Writing as a Way of Thinking
On reaching 100 essays with Deep Life Reflections.
Deep Life Reflections | Essay 100 | James Gibb
Writing is not only how we share what we think. It’s also how we discover what we think.
Two years ago, on February 24, 2023, I sat down and wrote the very first edition of Deep Life Reflections. I titled it The Journey Begins. Well, 99 editions later, the journey isn’t just beginning, it’s well underway.
By coincidence, The New Yorker is also celebrating a major milestone this month: 100 years since its first issue was published in 1925. The magazine’s commitment to quality and integrity is one of the reasons I started writing in the first place. In fact, I keep a framed print of 100 New Yorker covers in my home as a reminder of what great writing can be.
Books have always held a special interest for me, more than just words on a page. They are how I interrogate ideas, sharpen my critical thinking, and make sense of the world.
I’ve always loved the act of reading itself: a good book in the quiet stillness of the early morning, a cup of black coffee in hand. Fiction offers an escape, a reminder as someone once said that a reader lives a thousand lives before they die. But whether it’s fiction or non-fiction, I’m selective. I once worked out that based on my current average of 25-30 books a year, I might only read 1,000 more books in my lifetime. And Google tells me there are 130 million books in the world. 1,000 is still a lot of good books however, and with them, a lot of learning, wisdom, and enjoyment in the years to come.
Reading is where it begins then, but writing is what solidifies it. Writing forces me to clarify insights, extract meaning, and connect ideas to life. Writing helps me maintain intellectual curiosity. And writing is hard. As it should be.
I also have a deep-seated belief that the antidote to our shrinking attention spans isn’t more bite-sized, algorithmic-driven content, but richer, more engaging stories and reflections. Whether someone chooses to read deeply is entirely their choice of course, but I suspect that over the long-term it is more satisfying than watching ten TikTok videos back-to-back, which is the equivalent of a calorie-dense sugar rush versus the slower digesting yet more nutritious meal.
I’d like to play a small role in helping shift the tide back toward depth over distraction, flow state over endless scrolling. I believe books and long-form writing are part of that solution. And if you’re reading this, you probably do too.
Like books, I’ve always been fascinated by films, documentaries, and high-bar television (The Wire, The Sopranos, Mad Men). It goes back to early cinema visits and living room memories of childhood classics like Star Wars, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and Jaws, the magic of the movies and my VHS video recorder.
In my early twenties, I harboured dreams of being a scriptwriter, buying a few books and playing out ideas. At 17, I’d wanted to take a Film & Media Studies course, but the entrance grades were ridiculously high for someone with good but not outstanding academic achievements. So, the way I see it, I’m catching up now.
Writing about cinema over the past 100 essays has only deepened my appreciation of both the filmmaking and writing process. I always watch ‘Director’s Commentaries’ and soak up all the trivia of a film on its IMDb entry. I loved learning that Francis Ford Coppola went to a local coffee shop every day in L.A. and bashed out the adapted screenplay of The Godfather on a busted old typewriter. He sat in a corner, furiously typing for hours as the world went by.
Films help us understand life. They shape how we see the world, and they bring us stories that need to be told, in ways that heighten all our senses. A powerful recent example is Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, particularly the infamous Trinity Test—the world’s first nuclear detonation. Nolan makes us first see, then feel, and finally hear the soul-shattering destruction of a nuclear bomb. It’s cinema at its finest.
Maybe one day I’ll write a screenplay. Until then, I’ll keep watching, analysing, and writing about film, bringing out the ideas that I think are worth sharing.
Writing about books and films also became a way to think through my own life as it changed.
Because a lot has changed since I started writing Deep Life Reflections two years ago.
“Change is neither good nor bad. It simply is.”
— Don Draper
I’ve had a major career shift. After 24 years in the corporate world, I took a leap in a totally different direction: to invest in myself as a coach, to write more, to build something of my own. What started out as a simple resource site, Deep Life Journey has now grown into a coaching business and a consulting business, as well as a critical space for all my essays and photography. The professional and the creative.
I’ve faced a health crisis. Open-heart surgery was a major life event that came out of nowhere, a defective heart valve despite living a healthy, sports-focused life. It forced me to redefine my relationship with running and endurance, not as something to push but now as something to respect. A reminder that limits are realities to embrace. I’m continuing to work my way back, day by day.
I’ve suffered a deep personal loss. Losing my mum just three weeks ago is still raw. It’s something I’m continuing to process. But I feel good progress has been made in these last two weeks, especially through talking to friends and family. Acceptance and surrender are critical to grief. On Monday, we prepare to celebrate her life, surrounded by family, friends, memories, and laughter.
Through it all, writing Deep Life Reflections each week has been an anchor, something to look forward to each Friday morning. Identifying a theme and core idea that connects all these creative works. It has been a way to make sense of change, explore ideas, and remain curious about the world and my place in it. I always feel really good after publishing each issue. A sense of accomplishment.
In the early days, I had the nagging sense of ‘What if no one is reading?’ But writing is about finding clarity, not counting clicks or read rates.
Each essay I write helps me see my thoughts more clearly. And if it has brought even one person clarity, comfort, or a new perspective, then it has been worth every word.
Reaching 100 essays is a milestone, but it isn’t the destination. There’s more to come and also some new areas of interest to possibly expand into. I’ve started sharing some of my work on Substack, a platform built for long-form writing and meaningful discussion. Debate and discourse happen respectfully, and it’s a far cry from the toxicity of certain other social platforms. So far, so good. If you’re interested, you can follow me there.
I’m also exploring the idea of a podcast called Deep Life Conversations, talking to people about their journey and the lessons they’ve learned, especially through my role as a coach. This might also create opportunities to collaborate with others across different media platforms. Next month, I’m a guest on a podcast with one of my readers, someone I’ve been mentoring for five years.
Before the year is out, I turn 50. A new decade always brings reflection, a chance to ask: What do I want? What don’t I want? Fortunately, I’m pretty clear on this.
I don’t want hustle culture. I never have. I’ve written before about Slow Productivity, and I stand by it. Doing less, working at your natural rhythm, working deeply, and creating a life that feels meaningful. I plan to continue using this philosophy to coach, to write, to travel, and, one day, to publish my first book.
This feels like a good plan for the next decade, with the flexibility to adapt, and the clarity to know what matters.
After one hundred essays, I understand the work differently: writing is not the record of the journey, it is part of how the journey reveals itself.
Pass It On
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You can read all previous issues of Deep Life Reflections here.