Book Editing for Approaching Midnight
Mehrnaz Bassiri has lived a story that is truly exceptional and inspiring. Her personal triumph in the face of selective mutism, multiple immigrations, poverty, as well as social intolerance toward neurodiversity, gender diversity and ethnic difference, holds important lessons for all of us. She has channeled her experiences into becoming a progress specialist. When Mehrnaz contacted me to edit her remarkable memoir about resilience I was thrilled and honoured.
Excerpt
”I was 25, and everything in my life was exactly right—or so it seemed. Years of hard work and sacrifice had paid off. I had a newly minted master of science degree in chemistry under my belt and I had just landed a fantastic first job as a research associate at a biotech company. It was a plum position, the kind of foothold in a promising career that would be exciting for any ambitious person just exiting university in my field. I was proud and pleased.
At the lab I was a model employee. To my family, I was a good daughter and sister—I loved my parents and brother, and they loved me. I had an active lifestyle, playing soccer and hanging out with a pleasant group of friends. On the face of it, all was precisely what a successful life is supposed to look like for a twenty-something in Vancouver.
Except that something was very wrong. A few months into my new job at the biotech laboratory, I had started to feel unwell. It started with a general tiredness that crept up on me slowly. But it got worse and worse until it was impossible to ignore. I just couldn’t shake the feeling of being sick and miserable all the time. I felt drained of energy even after getting a good night’s sleep. My head felt as heavy as an anchor. Often my throat felt like it had swelled up to twice its size.
I became increasingly concerned and searched for medical help. All the doctors I saw said the same thing: that my symptoms were likely due to stress. But as far as I knew, nothing in my life was stressful. Not now.
This phase of my life—being a young urban professional, a research scientist living on Canada’s west coast in one of the world’s most beautiful cities—was the result of having overcome no small amount of hurdles. I am a first generation immigrant two times over. My family and I have succeeded through two moves across three continents. We have transcended a few language barriers. I have also conquered a personal demon by learning to manage the rare anxiety disorder called selective mutism. And I have pushed through all the repressiveness and hatefulness society has for LGBTQ2+ people in order to live my sexuality openly. It took so much to get to this point in my life that I had assumed the hardest part was over. Now, as an accomplished, capable young adult, I felt I should be on track to build a good life for myself, personally and professionally.
And yet I was incredibly unhappy. Something was causing me so much anguish that I was becoming physically ill.
[…]
This book is about how I changed my life—how I learned to become my truer self and find my purpose. I am sharing my story because so many people have told me that what I learned along the way is also of value to them. By passing on to you the lessons from my life, I am inviting you to re-examine your own life. And if you think there might be something in your life that you would like to change—if you’ve ever considered the possibility or if you’d like to consider it now—this book is dedicated to you. If you heed the lessons in this book, you will reach a very different destination in life, a better one. I promise you, it’s worth it.”