About two years ago, when I finished the first draft of my book, I asked my good friend Rob if he would read it. After he said yes, he added, “You wrote a book. Congrats, my friend! That’s a terrific thing.”
Rob’s note is a great reminder of the importance of regularly stopping to celebrate your progress in all areas of your life. If you forget to do that, there’s a great way to be reminded: Tell your friends what you’ve done.
When I recently announced to family and friends that my book was coming out, if I had forgotten to celebrate my progress, I would have been reminded many times over thanks to the wonderful flood of congratulatory e-mails I got back (along with calls, and in-person acknowledgements). Thank you all. Your support means a lot to me.
In addition to the congratulations, enthusiasm, eagerness for the book, positive feedback for my blog posts and Web site, Facebook likes, and new friends signing up for my newsletter, there were two questions that I was asked repeatedly:
No. 1: “Why did you write the book?” (or, “What made you write the book?”)
No. 2: “How did you find the time?”
(I was also asked book publishing questions by five people who want to publish: A friend who wrote a children’s book, which has been sitting in her drawer for years (and who called me two weeks later to tell me that she was so inspired that she was hiring an illustrator and going to publish the book); a friend of a friend (someone I had never previously talked with) who wrote a children’s book she wants to publish and wants to write a memoir; a friend who wrote a memoir which is moving towards publication; a friend who has “always” wanted to write a memoir and was feeling inspired hearing about my book; and a cousin of my mother-in-law who has long wanted to publish a book of his original jokes. It was great how they all came out of the woodwork. And it was gratifying to be able to help them with advice and inspiration.)
Here are the answers to the two most-asked questions:
Why did I write this book? I want to help other people. I’m super-passionate about that goal as part of my desire to change the world; to make it a better place. And now I have a book, filled with tons of ideas that can help.
How did I find the time? The companion comment from many of those who asked this question went along the lines of, “I guess I’ll find out when I read your book,” and indeed, in Chapter 4, Be Organized, I provide time management tips. Mostly, it boils down to always having a running list of things I want to accomplish, regularly organizing the list in priority order, and then scheduling time for the priority items. Another part of the answer goes back to the answer to question No. 1: the passionate desire to help other people. When you’re passionate about something, it finds its way to the top of the priority list faster. For me, this project held an excitement not unlike a start-up business, and I enjoyed working nights and weekends to make my dream a reality. (Also, my kids had hit their late teens, which meant I had more free time since they weren’t spending as much time with me as in past years.)
So, here we are. I’m celebrating my progress. I wrote a book. And it’s now it’s available on Amazon!. The book is available in paper and Kindle editions. If you want an eBook but don’t have a Kindle Reader, buy the Kindle edition and download the free Kindle Reader app for your iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, PC, Mac, Blackberry, or Android-based device.
I hope you enjoy the book, tell all of your friends about it, and write a great review of it on Amazon.
Thank you so much for your continued support. I’m eager for your feedback and questions, and to hear about your success in slowing down to make the changes, stopping to celebrate the progress, and enjoying a better life!