028 - Remaining Steadfast & Persistent

Hi Guys! Perhaps a more somber show today…I guess I’m supposed to be entertaining you, giving you some flashy content and fun noises and chatter to uplift and motivate you… but I’m always one to share where I’m at…in my truth. So here it goes…

In my many years as a kundalini yoga practitioner and teacher we are made aware that commitment builds character. When you begin to bring the diligence of the practice into your daily life and you crawl out of bed every morning before sunrise and sit on your mat you wonder why you’re leaving that cozy warm bed and if you’ve lost your mind. 

I’ve been getting up before sunrise for many years and I’ve worked my way through tremendous challenges just to be present for myself on that mat. There is nothing worse than having health or life challenges and still getting there and showing up. Blowing your nose with a cold, a belly ache, a broken heart, a sore back…but there you are! What begins to happen after a period of time on that mat is quite fascinating though. You begin to find a kind of consciousness, a kinship, a safe zone, and a place of acceptance. You know that it’s only you that you are facing there. You begin to see that everything else is just a distraction to this relationship you have with self. When you begin to find yourself you begin to realize that you’re not crazy for getting up before sunrise. The gift is you finding you! 

If you have made this commitment you begin to control all the facets and flaws and become more balanced. You become aware and conscious. When you begin to help others from this place you begin building trust and respect. You sacrifice to serve with no hidden agenda. When you find that thing that is you and you can serve others is when you find happiness. I’ve often said that if you are willing to do something for free and with no expectation of getting something back then you have found your purpose. 

As authors we sometimes find that thing we are so passionate about and we sit down to write and we are met with resistance. Entrepreneurs will find the same…we have to ask often “how bad do you want this?” We are often times faced with making many sacrifices in order to remain steadfast. Sure, those that love you want to see you successful, but most people don’t want to hang around while you’re getting there. But if you still feel passionate enough about what you are doing you will find a way to make it though whatever challenge is in front of you.

If we break it down a bit for a book…let’s say our goal is 45,000 words. You need 15 chapters and 3,000 words per chapter. Let’s just look at that one subject you know you would never write a book without. Can you start by writing that? Imagine taking just that subject and placing it in your head for a week, a month…whatever it takes. Flush it through. If you could take just one subject at a time like this for a month at a time in just 15 months you’d have a book. Imagine if you did it in less. 

I don’t want to make these podcasts all about me, but let me tell you what my plan looked like for my Let’s Get Your Book Published book…and I’m telling you—if I can do this, trust me, so can you!

I had just finished my third book and broke things off with my ex fiancé. I was living in the Hawaiian islands and had absolutely no idea where home was! I had been away from my home state of Michigan for nearly a decade prior and before that wasn’t very present there either. I had to pack up an entire house and sell a car and get rid of nearly everything I owned. My travel off island got delayed due to an embargo on pets flying and in that extra 6 weeks I sat in an empty house, with only a mattress on the floor and a plastic table and chair with my computer. Waiting to leave I formed my outline for my book. In the days driving across the country from San Diego to Michigan I formed deeper thoughts. By the time I arrived in Michigan my head was full! As soon as I got a bed and a desk I sat down at my computer to type. My goal was to move the book into an online training program so I started laying out the basic functional areas of publishing a book. 

1.   Learn the Publishing Industry
2.   What is a Book—Really?
3.   Defining Your Purpose
4.   Organizing the Structure of the Book
5.   The Publishing Process
6.   Defining Title, Subtitle, Tagline
7.   The Manuscript & Editing Process
8.   Cover Design
9.   Interior Layout
10. The Printer & Production Costs
11. Marketing & Sales

I arrived in Michigan and went from blank page to a full book from spring to fall. I sent the manuscript to the editor in a hurry as I needed to get it off to the copyright office and get building my online program with the material.

Interestingly I ran everything through my typical channels for editing and printing and ran into resistance for a variety of reasons I won’t go into here. I needed new vendors. Basically, the new editor failed to complete the job and I was delayed another month to find a new one, the books finally arrived after an all out search to find a new printer, but shortly thereafter the glue pulled out of the seam and we had to do a re-print. It was a great learning process and I won’t take it back for anything. I now have a great list of resources I didn’t have before. I pushed on.

When I finally got my corrected books and my final manuscript I went through the process of getting it all copyright protected with the US copyright office. As I waiting I built out the online program. I had to learn the software I was integrating into so I understood how to format the material. I had to take classes to learn how to do the migration. After I wrote a 271 page book I moved right into creating hundreds of slides for the classes and wrote and designed over 300 pages of class downloads. After I assembled all of the slides I had to learn how to voice over them. Another class. I learned that each slide book required a manuscript to speak so that I wouldn’t forget where the downloads were applied. This entire process took the next year. Meanwhile I packed up the house and moved to Utah. I began a home remodel. Somewhere in there I found time for existing clients and was still moving on developing out the online program. All of the recordings finally began when hammers weren’t pounding and saws weren’t running. The contractors came during the day and I worked early mornings and evenings. I was exhausted! I hit the ground running with the project in May of that year and went hard til December. 

Then all of a sudden a new challenge—I got very sick. I ended up in all kinds of doctor offices and getting blood tests and trying to figure out what was wrong. I was now delayed indefinitely. This is the point were I was struggling the hardest. The house was a mess, my project felt like a failure after all the tremendous hours of hard work I felt like this was it. I was going to die I thought. I couldn’t accept that I had failed. Everything crashed down on me. I hadn’t given myself a time out since arriving on the mainland. I was exhausted.

From Christmas until early spring I was nearly non-functional due to my health. I finally crawled into the car and drove back to Michigan and was ready to quit but now I had to go do some more testing to find out what was wrong. I had to put everything on hold with my online program and just do the minimal to get by with my client work. 

I so wanted to give up but I saw this project I had embarked on as a large piece of my life purpose and I couldn’t see it not being complete. While all of these personal issues were going on I was launching books for clients and sleeping in my down time. I had to learn to just manage the basics. I spent from spring til fall in Michigan and finally got healthy again. I bounced between Utah and Michigan once more. I couldn’t keep up with any relationship. They all seemed to need something I couldn’t provide. I was forced to get selfish and do for me to survive.

You know that saying “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger”? Well…I learned to manage a new normal with my health. I learned to take it easy on myself. I grew in my faith and I grew in my compassion for others. What’s truly fascinating is how hard it is to show up for yourself and how demanding others can be for you to show up for them when they have no idea how hard it is for you to just get out of bed. You really gain a full picture when you struggle with your health. You pay attention to who shows up and you can see very clearly who’s truly present with you. You don’t settle for the confused partner or friend and you don’t play in the games. You just learn to walk away. You learn how to surround yourself with joy and let go of anything that isn’t. You let go of everything without attachment or expectation. You learn to walk with god…and in faith as you go forward.

No one but you knows how hard your struggle is. When you can finally get up the courage and strength to push forward and everyone wants to knock you down you realize how fragile life really is. When I got sick two of my friends got sick and now both of them have passed on. I have been so moved during this time. They had made their marks and done what they came here to do. Watching them pass made me see that I’m not done yet. I have something I still need to do. I use them as my catalysts now—to live even more on purpose. I’ve learned to walk away from and turn my back to those that don’t support my passions. I have searched for a long time to find my way and I love what I do. I love to inspire people to achieve their greatness. I love to see people excel. I love to help clients become authors. 

Until you cross that line into becoming an author you cannot understand the amount of healing or satisfaction that comes when you are holding that book in your hands. All the busy-ness in your head falls away and you are released of the constant burning desire to write…to tell your story. You get to leave your legacy.

I’ll finish with the summary of my second chapter…

A book is the tool that makes the connection from the messenger to the receiver…the sales guy to the sale….the platform of all your goals, values, lessons, learnings, teachings, trainings, mantras, life achievements, advancements, calculations, and otherwise worldly views and stories. It’s the place where everything is neatly wrapped, packaged, and displayed and where all these efforts stem from and roll back into. A book inspires action, instills change, and provokes thought. But, mostly, it gives you (the author) credibility which allows interactivity with your audience or client…it get’s you in the door and on the stage!

So guys…go take the stage!