When should you give up on your book?

Writing a book is a tough thing to do. Whilst some find it easy, most writers struggle at some stage. I certainly have done.

When you’re balancing your life, your work, your business, your family, and your health, sometimes something has to give.

Keeping on top of your mojo is important. You don’t want to wait until you’ve hit the wall to realise that you can’t cope any more.

I sometimes have clients who struggle with their books for many reasons. And I was recently asked for my words of wisdom.

I came up with some ideas, but thought it would be useful to share a story that may well resonate with you and 3 tips that help me daily.

In September 2013, I hit a wall. My dad had died from cancer in the May and had been ill for many months. I supported my mum during this tough time and put on a front to cope. I was strong for everyone else and wasn’t strong enough for myself.

Not taking take time to grieve, I kept going with life. I put on a conference that I’d been planning, walked 100 miles along the South Downs Way over the summer, and then did a charity trek to Machu Picchu in the September.

I thought I was coping, but was I?

Taking time out in Peru was a relief. I was excited about the challenge, and I’d trained for this moment. But I wasn’t expecting to be admitted to hospital on day 3 of our trip.

After a night of not sleeping and finding it difficult to breathe, our trip doctor was called.

Light-headed and dizzy, struggling with the altitude, there were moments when I felt like I was going to die. I couldn’t capture my next breath.  I was immediately sent to the local hospital. Luckily the doctors and nurses were brilliant, even if I didn’t understand a word they were saying. I got speedy treatment – I had X-rays, was put on a nebuliser and oxygen, and bloods were taken for tests. Having been made to rest, after 24 hours (and a lot of drugs!), I started to feel better.

I also managed to do the Inca Trail – although looking back I really wonder how! By descending in altitude to the start point, it helped me initially. I was on drugs every day – with an injection in my bottom, a cannula in my arm, and tablets with every meal.

But in reality, I spent three days on autopilot, literally taking one step at a time trying to get through it, and everything I did took ages to do. I’d look at the thousands of steps in front of me, and cry with exhaustion at the thought of having to get through it.

Managing my energy

Finally I arrived home, but I was exhausted. My husband took me to hospital immediately, and they did some tests, and luckily nothing was seriously wrong. I was advised to rest as my body needed time to recover. But did I do that? I had clients booked in, and didn’t want to let them down, so I rested before I had the appointments, and delivered my best. But that meant that I was shattered for days after, and struggled to do the simplest of tasks, let alone get out of bed.

I realised that I had to take that time out. Supported by family to stay afloat, this gave me some breathing space. I took my foot of the gas, and worked to my energy levels. Slowly, I began to recover. I outsourced the things that I didn’t need to do, and let some things go. I started to develop recurring income streams that meant that I could balance my time and my work.

Why I didn’t give up on my book

And a serendipitous occurrence in January 2014 changed my life forever. It inspired me to finish writing the book that I’d started and thought I’d never finish: The one that I’d almost given up on – The Mouse That Roars – which was published earlier this year*.

I write this now because I’ve learnt the hard way how to manage my life and business. Because I love my work and my clients, I can sometimes be a workaholic! Last year, I was diagnosed with low levels of iron and vitamin B12, and now have regular injections. To stay healthy, I have to be aware of my body, my nutrition, my cycles, my rhythms, and get better at setting boundaries in my business.

I don’t want to be in a place like I was in 2013.

Life is a journey and we’ve all experienced what we’ve gone through for a reason. We learn from our experiences, and these are then a lesson for ourselves and a lesson for others. I hope this has been a lesson for you too.

And I hope you never give up on your book!

Here are three things that help me

Tip 1. Monitor your energy levels regularly

Every day (and sometimes multiple times in a day), I ask myself the question: On a scale of 1-10, how is my energy today? So a 1 may be that you want to go back to bed and a 10 may be that you’re on fire! And instead of trying to be a 10 – which probably isn’t realistic – what can you do to raise it by one point?

This is something that I recently shared on the 10,000 Word Summer Book Challenge, and we talked about some great ways to increase the score. Things like exercise, getting fresh air, walking barefoot, meditating, and tip number 2.

Tip 2. Remember to breathe

We often forget to breathe properly, especially in moments of stress and pressure. Take the time to breathe into your diaphragm, take deep breaths and feel the oxygen move around your body.

Tip 3. Do the power pose!

I also shared this on the recent challenge. In her TED Talk, Amy Cuddy talks about the power pose, which ironically is the thing I did when I finally reached Machu Picchu in September 2013. When you change your body language like this or do what she calls the ‘Superwoman’ pose, this opens up your body. Here’s the science bit – it increases your testosterone and decreases the cortisol in your body, allowing you to cope with pressure better.

What do you think?

Feel free to leave your comments below and I’d love to hear your story.

* If you’d like to know what changed my life and the book, you’ll have to read chapter 21 of The Mouse That Roars! Find out how my courage can help you with your life and your business, and how you too can decide when to hide and squeak and when it’s time to roar!