Maybe You Should Give Up On Your Book
I really don’t like what I’m about to write and publish here.
It’s a little negative and goes against all the positive, inspirational stuff I usually write.
But what I’m about to say has to be said.
I personally think every author on Earth needs to read this.
Here it is:
There’s a good chance that some people reading this blog post right now… should give up on their book.
Not everyone should be an author.
*gasp* I know.
Does she mean me? Why would she say that?
I thought she was all about encouragement and love and support!
How dare she say I can’t do something?!
So let me backpedal a bit here.
You see, the week before last, I spent an amazing eight-hour day coaching a client.
She needed help with her book, her mission, her business… and signed up for a VIP Day with me.
Let me tell you… It was one of the most powerful and productive days I’ve ever experience.
She started in the morning confused, overwhelmed and frustrated.
Her first book was nearly written, her second book was in the works…
But she had hit a big block and didn’t know how to break out of it.
She felt like she had all the puzzle pieces (she knew all the parts)…
But the pieces were fuzzy… blurry… out-of-focus.
So we started out with some deep diving to get to the core essence of what she’s here to do in the world… what was really going on?
I wish I could share more details about the amazing work she’s doing… and the specifics of our work together.
But due to client confidentiality, I can’t.
I’ll just say this —
By the end of the day, she had so much clarity, enthusiasm, and direction…
She even joked that she thought she’d be exhausted but was totally energized and excited about what now lied ahead for her.
And what’s more…
I’d helped her come up with a simple, customized business model that will triple or even quadruple her book-based business this year.
To be honest, once we dug deep and got to the root of what was going on… all it took was an hour of my time to uncover and create her business roadmap.
She looked at it in amazement.
“Oh my gosh, how did you do that? I’ve been stuck on that for months, and you did it in an hour!” She exclaimed.
I gratefully accepted her compliment and was happy to have helped her.
But looking back, I wished I’d told her this instead…
Yes, it took me an hour… but it took us six hours for you to get here… so you could be ready to receive it.
And that directly relates to what I want to talk about today.
You see —
This client did something that few other aspiring authors are willing to do.
She was willing to INCONVENIENCE herself.
What does that mean?
Well, let’s list it out…
- She left her house
- She got on a plane
- She invested money
- She took time away from her family
- She took time away from her business
- She was willing to be open and vulnerable
- She rented a car at the airport and went to a strange, new place
All these things inconvenienced her from her normal routine.
It shook up her homeostasis and made her do something drastically different.
It required her to cancel meetings, say goodbye to her life at home, and deal with the TSA.
And here’s the lesson I’m reluctantly sharing with you.
Writing a book can be tough.
Authorship requires you to inconvenience yourself.
It’s not also easy. It’s not always graceful. It’s not always fun.
I’ve described writing a book as… birthing a book because…
Writing a book is akin to nine months of anticipation…as well as mood swings, cravings, nausea, fatigue and weight gain…
Followed by hours of labor…
Ask anyone who has birthed a baby, or birthed a book…
It’s takes effort, determination, willingness, discomfort, inconvenience and then some!
I don’t like writing this because I usually only reserve these hard-hitting truths for my private clients.
People who are already committed to success.
I don’t like writing this because it may scare off authors who have a ton of potential but are filled with self-doubt.
But it is a truth that must be told.
If you want to write a book, be prepared to be inconvenienced.
Be ready to set aside parts of your life.
Be willing to get up, get uncomfortable and perhaps go somewhere you’ve never been before.
Just like the client who flew thousands of miles for our VIP day together…
You’ll discover that the inconvenience is well worth it!
That said, I’m writing this on the Wednesday before October 1st.
This is a significant date because I, too, have decided to do something uncomfortable… but necessary.
I’ve decided to set a hard deadline to register for a spot at my annual Breakthrough event, coming up next month. (Details: www.transformationalauthor.com/breakthrough)
That deadline is this Monday, October 1st, 2018.
I’ve reached the point where I need to submit my final numbers to the hotel.
And the point where I need to shift from getting people to the event – to preparing to serve everyone at the event.
So, here’s my closing gift to you…
Inconvenience yourself this October.
Come to Breakthrough in York, Pennsylvania.
If you make the trip out here and don’t get at least three epiphanies for your author’s journey…
Revelations that give your book, business and life the boost they need…
Or “a-ha” moments that release the blocks you’ve been carrying around…
Then I’ll pay you $100 — at the event — for the inconvenience.
What’s more —
I’m offering you one final discount to come the event.
It’s $250 off and the coupon code is NEVERGIVEUP-250.
Simply enter that into the registration page “promo code” box here…
www.transformationalauthor.com/breakthrough
Love and blessings,
Christine
