Books have a life. If you’ve never done it, it is hard to describe, creating something out of nothing. In a perfect world you have this idea, you think it is unique and you sit down and the words flow into your computer. It doesn’t work that way! Books are born. They start with a small idea and lots of doubt. Can I do it? Will anybody read it? Can I develop my ideas? And on and on go the creeping doubts. I’ve never given birth to a child, but I was around to watch the process. Can we be parents? Are we ready? How will I do it if I’m unprepared? This is probably why the entire process of childbirth takes nine months. When I started writing Connect for Life, I didn’t realize it would take nine years!
Sometimes the idea is the easy part. Then comes the research, the writing and oh, the editing. I always struggled with grammar so for me editing was the worst. But then, how to publish? After talking to a few book reviewers and understanding the process for getting a publisher to take on a project were thin odds at best, I selected Kindle Direct Publishing. I still needed help. And after a season, I have a book.
But that’s not the point of the blog! The point of the blog is that sometimes, good things take time. Time to develop. Time to struggle. Time to evolve. Time to reason. I had to decide why I thought it was important to write the book, and after spending almost 40 years in the technology consulting world, yes it was important. Why? The vast number of technology workers are knowledge workers. They have never been taught about relationships, or connecting or selling, and yet, they often find themselves in places where they have to lead and sell their ideas. What I learned in starting my own company back in the early 2000’s is that these ideas can be taught and that effective sellers are “made” and not “born.” Recently, I completed the Challenger sales model book and they came to the same conclusion. The strategic selling methodology can be taught and those who bring insights to their prospects and clients have the most success.
How awesome to have a new selling book help me tell my story. Knowledge workers have knowledge and when they share it, good things happen. People call them! With social selling, this concept is magnified as social media can carry your ideas to wide and faraway places. Companies are looking for honest, hard-working people to solve their most complex problems and Connect for Life can help you get there. My journey will help you on yours.
The action I’ve picked for this blog is to find your “best thing” much like Curly told Billy Crystal in the movie City Slickers to find is “one thing.” What is the one thing holding you back? What are you afraid of? Have you written down your goals for yourself, your family and your future? Start now. Sometimes the best things take time but when you start on the journey, you reap the rewards. In his book, The Obstacle is the Way, Ryan Holiday paints the picture that the tough things in life and the reasons we are where we are today. Embrace those obstacles and become a knowledge worker that people know about. Start on your journey today. After all, it’s the journey, not the destination that counts
