Naysayers

Today is part 28 of a 30 day commitment. To read about how I am blogging to change my life please read here first.

As I have mentioned before, the idea of writing a book has been with me for quite a while. The last time I decided to investigate it I contacted a friend of mine who writes some of the "for Dummies" books. I met her through the eBay group that I talked about a couple of nights ago. She is dynamic and an incredible networker.

When I first emailed her and told her that I wanted to write a book she asked me what it was about. Thinking that I was being clever I simply emailed back "Turning $500 into $5 million. She then emailed back and said that doesn't tell her anything. What is it really about. I just went back and read the stream of emails from 4/1/2008 (Holy crap, a year and a half ago!!!). I sent her this response.

"My idea is to write an inspirational/business book about my story. From my severe frustration of being in the family business and the emotional torture I was put through. About going from not trusting what I knew to be correct when others told me I couldn't to trusing my instincts. About realizing that my lack of formal education wasn't a handicap, but a blessing. About the clarity that came from figuring out what I wanted with my life and incorporating it into everything that I do. About how that realization formed every aspect of my business and created something that was completely new in the industry. About how that continues to push 30-40% growth year after year in an industry that is down 35%. About how IN control of our lives we are once we decide to be.

I know that my story can be put into words in a way that can inspire people to follow their dreams and earn huge success at the same time. I started my business with $500. Last years sales were almost ($XXXXXXXXXXX)and we are up %40 so far this year. I also know that I am not an author and know that publishing a successful book is equally about the marketing as the content.

Is this arrogance on my part? Probably. Am I ok with that? Yes, if it truly inspires one person to get out of the hole that I was in and change their life.

She then emailed me back and told me that the story was NOT $500 to 5 million. It was about my story of hard work etc... She also said that if I was going to write a "Get Rich Quick" story then she wanted no part of it. She went into explaining that people like Donald Trump are ripping off poor fools and trying to convince them that they can be the next Donald Trump. She said that she would love to have sales like I do, but she never would. She told me not to expect to get rich writing books.

I was really taken back at her response. I can tell from the chain of emails that I didn't take it any further. From my point of view there is nothing wrong with somebody writing a book about getting rich. Thats not what my book is going to be about, but if somebody wants to spend $19.95 to be inspired to change their life that is not ripping somebody off.

Much of my success is due to two books. These books helped change the way I look at life. The first is the wildly succesful "Rich Dad Poor Dad". I read this book and knew that I had to follow my dream of owning my own business. It inspired me to finally take action. It was at least 5 years after reading that book that I started National Powersports. I bought most of the books in his series as well as his "cashflow" game. All and all I probably spent $350-$400 with that francaise. That book and those products produced millions of dollars for me. Not a bad investment!! I think they got the bad end of the stick. The other book was "The E-Myth Revisited."

This book got me to think of my business systematically as well as helped me define the core thing that I wanted in my life. I spent about $600 with this company between their emyth mastery program and the book. Again, I think they ended up on the wrong end of the deal.

The worst part of the exchange with my author friend is that I let it derail me. I started to think that I was not on the right track. I had the wind taken out of my sails and I went back to working IN my life not ON my life. When I sat down to write this post I looked up the emails in my inbox and was blown away to see that almost a year and a half has already passed.

There are only two days left in my commitment to write in my blog dialy. I think that I have made remarkable progress in getting my many thoughts out and putting them on "paper". The really great thing is the feedback that I have recieved. You guys and gals have helped a ton. Thank you!

I am going to try to lay out a plan of action for me in the last two posts.