The most important lesson I learned in academia

I used to HATE being an academic.

It's what drove me to go into journalism straight after grad school.

To get internships at Reuters, the BBC and Newsweek — where I eventually got my first break writing short news stories.

The sheer pain of writing obscure academic articles that few people would ever read was the reality I was running away from...

It's what drove me to write my first book with a trade press (Harcourt), which actually paid decent money and gave me the chance to travel all over Africa doing research.

That experience showed me that if I trusted my instincts and didn’t worry about following all the unwritten “rules” of academia... 

I could pull it off. And actually do the kind of writing I wanted to do. 

It's a lesson I've carried with me ever since.

But it was tapping into that energy of:

"I really f**king hate writing in a way that’s inaccessible."

That's what got me out of misery in the first place.

I know many people who complain that their books don’t reach a “wider audience”…

But then years go by and they don't do anything about it.

They remain obscure for years. The amazing scholarship they do goes largely unread and unappreciated.

It's as if the pain isn't that great.

They become complacent and used to it.

Or they've simply succumbed to the reality of not reaching the public.

On some level there's a limiting belief:

"I'm not capable/worthy of getting published by a trade press"

If any of this sounds like you...

First check to see if you have some limiting beliefs about your abilities or around the fear of failure...

Then (and most importantly) really tap into that pain.

And really feel it.

Don't just complain... 

Don't overthink and overanalyze... 

Don't make excuses... 

Don't lose yourself down yet another academic rabbit hole…

Don't numb the pain.

Feel the sh*t out of that pain.

Because actually feeling the pain is ultimately what's going to make you take action.

So keep that in mind if you're looking to make a change that gets your scholarship in front of a larger audience than ever before.

I'm rooting for you.