When is the Time to Take Action on Your Book?
When I talk to people 1-on-1 about their book (no matter where they are in the process) we look at why they’ve been stuck, why they’re unable to get where they want to go, and how long they’ve been there. It can be a pain-filled conversation as they look at the uncomfortable truths about missed dreams and opportunities.
Yet…
At some point, the conversation turns from the pains of past to the hopes for the future. To dig into what life would be like if…
- If the book were written – the sweetness of a dream fulfilled and a promise kept.
- If the book were published – the lives that would be touched.
- If the book were a best-seller – the credibility gained and the doors opened.
That hope is a sweet thing.
But all too often, it stops at hope. The conversation gets scary again when it’s time to take ACTION – especially when it’s time to make an investment in that dream.
And I get it. It’s been so long of wishing-hoping-dreaming that an ACTION is terrifying. Things get real, really quickly. And this is where hope just isn’t enough.
(And no, I’m not going to blindly spout off ‘You’ve got to take action!’ Yes, action is needed – but at the right MOMENT.)
Hope is the dewy eyed, trembling look into the beautiful future that holds all your dreams. It’s the shuddering feeling in your heart and soul – wishing.
There is a place for hope!
Hope is the thread you grasp at when faith is too big a challenge. Pulling that thread closer to you, inch by inch, is the action that brings faith into grasp.
Hope isn’t enough – you need faith.
Hope is powerful but it isn't enough. To really create your dreams, you need faith. Click To TweetFaith is something else. It’s a tangible something that lies outside of you. Faith in your dreams means you know that it will be a reality. Faith is truth, unarguable. It’s knowing that a dropped item will fall, the sun will get up, babies will cry, cars will run out of gas, and you’ll need to breathe tomorrow.
Faith and hope are very different.
So let’s get all geeky on this, okay?
Hope is the action – it’s the verb (hoping). It’s next to impossible to take actions, to do the next step, while hoping. Because hope IS the action that you’re taking.
Faith is a noun – it’s a THING. You can act from a place of faith because faith is not the action – you’ve got room for other actions. To carry the thread/string metaphor:
Faith is the rope that creates the harness around you – holding you secure – so that you can take action.
Hope is powerful. It leads you to faith. And faith is required – it allows you to get into action – and stay there!
By the way: Action alone won’t get you your dreams because it’s unguided by any larger purpose. Unguided action has another name…
Busy.
You’re “busy” working on your book, but you’re really not writing. You’re checking email, surfing Google, watching cate videos, and dreaming. It’s okay, it’s not your fault. You don’t know what actions to TAKE.
So what happens when you have hope and try to take action?
Hope + Action = false starts and guided wishing.
You’re putting action to your dreams, but the actions aren’t concrete. You’re doing a little of this and a little of that. It’s easy to get derailed. (MOST of the people who come to me are here!)
Faith + Action = creating your future vision, now
Here you decide that your actions will lead to results. There’s a sense of knowing that what you’re doing is moving you in the right direction. It’s still easy to get off track, though. Because you don’t have an external guide to help you see that those actions are the right actions. That they’re leading you to the right place – with no detours along the way.
Faith + Action = Creating your future vision, now. Click To TweetPeople who are successful in writing their best-seller do their writing from this place. It’s not a place that they get to alone! THIS is where I work with my people. We share the same faith in the book: the message, the vision, and the difference it will make in the world – and then I guide them in the actions to take.
Let me say that again:
I want to hold faith with you. And I can (and will!) guide you in your actions so you can create the best-selling book you’ve been dreaming of for so long.
It STARTS by taking a step in faith and investing in yourself. I’m going to give you two options:
- Invest in a program (I recommend the Book Idea Workbook) so you can still do the DIY route. Maybe you’re not ready for mentorship – it’s too much faith, too much action.
- Skip the DIY and KNOW that you’re ready for mentorship. Book a time to talk with me and be ready to make a financial and time investment.
How are you going to put faith and action together for YOUR book?
- When the “Template” Doesn’t Work to Write Your Book - May 29, 2023
- The Procrastinator’s Guide to Writing Your Book - May 23, 2023
- Running Out of Time to Write? You’ll Have More Time After THIS - April 25, 2023