Arvind Kejriwal is the most respected politician today, even by those who do not agree with his policies. An IRS officer turned politician, he is dedicated to social change and in his career has launched several anti-corruption organizations such as Parivartan and Kabir. Leader of the Aam Aadmi Party, Chief Minister of Delhi and author of the book entitled Swaraj, there is a lot that Mr. Kejriwal can teach budding writers in terms of honesty and determination. Read on to learn more.
Simplicity is appreciated
Arvind Kejriwal is a people’s person. He ensures that he is accessible to the common people. He also identifies with them. This is easily shown by his practical and normal clothing, which is indistinguishable from the general public’s outfits. He lives simply, has a working wife and is not far removed from the middle class lifestyle. This makes the voters feel closer to him. Similarly, writers need to ensure that they keep their writing style simple and easy for their readers to follow. If they understand that complex stories and complicated issues can be discussed in a simple manner, the readers will appreciate them.
Learn from your mistakes
Like everyone else, Arvind Kejriwal has made mistakes. When he resigned his post as Chief Minister of Delhi in 2014, the public was disappointed and he let go of a golden opportunity to make changes as well as to engage with the electorate. But he accepted his mistake, learned from it, and has striven to improve himself. If authors can follow this example, they will never face failure – because each failure is a stepping stone to success. If your first book fails, seek out your mistakes and correct them, and then try again.
Don’t compromise on values
Arvind Kejriwal has thrown open the doors for scrutiny into his every movement and has chosen to uphold ethical values even when he got into the dark and muddy waters of politics. For the first time, we have a corruption-free minister, who actually makes corruption seem old-fashioned. As an author, you too could uphold your own values by being true to your ethics in your writing. Don’t write something just because it would sell. Write something that comes from your heart.
Don’t be scared of competition
Authors have a lot to learn from Arvind Kejriwal with respect to taking on the competiton. When he set out to form a political party, many people thought that he would just flounder without any big names to back him up or any political connections. However, he showed that one can enter politics at any level and work on their own terms. He took on the big parties and won. You too can work on your project with sincerity and expect to succeed, no matter how many big names are out there. They were all novices once.
Taking risks
Taking risks is not something that is hardwired into human beings. Most of us prefer the easy path, but there can be great rewards to taking risks. As a writer, don’t be afraid to try out new genres, new styles and new ways of expressing yourself. You can try to reach out to a different audience with every new book. This is one of the biggest lessons you can learn from Arvind Kejriwal, who left a comfortable job to work for the betterment of others. He took a huge risk and plunged directly into politics without knowing whether he would float or drown.
Politics or publishing, there are immense challenges and Arvind Kejriwal has shown us that the way to survive and progress is simple, though not always easy.
Image credit: ThinkingYouth on Wikimedia Commons and reproduced under Creative Commons 3.0[author] [author_image timthumb=’on’]https://writingtipsoasis.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/IMG_20141217_101736441.jpg[/author_image] [author_info]Kavitha is a freelance content writer and French translator, and has been working in this field since 2008. She has degrees in computer applications and international business and has a background in business and international trade. She enjoys learning languages and is currently learning Japanese. Her interests vary from books and writing to travelling and history.[/author_info] [/author]
