When I moved to New York, I was overwhelmed for months. It was so intense that sometimes it felt like I could not even breathe.
In fact, when I went to see a Chinese medicine practitioner, he could not find my pulse. I was living like a zombie.
It took a while, but over time, I adapted to the pace and intensity of New York. I rose to the challenge of staying centered in a fast-paced environment.
I learned to be more flexible in the face of unexpected situations. I learned to invent and reinvent my plans, my day — even myself — and to not cling too tightly to what I thought was going to happen.
It was a kind of bootcamp.
During those breathless months, I didn’t like the process of adjusting. But, it turned out to be good training for a writer. It taught me resilience.
When you make the decision to write a book, you are essentially entering into a bootcamp, too. You are deciding to change your life.
You find time you didn’t have before.
You become obsessed with your project.
You even start to dream about the book.
Things that were important to you before become a little less important as you make room for writing, structuring and selling your book.
You didn’t know you could re-organize your thinking, your priorities, and your habits in this way. But somehow you find that you can.
Because life does not stop when you decide to write a book.
Your baby still needs to be fed, bathed and entertained.
Your businesses still needs to develop and deliver.
You still need to travel, to give workshops, to teach classes.
Your partner still needs your attention.
You still need to eat and sleep.
The unexpected still happens (snow day? surprise visit from in-laws? furnace break- down?)
And the book still has to happen, too.
When you decide to write a book, you are essentially deciding to change your life.
Which is awesome news! But it can take some adjusting.
It happens much, much sooner than the day your book is published. It starts as soon as you commit to a writing schedule, a word count, a delivery date.
Book writing turns out to be one of the most profound bootcamps you never expected to join!
What’s your experience with committing to writing your book? Let me know in the comments – or hit reply and let me know your experiences.