nowhere near. I am just a student of those…

We are living in the best time ever to become an authorpreneur.

Computers have made it easier to write, and the internet has made it possible to research, publish and sell to a global audience.

If you love to create as I do, and if you are ready to learn different skills and adapt to the changing environment as I do, then we can build a business around our writing.

But first, a disclaimer — I am not a millionairess from writing, nor am I in the publishing business. …

I was almost asleep when I woke up with a jolt.

I often sleep listening to YouTube videos. The practice has two folds advantage. One, I can listen to the videos that I can’t somehow fit in my day. Second, I fall asleep without any problem.

Side Note: When you get to my age, insomnia can be a real issue. Although I have no problem sleeping most nights, listening to soothing music, spiritual talks, or long boring interviews help.

This particular night I was listening to Paul Jarvis interviewing Marie Forleo in his usual excited self. Marie Forleo, named by…

Let me start by asking you this quesion.

Are you a writer or an author?

The common understanding is that if you have published a book you are an author.

Not exactly.

A writer is someone who enjoys the act of writing, often in solitude.

An author is someone who enjoys everything that comes along with being published. The marketing, the networking, the speaking engagements, being in the public eye, self-promotion.

You can be published, but if you don’t like the marketing and self-promotional side of the business, then you are more of a writer than an author.

Now lets come to the question whether you are an author or an authorpreneur.

Who is…

Unlike most people, I have been avoiding social media. This year I realized I can’t keep ignoring the power of social media.

In the first week of January, I started a 100-day project — to write a social media post every day on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

As soon as I started posting regularly, I began getting messages from people who wanted to either sell me something or to read their stuff. Some sent me links to their article, others wanted me to review their website. But this one guy sent me a page-long email asking me to spread the…