What writing my first book was like.

You can do hard things!

Sometimes we think we can’t, but we can, one step at a time.

If you don’t know by now, I decided to write a book. Sounds simple? Nope. It is one of the hardest things I’ve done in my life. Why is that?

I had to work through my fears first. The negative self-talk, doubt, procrastination, and self-worth issues. Who would have thought writing a book these things needed addressing?

My limiting beliefs that needed checking:

I feel I’m a better speaker than a writer.

It’s easier to do my thing one on one with people in conversation.  

I am exposing myself, which makes me vulnerable to criticism or praise, an uncomfortable feeling either way.

I then asked myself what support was needed to accomplish this goal?

The resources that worked were my Mastermind Business group and Business Coach. I shared all of my concerns with them, and guess what? They had the same ones. Most of us don't realize it, but sometimes someone is confused and has a question or concern that they think might be stupid when in groups or classes. The crazy thing is a lot of the time, everyone in the group or class has the same question or concern you had. My business group was able to be supportive and encouraging to each other throughout this whole process. It was terrific having people helping each other and acknowledging their vulnerabilities.

I made a plan for the twelve weeks it took to write this book. I had a deadline when the book needed to be finished. During these 12 weeks, I  would write every day for a period of time, attend the weekly support group meetings and meet with my Coach. Did it stay on schedule? It did not. Life got in the way. My mindset would go astray and get the best of me; vacation and a health issue sidetracked me.  I would have to use all my tools to get myself back on track. I had to coach myself to get the job done. And I did.

This was an exciting yet challenging time for me. Writing this book took a lot of back and forth with people and many edits, rewording, formatting, and changes along the way. Even though one person can write the book, it takes a team to have a finalized book.

I’m proud of myself. This was my second attempt at writing a book—this time, I persevered and finished it. I, Ann Bell, am now a published author.

If you are on my website right now reading this blog, you should go to the store tab next to this tab and buy my book!