The origin story of the SME was tapped into during my " hard reset " period of 2024. The concept formed in 2026, after 6 months of uber rides - that had a Start Middle and End. On of my last fleeting uber conversations, the idea to do something with my passion of writing started to form a life. So, let me take you back a little, into the origin story of my passion: Writing & Project Management- they have a common theme - Start Middle and End.
Origin of Writing
I grew up, till the age of 16, in Madras (Chennai) India. As a young girl, growing up in India, we did not have many books, though I recall a set of Shakespeare books I used to read repeatedly. This reading included the King James version of the Bible, sourced by growing up in many churches. I would read it from Genesis to Revelations and repeat. Not for any spiritual reason, but because we had no access to books, and I tried to understand it more each time. I also recall getting my hands on Enid Blyton books, either through the school library or friends who would share them with me.
In Grade 5, our lovely teacher was away for a day. The Head Mistress (Sister Joan, RIP) came past and saw the class being unruly. She set us an assignment. To write an essay for the remainder of the day in quiet. Whilst I don't recall the essay, I recall the feedback: "Linda is a very good writer” and spoke highly of this piece. I saved this essay like a treasure for a while and was most upset when in one of our many moves as a kid, it was lost. I followed this passion to write into journals, which took many shapes over the years. Sometimes notes to myself about my day.
The true habit of writing returned towards the end of 2024. Credit goes to many of the podcasts I heard and reflected on in the period of my "hard reset". One, was to create a hobby that pursues a passion I had as a younger me. To do this for myself, something outside of my work identity.
On 31. Dec.2024, I walked into a telecommunications store while on an end of year getaway on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland. My year ends have always been a reset of reflections and goals for as far back as I remember. Today, my purpose was to get a second phone. One that would have no apps, except note taking. It would be my time, in the early riser 4am time, when the world is quiet, to create a new habit. Writing. Anything and everything. A daily journal, poems, stories, essays, reflections of yesterday and even dreams.
This set me up for 1. January of 2025, to resurrect the version of me, that was a passion as a young girl in Madras (Chennai) - to write. I have always been a deep thinker and observer, beyond what is in front of me. Writing is my outlet to put reflections and thoughts down, and one of many perspectives on what may be an everyday situation.
I naturally gravitate to poetry form, and have been writing consistently, sometimes sharing essays and poems with those close to me. The support of those who've received these notes, has provided much encouragement to publish my writing to anyone who wants to read them. A recent line on a podcast I heard " start one foot with imperfection", gave me that final push, to get moving on this idea and create something, regardless of it being imperfect or as a young friend of mine described imperfection as "cringe”.
Origin of the SME
My writing on this website extends to being The SME - The Subject Matter Expert on my other passion, I get to do for a corporate job, Project Management.
To know how I "fell into" a passion of mine for a job, we must go back again to my childhood. I recall around the age of 11 to 13, coming up with a schedule for my day. It laid out from waking to sleep what I needed to do. It went something like this:
| Time of Day | What am I doing? |
|---|---|
| 4am | Wake up (this early riser habit for another article) |
| Till 6:30am | Study while rest of the house was asleep. My brother recently reminded me, he used to watch me do this consistently. |
| 6:30am till leaving for school | Get ready and get to school on time, with time to socialise with friends. |
| 3:30pm | Rest from school. Maybe chat to siblings, and change out of uniform. |
| 4:30pm to 7pm | Homework |
| 7pm till bed | Dinner and things. I recalled hearing about sleep and 45 minute blocks. I used to calculate this and set my alarm and bed time for 8 hours before waking time. Perhaps as a child, I needed more than 8 hours, but it worked for me to have a structure and schedule. |
| Daily Study | Within my 4am and 4:30pm time slots. I had subjects I needed to focus on based on the school calendar for the week. |
| Exams Planning | Similarly, I would create schedules for the lead up to exams. How I would plan and prepare for each exam. Revisions and memorising as needed. I recall one year I fell behind in geography and I stayed up all night studying for the exam — and ended up not doing too bad, though did see for the first time dark circles under my eyes. |
I never thought about the why this structure was important to me as a child, until writing this for the website. It could be a combination of things, though installing a structure into my life at such an early age, without being asked, was probably because of how chaotic our lives were growing up. The desire to do well was undoubtedly a motivation. I was always gifted with some smarts at school, though the structure to keep me on track and why, is in my reflections, to create calm in chaos. This is much like a skilled project manager - create calm, in chaos. Today, most who know me, say I'm very organised. I accept this as a compliment. Though they may be surprised to know, there are some aspects of life, in which I am not organised, and I accept this imperfection. So how did my second passion as a young child, get to make me The SME?
My career was not planned. We will on a later essay, introduce you to how I got started. For the purpose of this origin, I do credit a manager of mine, in 2003 walking up to me and saying " you don't belong here. I want you to go talk to the lady in that office". So, I did. I grew up with little guidance and so anyone I respected, was an unofficial life guide. I have been blessed with great leaders past (from my 1st job, a trusted friend to this day) and present, who have been unofficial life guides, including career that has served me well to do this day.
This conversation with the lady in the office changed my life. I remember her feedback to me along the lines of "I have never interviewed anyone, that came so planned with questions for me". Through this job, it opened doors of opportunities, and I became the accidental project manager.
Fast forward three years to 2006, I had joined a team and immersed myself in a transformation project. When asked to choose, between doing the job I applied for (a product marketing executive role), or immersing myself in the large-scale transformation project, I chose the latter – even though it was my first, I knew I wanted to be in it. I found it energising – though the days were long (reading documents till 3am and four hour sleeps some days). Even the MD at the time called me out as a compliment in the auditorium something along the lines of " only one person is willing to immerse themselves in the project". I was truly grateful for the opportunity to apply my underlying passion of meeting deadlines, reading documents, being curious, and surrounding myself with talent far beyond my own. This 3-year project, the leaders, my colleagues all set me up for who I am today (and some of them remain friends for life).
20 years on from that project, I can say with confidence, I am The SME- the Subject Matter Expert, in what it takes to deliver a project - which always has a Start, Middle and End. I am grateful that the skill I developed out of a necessity as a child (create calm in chaos) became a passion of mine in my corporate life.
Written: Tuesday 14. July.26
Published: First time on this website on launch.
