How writing became a part of my life

As many of us in the business community know, life on the road and in the air can be a lonely place.  Once the meetings are over and the dinner is done most of us go back to the hotel with the familiar routine of catching up on emails and calling home.  Then the silence of the room and unfamiliar bed catch up to you and counting sheep just doesn’t cut it.

We all find our own way of dealing with it and mine came in the form of writing. Whatever was on my mind I would write down.  It would be the minuscule details from how great my new shoes felt today to how Uber has made my life easier. After I got it on paper my mind would calm and I was able to drift off into sleep.

For over a decade this insomnia has been more than just a business travel issue, it was at home as well. This technique has been helping me sleep for years and my coworkers are happy to not be receiving the 2:00 am email and voicemails they were before.

An interesting thing happened around three years ago and that was the same thoughts and to some degree nightmares started staying in my head for multiple nights, months actually.  When I would start writing something down I would continue the same train of thought the next night and the night after that. Before I knew it I looked back at the words and it had turned into a story.

So my insomnia had all of a sudden turned into a blessing and the dead time of the night when everyone else is sleeping had become productive and enjoyable. I let a few people read my nighttime thought train and to my surprise they enjoyed it and encouraged me to let others read my work and a novel was born.

We all have our issues and ways to deal with the ups and downs of our business lives regardless if you are in construction or sitting in a boardroom.  Some people golf, read, watch television, or paint, writing has worked for me.  Finding your own way to calm your mind with healthy distractions to stay sharp and focused can be a key to success regardless of your situation.

If you are fortunate enough like me to find a true passion that is just icing on the cake.  Seeing my work out there for the world to critique and hearing the positive feedback has been a wonderful surprise.

So here’s to finding peace in our minds and passion in our hearts, I hope you all enjoy the book INDUCTED and let me know what you think.

Zach Harris