Inspiring stories and invaluable wisdom

I don’t do much local business networking, but with my head in the final edits of The Mouse That Roars for three days this week, I finally came up for air and needed to get out of the office!

Two things struck me at these events that I feel compelled to share.

Firstly, perhaps it’s because I’ve been caught up with the importance of defining my own story, I started to recognise the experiences that I was hearing from my fellow business owners. That life changing moment that compelled someone to give up their job and work for themselves, the decisions that were made because something didn’t feel right anymore, and devastating diagnoses that changed lives forever.

These are all very powerful whys – you know those things that get you up in the morning and motivate you to do what you do. We’ve all got a story that has led us to the decisions we’ve made and how we approach each day.

Secondly, I recognised the wealth of knowledge in the room. It’s so easy to devalue what you know, and that’s because for you it is easy. So I’d like you to recognise your expertise. It’s usually those areas where you excel where others need you to impart this knowledge and share this with them.

Both of these areas contain compelling ideas that you can write about in a book. Your experiences can inspire people who have gone through similar situations, and your wisdom is invaluable to help others learn and grow. Yet, when I suggest writing a book to some people, I’m often given responses like ‘hasn’t this been done before?’ or ‘how can I make it different from everything else that’s been written?’

I believe that there’s enough space out there for everyone to write a book if that’s your hearts desire. Unless tramadol you’ve gone through the exact same experience as someone else (which is highly unlikely) then yours will strike a cord with the person who needs to hear it. You can find that hook that sets you aside from everyone else when you take time to review what else has been written, and then see how your experiences and take on the topic is unique and special.

I’ve just read two books myself – yes I have time occasionally! Both were recommended to me. One was Elizabeth Gilbert’s new book Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear and the other was The Art of Asking: How I learned to stop worrying and let people help by Amanda Palmer, which was recently reviewed in Psychologies Magazine. Although very different in style, there were similarities between them: they connected with me as a person, they made me think, they reminded me why I do what I do, and they reminded me to believe in myself.

Most importantly, at a time when I’ve been finalising my fourth book (and the most difficult one that I’ve ever written), they helped me to realise why it’s so important and why I need to share my story and my wisdom with you. Both books interwove emotional and personal experiences, illustrated extraordinary vulnerability, as well as sharing ideologies and thought-provoking philosophies. Through creating and developing our books we all have tools that will inspire our readers and potentially change lives, even if it’s one small step at a time.

So if you know that you have to write a book, don’t get in your own way. Please don’t compare yourself to others and allow yourself to truly shine. That’s when you’ll make the biggest difference and get amazing outcomes, both for yourself and those who read your masterpiece.