To Do List: Write Book
Six years ago, my book became the #1 New Release on Amazon in the Business & Professional Humor category. I think it held the top spot for a few days. And while that's a fun thing to say out loud, that's actually not the part I thought about when the memory showed up on my phone. I thought about is how close I came to never writing it at all. Because before there was an Amazon ranking, before there were readers, before there were 5 star reviews, before there were speaking engagements that came from it, there was just me sitting at my laptop having the same argument with myself over and over again. Who the f&ck is going to read this? Who will care? Why would anyone listen to me? Why would anyone want to learn from me? I wish I could tell you I wrote the book because I was brimming with confidence. I wasn't. I was full of doubt. But I wrote it anyway, and looking back now, I realize something really really fascinating. The goals I had for the book weren't nearly big enough. I thought the outcome would be that I could say “I wrote a book!”. I thought success would be selling copies. I thought maybe it would help establish my credibility. What I couldn't see at the time was everything hiding behind the book. The thousands of conversations. The messages from readers. The opportunities that appeared because someone had read it and decided to reach out. The friendships. The introductions. The speaking engagements. And my favorite part, the stories people shared with me about promotions, career changes, business growth, confidence, relationships, and chances they decided to take because of something they read in those pages. The book was never the outcome. The book was the door. One of the things I've learned over the years is that most people dramatically underestimate how much of their future will come from things they cannot currently see. The next client. The next promotion. The next mentor. The next friendship. The next breakthrough idea. Maybe even the next great love of their life. Almost all of it arrives disguised as conversations, introductions, experiments, risks, and opportunities that initially feel uncertain. Which means possibility has an entry requirement: You have to be willing to walk through doors before knowing exactly where they lead. The problem is that many people spend years waiting for confidence before they act. They're waiting for certainty, for qualifications, for proof, for someone else to tell them they're ready. But confidence is often the result of action, not the prerequisite for it. Had I waited until I felt fully qualified to write a book, I probably never would have written one. Had I waited until I knew exactly what would happen because of it, I definitely wouldn't have. Because the most meaningful outcomes weren't visible from where I was standing. They were waiting on the other side of a decision. A decision to start before I felt ready. A decision to tell the voices in my head that their opinion was no longer welcome. And a decision to walk through a door without knowing exactly where it led. Turns out, that was one of the best business decisions I've ever made. The funny thing about possibility is that you never get to see what's on the other side of the door before you open it. You only get to decide whether you're willing to walk through it. So what door have you been standing in front of for far too long? Cheers, PS. If you read the book and you haven't reviewed it on Amazon yet, I'm asking, pretty pretty please if you have a moment to do so I would be so grateful!
P.S. If you like my work and want to support it, here are 3 ways! 1) Forward this newsletter to a friend and let them know they can subscribe here. 2) Buy my book 3) Bring me into your company to speak. (Either in person or virtual.) |
