Three of my core values are lifelong learning, depth, and connection. Diving deeply into a subject that fascinates me brings joy and satisfaction. There’s something profoundly energizing about exploring new ideas and immersing myself in the richness of knowledge.

For much of my life, I’ve devoured books and media in a kind of joyful frenzy—swallowing whole books in a day, chasing that exhilarating rush of discovery. I was hungry for understanding, and the act of learning felt nourishing and powerful.

But in hindsight, I see that I was often consuming knowledge without truly absorbing it. I’d race through ideas that inspired me, only to forget them days later. That bright spark of insight would fade, leaving me eager for the next fix. I wasn’t giving myself the time or space to truly digest what I had learned, or to let it sink into my life in a meaningful way.

Now, I’m learning that knowledge becomes truly valuable when it’s lived, shared, and integrated into our lives. It’s not just about how much we consume—it’s about how we use what we’ve learned. And for someone like me, who deeply values learning, depth, and connection, the act of sharing what I’m learning can be a powerful and fulfilling experience.

Connection, while deeply important to me, has also been one of the more challenging parts of my life. Verbal communication doesn’t always come easily. I often struggle to find the right words to express the layers of thought and feeling I carry inside.

But writing—that has always felt like home.

Through writing, I can translate the complexities I carry into something tangible and clear. Still, I’ve often hesitated to share my words. I’ve doubted whether I had enough knowledge, or whether my perspective was unique or important enough. I told myself that everything worth saying had already been said, and probably in a better way.

But I’m beginning to shift that perspective. Writing isn’t about being the first or the best—it’s about connection. It’s about making meaning and offering a part of myself to others in a way that feels authentic and true. Through writing, I can live out my values. I can process what I’m learning and connect with others who might be on a similar path.

As the Stoic philosopher Seneca once said, “By teaching, we learn.” That idea has stuck with me. When we take the time to explain a concept to someone else—whether through writing, conversation, video, or workshops—we deepen our own understanding. In a YouTube episode of Deep Dive with Ali Abdaal, the author Ryan Holiday explains: “By trying to figure things out and…explaining what you are learning as you’re learning it… you’re creating a feedback loop… By having to articulate and explain what you’ve learnt, you are understanding it better than if you were just learning it for yourself.”

Learning becomes more powerful when we transform it into action, and when we share it with others. That act of sharing builds connection—and that connection, in turn, reinforces what we’ve learned.

Going forward, I want to focus on internalising the knowledge I consume. And part of that process will be writing about what I’m learning—as I’m learning it. I’m not aiming to be an expert. I’m simply a lifelong learner, sharing what I find useful and interesting along the way.

One small but meaningful change I’ve made is to start collecting physical copies of the books that have shaped me—books that have shifted my mindset, helped me understand myself more deeply, or opened my eyes to new ways of seeing the world. I’m re-reading these books slowly and intentionally, taking notes, and really savouring the wisdom they offer.

This revised approach is about presence, not pace. I re-read just a few pages of these impactful books a week, giving myself time to absorb and reflect. It’s not just about volume anymore—it’s about depth. It’s about turning knowledge into lived experience.

As Ryan Holiday said in the same interview, “If you’re trying to absorb a way of thinking or a philosophy or trying to transform yourself… it’s not the 300 pages it took you a month and a half to read… it’s the layering of a page a day for a year, or two years, or three years, coming back to the process over and over—that’s when the stuff gets absorbed.”

On the podcast Being Well, Forrest Hanson discussed how overwhelming the sheer amount of self-help and personal growth content can be. There’s more information available to us than we could ever hope to apply in a single lifetime. Forrest notes that most of us have probably already learned—and forgotten—more helpful knowledge than we’ll ever be able to use.

That’s why it’s so important to shift from constant consumption to intentional integration. He references the Pareto Principle—the idea that 20% of our efforts create 80% of our results. Perhaps we don’t need more information. Perhaps we simply need to spend more time with the important pieces we’ve already discovered—letting them sink in, guiding our actions, and shaping our lives.

So that’s where I am right now—slowing down, absorbing deeply, and sharing what I learn along the way. Not as an expert, but as someone who believes in the power of learning, of writing, and of connecting through shared experience. And in that process, I’m discovering something even more valuable: that the journey of learning is richer and more joyful when it’s shared.