I heard everyone has at least one book in them. This year I want to see if that’s true. In January of this year I decided that writing a book would be my big, hairy, audacious goal (BHAG) for 2015. I’ve committed myself to doing this no matter what. When I first got the idea of writing a book, which came from a friend, Farnoosh Brock, I was shocked, scared and intimidated.
I was also excited!
I’ve never considered becoming an author. And aside from a few blog posts recently, I don’t have any experience doing this type of writing. Of course, I write at work, but a book is different, right? Writing a book is a massive project especially for someone, like me, who has never considered himself a writer. Until now.
I heard one of my favorite authors say that 82% of people who want to write a book either never start or don’t get to finish it.
Why is that?
If you think it’s due to intelligence consider what Thomas Edison said,
“Genius is one percent inspiration, ninety-nine percent perspiration.”
Writing a book is not easy, but it’s not as hard as I initially thought. The toughest parts (so far) are
- the preparation required
- dealing with the daily battle against fear and resistance
- finding time to write and prepare
Themajority of us (those of us in the 82%) get stuck with the mental stuff. To overcome the mental challenge, procrastination, and fear I remind myself daily of few things:
- I can write a book.
- I have what it takes.
- I know enough.
This doesn’t just apply for writing a book. Some of the toughest battles in our lives are won and lost within our two ears. We have to be intentional about the words/things we tell ourselves. I heard Zig Ziglar say,
“The most important opinion is the one we have of ourselves.”
I’m convinced that having a positive mental attitude works and is crucial for success. We have to stack the chips in our favor. Have you ever been inspired by a negative person? I didn’t think so…