I was the first one up in my house this morning. That’s unusual. I bounded out of bed and ran to the computer before anyone could wake up, reflecting on last night’s teleseminar, which I hope you had a chance to hear.
Morgana Rae interviewed me about writing and publishing a book right now in this market: how do you get started? Is anyone getting publishing contracts nowadays, or should you just self-publish? When is it better to self-publish anyway? People asked lots of great questions. The call reminded me how important it is for us authors to be out there in the world.
It isn’t necessarily comfortable. It’s much easier to sit here and blog at my desk than try to learn a new conferencing technology, put myself on the line, answer questions, risk looking silly (which I’m sure I did when I tried to figure out whose mikes were on and when I got so focused on figuring out whose hands were up that I missed a question).
It ain’t always pretty being out there. But writing a book is about being out there in the world, playing big, making an impact, reaching more people. And often you’ll look polished, but you’ll still make mistakes here and there. And that has to be okay, too. If you want to be a successful author, you need to give yourself permission for those mistakes, those silly moments, and say, “That’s okay. I’m playing big now and it comes with the territory.”
One way I talk myself out of the discomfort and into inspiration is by reminding myself of my vision and goals–why is it so important to get my message out there? What’s it going to do for my audience? What will it do for me? For my community and the world? Those questions get me back in the game and connecting with the radiance within me, within all of us.
Here’s some more radiance in case you missed yesterday’s call:
1. Join me and Lisa Almeida for an information-packed interview on How to Write Your Book and Grow Your Business at 2pm eastern today.
2. Find out about–and register for–Bring Your Book to Life. This program will take you through the entire process to write a book successfully in record time and with a certain ease. We’ll be making a special offer on my call with Lisa, so listen for the discount code & sign up by midnight tonight!
3. Listen to my interview with Danielle Hampson on Mind Your Business radio, where I share how other authors are using their books to grow their businesses, some of the decisions you need to make, and how the current market affects those decisions. I think the interview will be archived at the end of the week so listen today!
I think working outside your comfort zone is key. It’s the only way to grow and become the person you want to be.
One of my big problems is that I didn’t know how to break down the big ideas I was thinking about into smaller pieces. I got out there and started a blog anyway. The blog has forced me to find bits and pieces to write about in 200 to 400 words. Not only does the blog keep me writing, it has helped me hone in on the core of my message.
It wasn’t comfortable at the beginning, but it is getting easier.
Yes, Stephen, I feel that way about much of the social media: it’s a bit uncomfortable and sometimes I think I do things “wrong” but if I waited, I’d never get out there.