Yesterday I posted what could be the preface to the book I have started and put aside at least twice. I had a mentor a few years ago who was instrumental in helping me to change my perspective on life and he told me that everyone has at least one book in him (or her). My story is unique, but so is everyone else’s. Despite the singular life experience we all have, there are also universal themes; elements that many if not all of us can relate to, however the specifics may unfold. I believe there is a book in me (maybe more than one) and I also believe that there are those who suffer from the same search for something that I did. This will not be a “self-help” book nor will it be some kind of universal guide to the good life. But it could offer hope and inspiration in much the same way the experience of others has done for me.
The preface assembled in my last post will likely change before I am done. This blog and the many pieces written for it will be found sprinkled liberally throughout the book, but the book itself will not be published here. Although my motivation for writing is couched in a genuine desire to contribute to the vast pool of human understanding, secondary motivations include distribution and income. To be successful in getting published (which is a long shot at best), pre-publishing it here would be counterproductive. That is not to say excerpts or “trial balloons” will not show up from time to time, but my intention is not to publish this book “live.” Also, the scope of this blog has precluded publishing certain details that have little to do with where I am now, but everything to do with how I got here.
In respect to the limited scope of The 25 Year Plan, those boundaries will remain in place. However, the book will not be so limited – everything that needs to be included to present a complete picture will be; nothing will be left out. If and when the book is published, I will have occasion to revisit and perhaps modify my blog policies, but that is still a very long way away. My goal is to have a manuscript completed before the end of this year, but nothing is set in stone. The reflection required to be able to write what I feel (or felt) will mean reliving some very painful experiences, for I am not living in pain anymore.
This documentation of my intention is a commitment to myself. Staying on task and following through is always a challenge for me, but one in which I have made marked improvement over the past few years. It is no coincident that my fortune has turned as a result, but there is far more to it than simply “just doing it.” If that were all it took, I never would have found myself in a quagmire of desperation with no good idea of who I really was. I don’t know if I can say, “If I only knew then what I know now,” but I do know that it certainly would not have hurt. And I don’t know what the answer is. I only have this one life to share. However, from the compelling stories I have heard from many others, knowledge that there is hope is not only important, it is absolutely necessary.
2 comments:
I look forward to following along with you on your journey, Mike. I, too, have recently started writing/researching, an intention that I always had waiting on the 'back burner' until I retired and had more time. Now that I have retired, no more excuses!! I am sure I will draw inspiration from you.
Good luck with the writing. I've had a bash too, although at a rather basic level and have my little offering (a fiction) on Amazon and other good bookstores as they say.
By all means ping me an email for me to send you one of the promo copies.
I won't be giving up the day job.
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