ReThinking: Living each day like it’s your first with Suleika Jaouad
Timestamps are as accurate as they can be but may be slightly off. We encourage you to listen to the full context.
Podcast Summary
In this profound episode of Rethinking, host Adam Grant sits down with author Suleika Jaouad to explore the transformative power of journaling as a tool for navigating uncertainty, illness, and personal growth. (00:00) Suleika, who has chronicled her journey through multiple bouts of leukemia in her memoirs "Between Two Kingdoms" and "Book of Alchemy," shares how her journaling practice evolved from a survival mechanism during cancer treatment into a creative force that shaped her marriage, career, and approach to living. The conversation delves deep into the art and science of journaling, challenging conventional wisdom about mortality and offering fresh perspectives on how writing can serve as both a private sanctuary and a bridge to deeper human connection. (04:30) Both Adam and Suleika bond over their mutual hatred of the common advice to "live every day like it's your last," instead advocating for living each day like it's your first.
- Core themes include reimagining survival as a creative act, the transformative power of journaling in various forms, and finding balance between future planning and present-moment awareness
Speakers
Adam Grant
Adam Grant is an organizational psychologist and bestselling author who serves as the host of TED's Rethinking podcast. He explores the science of what makes us tick and takes listeners inside the minds of fascinating people to discover new thoughts and ways of thinking.
Suleika Jaouad
Suleika Jaouad is the author of the acclaimed memoir "Between Two Kingdoms" and the new "Book of Alchemy," both growing from her experience as a lifelong journaler who documented her journey through cancer treatment starting at age 22. She's also the creator of the popular newsletter "The Isolation Journals" and is married to musician Jon Batiste, with whom she shares a practice of collaborative journaling.
Key Takeaways
Live Each Day Like It's Your First, Not Your Last
Suleika powerfully reframes the common advice to "live every day like it's your last" as potentially harmful and exhausting. (05:20) When facing her third bout of leukemia, she discovered that trying to make every moment meaningful created spiritual exhaustion and impossible pressure. Instead, she advocates for living each day like it's your first - with curiosity, playfulness, and wonder that a child might have when seeing a caterpillar for the first time. This approach naturally balances present-moment awareness with excitement about future possibilities, allowing for both immediate joy and long-term planning.
Journaling as a Tool for Both Self-Discovery and Relationship Building
Journaling serves as the most direct channel to intuition and subconscious thoughts, often revealing insights that surprise even the writer. (16:30) Suleika credits her journal with saving her marriage, explaining how writing down fears and anxieties allowed her to externalize and examine them objectively. The practice enabled deeper conversations with her husband John Batiste by first helping her understand her own thoughts and concerns. When you can have honest conversations with yourself on the page, it naturally leads to more authentic dialogue with others.
Embrace Flexible Survival Strategies
When Suleika's vision was impaired during her second bone marrow transplant and she couldn't write, she pivoted to creating watercolor paintings of her fever dreams instead of abandoning her reflective practice entirely. (13:15) This experience taught her to "surf the waves of uncertainty" rather than trying to control outcomes. The key is remaining limber and creative in how you approach challenges, viewing survival itself as a creative act. This flexibility led to an unexpected passion for painting that enriches her life beyond her original coping mechanism.
Use the "10 Images" Practice for Enhanced Awareness
One of the most powerful journaling techniques Suleika shares involves writing down 10 images from the last 24 hours, borrowed from writer Ash Parsons. (18:18) This practice serves as both a fact-check on how your day actually went and trains your eye to notice nourishing details you might otherwise miss. Rather than taking photos that jolt you out of experiences, this reflective practice helps you savor moments while cultivating greater awareness of what truly matters. It teaches you to seek out and create more of the experiences that genuinely nourish your soul.
Contribution Journals Create Active Meaning-Making
While gratitude journals help people appreciate what they receive, contribution journals create a more active sense of purpose and agency. (35:54) Adam's research shows that writing about your contributions to others' lives makes you feel less passive and more empowered than simply counting blessings. Suleika applies this by asking herself each morning what three things she can do today that matter, and reflecting each evening on the three contributions that made her feel most "in integrity with herself." This creates a positive feedback loop that motivates more meaningful action.
Statistics & Facts
- Based on LinkedIn data, 72% of small businesses using LinkedIn say it's helped them find high quality candidates. (38:18) (This was mentioned in a sponsor segment during the episode.)
- No specific statistics about journaling, cancer survival rates, or psychological benefits were provided in this episode - the conversation focused more on personal experiences and practical applications rather than research data.
- No other numerical data or research findings were cited during the main conversation between Adam and Suleika.
