Hi !

If it's OK with you, I want to restart this whole newsletter project. It has been a long while since I wrote to most of you, and we have quite a lot of new subscribers here as well. So, for the sake of everyone here, I want to do a short re-introduction so everyone's on the same page.

My name is Syaza Nazura, but you can call me Syaza or Nazu, whichever floats your boat. I blog (occasionally) at https://syazanazura.com, and am the author of a book called Your Best Self: A Journey of Self-Discovery and Self-Love.

This newsletter project, Say What?, is a project I started in December 2019, when I was struggling with my Master's degree. It is a platform where I share the things I have learned about personal growth and self-development with you guys, a small community of readers who are interested in learning more about how we can make the most out of life.

You can read the past newsletter issues here if you want to see what I have shared in the past.

Some of you have been here for 2+ years, others may be new to this newsletter. And if you are new and wondering how you ended up being on this mailing list, you must have done either one of the following:

1. Attended any of my past career workshops or webinars and opted in to receive my newsletters.
2. Gave me your email address on social media to be added to the list.

If you feel like you're in the wrong place, feel free to unsubscribe whenever you want (no offense taken!). I want to make sure that you are here on your own decision and will, and not because you feel like you have to.

But, if you do feel that you've gained a little something, please either click reply to let me know or share it with your friend(s) and family as well. Good things are meant to be shared, no? :)

New blog post: Getting a 60% salary increment

I recently published a new blog post (finally!), where I shared my story of how I managed to secure a 60% salary increment in my new job. Feel free to have a read below!

Read more

(Podcast) Finding joy in any job: What do I really love to do?

I was listening to this podcast earlier and thought that "OMG, I need to share this with you!" One of the things that Marcus Buckingham talked about is how to find what we love in our job. The truth is, none of us is going to love everything about our job. There are bound to be things that we hate doing, but that shouldn't mean that our job is the wrong job for us.

There was one thing that he mentioned that caught my attention, which was...

Love > Appetite > Practice > Performance

When we find something that we truly love and enjoy about what we do, it gives us more appetite and motivation to do more, which ultimately leads to better performance in the future.

I see this personally happening with my writing. When I first started blogging (back in 2008!), that was purely for my personal satisfaction. I just enjoyed writing and sharing my stories with my friends and family. As I grew older, my writing reached out to more people. And, unexpectedly, I get people emailing or contacting me to say how much they have learned from my posts, or how my posts have inspired or motivated them in their own life.

And that was just... an amazing experience for me personally, which gave me the fuel to write and share more and improved my writing overall.

It is a never-ending cycle of improving myself, finding out what I am good at, and doing more of what I love (which is sharing all these amazing lessons and discoveries with people like you). Best of all, I get to also learn more about myself as I go along.

Additional reading from Marcus: How to do what you love (in the job that you have). I'd recommend this activity to anyone who might feel they are not contributing enough of what they are good at in their current role.

Let's all strive to find joy in every little thing that we do in life.

Before I wrap up for today, I wanted to share two short updates with you, in case you missed them from my social media:

1. My first book, #YourBestSelfBook, is now available in bookstores! You can either buy it online from MPH or GerakBudaya's online store - or visit MPH bookstores near you to get one for yourself (p/s - it's on sale for 20% off on MPH's online store!). The ebook/PDF version is also available on my blog here.
2. I've opened up requests (as always) for my Projek Kad Raya 2022. Fill in the form to request a kad raya and I'll try to get one to you soon!

I also have one last question for you, if you're willing to share your thoughts:

If you had everything you need in this world and do not have to worry about anything, what would you do with your life?

Until I see you again in two weeks' time, selamat berpuasa to my fellow Muslims! Stay safe, take care, and stay awesome as always everyone!

Love,

Nazu xx