Latest / The Daily Writer / Own Your Career, Own Your Life (with Andy Storch)

Transcript

Own Your Career, Own Your Life (with Andy Storch) · The Daily Writer

• 0:07
  SPEAKER_01: Welcome to the weekend edition of the Daily Writer.
• 0:10
  SPEAKER_01: Each weekday, we bring you a short lesson that helps you live out the four practices of a great writer: creativity, consistency, courage, and connection.
• 0:20
  SPEAKER_01: Here on the weekend edition, we take a deeper dive into those topics through conversations with notable writers, as well as teaching that helps us apply what we're learning and also prepare for the week ahead.
• 0:31
  SPEAKER_01: For more, you can visit us at dailywriterlife.com.
• 0:40
  SPEAKER_01: Here in the United States, we talk about ownership a lot.
• 0:43
  SPEAKER_01: In fact, one of the hallmarks of American society is the concept of owning land, owning a house, owning a car, etc.
• 0:50
  SPEAKER_01: But it's fascinating that when it comes to our careers and the direction of our lives, we often leave that completely up to chance, and we never think about ownership.
• 0:59
  SPEAKER_01: Well, my guest today is here to help us do a course correction.
• 1:02
  SPEAKER_01: His name is Andy Storch, and he's a consultant, coach, speaker, and facilitator specializing in the talent development space.
• 1:09
  SPEAKER_01: Andy is also the host of two amazing podcasts, which are the talent development hotseed and the own your career, own your life show.
• 1:17
  SPEAKER_01: And if that's not enough, Andy also heads up the talent development think tank conference and community, and he can now add author to his growing list of achievements because his brand new book just released on Amazon this past week.
• 1:30
  SPEAKER_01: It's called Own Your Career, Own Your Life, Stop Drifting and Take Control of Your Future.
• 1:36
  SPEAKER_01: And I can honestly say this is one of the best professional and personal development books that I've read in a really long time.
• 1:42
  SPEAKER_01: In this book, Andy teaches you how to own your career, take responsibility, do networking the right way, and a lot of other key habits and practices that will help make you successful.
• 1:52
  SPEAKER_01: I first got to know Andy in the Total Life Freedom Community, which you probably recall is a running theme with a lot of my podcast guests.
• 2:00
  SPEAKER_01: Andy is the real deal.
• 2:01
  SPEAKER_01: He is kind, he's generous, he's brilliant, he's a great connector, and most of all, he is the kind of person who will help you succeed in life just because you're spending time with him.
• 2:12
  SPEAKER_01: So in this conversation, Andy and I talk about the importance of asking for help.
• 2:16
  SPEAKER_01: We talk about how to network properly, especially if you're an introvert, which is a key thing that a lot of writers and creatives struggle with.
• 2:23
  SPEAKER_01: And we also talk about Andy's process for writing this book, which is key because, as all of you listening are are aware, writing a book can be a difficult thing.
• 2:32
  SPEAKER_01: It's very time consuming, it involves some planning and organization.
• 2:36
  SPEAKER_01: And I love how Andy approached writing this book.
• 2:39
  SPEAKER_01: It's really, really amazing and it's very doable for anybody who wants to write a book of any kind.
• 2:43
  SPEAKER_01: Also, Andy gives his advice to aspiring authors.
• 2:47
  SPEAKER_01: So if writing a book or writing anything is new to you, then I think you're really going to appreciate his advice and his encouragement for you.
• 2:54
  SPEAKER_01: I definitely recommend that you purchase Andy's book, which again is called Own Your Career, Own Your Life, and that you use some time over the holidays to start digesting this book.
• 3:05
  SPEAKER_01: It's not really a super long book, just uh a little over 200 pages, but it goes by fast and it is absolutely packed full of really, really good stuff.
• 3:14
  SPEAKER_01: Well, as you can tell, I'm a huge fan of Andy Storch and I'm thrilled that he could join me here in this episode.
• 3:19
  SPEAKER_01: So here's my conversation with my good friend Andy Storch.
• 3:23
  SPEAKER_01: Well, Andy, I'm so glad you could join me for uh this episode.
• 3:27
  SPEAKER_01: Uh we've been friends for a while now, so so thanks for joining me.
• 3:30
  SPEAKER_01: I want to begin with uh with an observation that's gonna be kind of different, and that is that your book has too much good stuff in it.
• 3:39
  SPEAKER_01: Because literally, as I'm prepping for this interview, every single chapter, I was like, I want to ask about that, I want to ask about that, I want to ask about that.
• 3:46
  SPEAKER_01: But obviously, we don't have five hours to do an interview, so you've done a absolutely phenomenal job of packing this book full of really, really good stuff.
• 3:54
  SPEAKER_01: So that's what I want to say first.
• 3:56
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you so much for doing that.
• 3:57
  SPEAKER_00: Well, thank you so much for that compliment, Kent.
• 4:00
  SPEAKER_00: This is the first book I've ever written, and of course, I was nervous about could I even write, uh, which I know is something that is like one of your strengths and passions, and could I put it together in a way that's interesting and meaningful for people?
• 4:12
  SPEAKER_00: And could I also not just make it interesting and meaningful, but uh achieve my goal of actually changing lives with this book?
• 4:19
  SPEAKER_00: And so I took a lot of lessons from other people.
• 4:22
  SPEAKER_00: I've learned a lot from others and uh got some help along the way.
• 4:26
  SPEAKER_00: I mentioned you before recording, my wife helped me kind of reshape it a little bit.
• 4:29
  SPEAKER_00: And I hired a great editor in Terry Stafford, who you know.
• 4:32
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but you know, at the end of the day, I'm speaking in my language, you know, telling my stories, sharing lessons from what has worked for me to help me own my career and my life, and um giving the advice if I'm gonna be coaching people that like these are the things you need to go take action on and and need to do.
• 4:51
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm excited for people to to dig into it and and use it and learn from it.
• 4:56
  SPEAKER_01: You know, a lot of times when when people have launch of books that you know personally, and I know I'm sure you've had this this experience as well.
• 5:02
  SPEAKER_01: People launch a book and it's a friend, and you read through their book, and secretly you kind of think, you know, this is okay, but you want to be supportive.
• 5:10
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, of course you want to be positive and all that.
• 5:13
  SPEAKER_01: And but but secretly inside you're like this isn't really that good.
• 5:17
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 5:17
  SPEAKER_01: Well, it's been the exact opposite with your book with me, because the more that I'm reading through it, I'm just going, This is like a legit, really, really good book.
• 5:25
  SPEAKER_01: Finally, I have the opportunity to dive into Andy's brain and see how you think and all your networking stuff and everything.
• 5:33
  SPEAKER_01: So I I feel very blessed, like legit, to um just to get to soak up all this information that you have helpfully poured into one container, which is really thank thank you so much.
• 5:43
  SPEAKER_00: I appreciate that, Ken.
• 5:44
  SPEAKER_00: And honestly, like I have so much respect and admiration for you as a writer and someone who writes for yourself, writes for others, coaches people on writing.
• 5:52
  SPEAKER_00: Um, you know, for me to hear you say that is uh it's awesome because I knew like I know I have the information that can help people, um, but I was always wondering, could I put it together in a way that would be, you know, again, entertaining, interesting, and impactful.
• 6:07
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so to hear you say that is uh I'm I'm honored and I appreciate the opportunity to come on your show.
• 6:12
  SPEAKER_01: Absolutely.
• 6:12
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you so much.
• 6:13
  SPEAKER_01: So this is a show for writers, and one of the things that we see oftentimes with creative people, and I'm putting writers, I know I'm not all writers would identify as this, but I'm lumping writers in with artists and creative types because we are.
• 6:26
  SPEAKER_01: And one thing that we see with creative types a lot of times is that there's a sort of a passive nature with creative types where we're just sort of hoping something good happens.
• 6:36
  SPEAKER_01: We have talent and skill, we want to serve people, but we just don't quite have that um action-oriented mindset to help us to take action and to make things happen.
• 6:47
  SPEAKER_01: So, why do you think so few people don't take ownership of their life?
• 6:51
  SPEAKER_01: Why are so many people so passive and they're just waiting for life to happen instead of really taking ownership like you're talking about in the book?
• 6:58
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, um, a lot of people, a lot of times it's it's where our society is set up.
• 7:02
  SPEAKER_00: People operate in reaction mode, they're waiting for things to come their way, they're waiting for if you're in a job, waiting for the manager to come and bring you that promotion opportunity or you know, that job change or new project.
• 7:13
  SPEAKER_00: Um, if you are creating stuff, maybe you're waiting for someone to discover it, you know, the the whole romantic story of quote being discovered, whether you're an actor or an artist or whatever.
• 7:24
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I've heard so often that for most people, when they write books, they put all this um effort into writing a book and then they publish it, you know, put on Amazon, whatever, and then it's like crickets, right?
• 7:37
  SPEAKER_00: Like their family buys the book, and then there you see it two years later, and there's still five reviews, and not much happens with it.
• 7:43
  SPEAKER_00: And the reason is just like anything else that you create, that the skill and the talent and the value of it is only half the battle, if not less, you have to go market it, right?
• 7:56
  SPEAKER_00: Otherwise, people don't know about it.
• 7:58
  SPEAKER_00: It's the same thing that um, you know, you and I have a mutual friend and mentor named Vincent Puglese.
• 8:02
  SPEAKER_00: We talk about this often with photographers as the example because he came from the photography world and always talks about like you see these mediocre photographers making much more money than the really highly talented photographers in the region, is because they've figured out how to market themselves.
• 8:18
  SPEAKER_00: And marketing yourself, um, part of that is having the confidence that your work is great, that your work is worthy, right?
• 8:27
  SPEAKER_00: And that is a huge step in itself because a lot of times, and I'm speaking from experience in doing a lot of um corporate consulting and leading workshops on leadership development and things like that, and doing my own self-assessments, a lot of times when we have a strength we're good at something, we don't fully embrace it because we figure, well, if I'm good at that, then probably everybody's good at that, right?
• 8:48
  SPEAKER_00: Like if I'm if I'm good at writing, probably everybody's good at writing, so it's not that big a deal.
• 8:53
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but it is a big deal.
• 8:55
  SPEAKER_00: That's your native genius, that's your unique strength.
• 8:57
  SPEAKER_00: And you've got to take ownership of that, which means that like I recognize that I have this strength because you have weaknesses too, we all do, right?
• 9:05
  SPEAKER_00: And and I think you need to own both.
• 9:07
  SPEAKER_00: And I think too many times people spend so much time trying to overcome weaknesses or even explain away strengths, like, oh, I just got lucky, right?
• 9:17
  SPEAKER_00: With that.
• 9:18
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, you hear that all the time.
• 9:19
  SPEAKER_00: You're such a great writer.
• 9:20
  SPEAKER_00: Your book is fantastic.
• 9:21
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, I just got lucky, I hit on the right topic or something.
• 9:23
  SPEAKER_00: You're totally diverting away from the strength that you have.
• 9:27
  SPEAKER_00: And if you would lean into it, if you embrace it, a lot of times the people that you that you see are really successful, they've embraced that strength and went, wow, you know what?
• 9:37
  SPEAKER_00: This is the thing I'm good at.
• 9:38
  SPEAKER_00: So I'm gonna double down on it and I'm gonna go on to just like you, Kent.
• 9:42
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, I know you do a lot of different things, but I, you and I have only known each other maybe a year, but I've watched as you kind of, I think, really embrace your strength as a really great writer that allows you to start to build a business around that, build this podcast, start a membership community, and be able to help others because they start to look to you and say, Wow, Kent's a really good writer.
• 10:01
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe he can help me.
• 10:02
  SPEAKER_00: And part of that is you are a great writer, but it's also because you talk about it.
• 10:06
  SPEAKER_00: It's because you've embraced that versus trying to just explain it away and avoid talking about it, then no one's really gonna know about it.
• 10:14
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, man, I think that is so true.
• 10:16
  SPEAKER_01: You have to you have to be willing to do an honest assessment of what your strengths are and where you're gonna win and where you're not gonna win.
• 10:25
  SPEAKER_01: I remember about a year and a half ago, I got into had a series of things that I kind of got into.
• 10:30
  SPEAKER_01: This is before I really was set on ghostwriting and some things like that.
• 10:34
  SPEAKER_01: And I was getting into consulting and I actually like bought bought a course on consulting and and all that, and had zero success with it.
• 10:43
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, I didn't go very far into it, but then I just kind of turned around one day and thought, why am I doing this?
• 10:47
  SPEAKER_01: Like I'm I'm totally running away from what I should be doing because I I suck as a business consultant.
• 10:54
  SPEAKER_01: You know, at one point I thought I was I should really get into public speaking, and I'm like, you know, there's a lot of value in admitting to yourself, you know, I'm not really that good of a public speaker, I really should focus on writing.
• 11:06
  SPEAKER_01: So so I just love this idea of taking ownership and really being yourself and focusing on what your strengths are.
• 11:14
  SPEAKER_00: Well, and it allows you the the big thing about owning your career that I talk about in the book too is it's it's doing that self-assessment.
• 11:21
  SPEAKER_00: What are your strengths?
• 11:21
  SPEAKER_00: What are your weaknesses?
• 11:22
  SPEAKER_00: What are your dreams and aspirations?
• 11:24
  SPEAKER_00: What do you what do you enjoy doing?
• 11:26
  SPEAKER_00: What do you want to pursue?
• 11:28
  SPEAKER_00: And then being honest and setting your own vision for your career and your life.
• 11:31
  SPEAKER_00: Where do you want to go?
• 11:32
  SPEAKER_00: Um, stop waiting for other people to tell you what to do, stop borrowing goals from other people.
• 11:38
  SPEAKER_00: Um, we get these tags and labels put on us, as our friend B.
• 11:41
  SPEAKER_00: Evans would say.
• 11:42
  SPEAKER_00: Um, she has a podcast about tearing out the tags.
• 11:44
  SPEAKER_00: I just did an interview for her show today as well.
• 11:46
  SPEAKER_00: And um, you know, people would say, like, well, you can't um make a living being a writer or being an artist or doing creative thing.
• 11:54
  SPEAKER_00: When you know, you absolutely can if you embrace it and you own it and you market it, but it's gonna require you to, you know, maybe push past some fears, maybe take some risks, um, pursue your dreams with you owning that.
• 12:08
  SPEAKER_00: And owning it means taking full responsibility, not waiting for anybody else.
• 12:12
  SPEAKER_00: It means uh setting goals, it means taking action, taking initiative to say, I'm gonna go after this.
• 12:19
  SPEAKER_00: And I don't know if it's gonna work, but I'm gonna go give it a shot.
• 12:22
  SPEAKER_00: Because at the end of the day, when you think back, you know, you think to the end of your life, what are you gonna be reflecting on?
• 12:28
  SPEAKER_00: What are you gonna regret more?
• 12:29
  SPEAKER_00: Are you gonna regret, uh, are you gonna be glad that you played it safe, or are you gonna and or are you gonna regret not taking that chance?
• 12:36
  SPEAKER_00: And for most people, they're gonna regret taking not taking that chance.
• 12:40
  SPEAKER_00: And I talk about it in my book, citing um the book, The The Five Regrets of the Dying, that the top regret, you know, this woman did this interview, interview tons of people on their deathbeds.
• 12:50
  SPEAKER_00: The number one regret is that I didn't live a life true to myself.
• 12:54
  SPEAKER_00: That's the number one regret of the dying.
• 12:56
  SPEAKER_00: Nobody gets to the end and says, I wish I worked more.
• 12:58
  SPEAKER_00: Nobody gets to the end and says, I wish I played it more safe.
• 13:01
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe a few people if they like bought some crazy stock and lost all their money and didn't get to retire or whatever, right?
• 13:06
  SPEAKER_00: But most people are like, you know, I always wanted to try to write a book and publish a novel and I never did it, and I regret that.
• 13:13
  SPEAKER_00: Like it, you're always gonna regret that if you don't lean into it, if you don't own it and take that chance.
• 13:18
  SPEAKER_00: And that doesn't mean it's gonna work out, you know.
• 13:21
  SPEAKER_00: Probably it may not, right?
• 13:23
  SPEAKER_00: Most people who try to make it in Hollywood don't make it.
• 13:25
  SPEAKER_00: Most people who try to produce a screenplay or publish a book, a novel, like it doesn't go anywhere.
• 13:30
  SPEAKER_00: But you can learn as much as you can.
• 13:32
  SPEAKER_00: You can give it your best shot, and then at least you can get to the end and say, like, at least I tried, right?
• 13:37
  SPEAKER_00: Exactly.
• 13:37
  SPEAKER_00: And I can learn from that and then maybe pivot and try something else after that.
• 13:41
  SPEAKER_01: What if someone who's listening, you know, again, they're they're a writer, they're a creative type, they're an artist, and they're an introvert.
• 13:48
  SPEAKER_01: Maybe they are kind of a passive person.
• 13:50
  SPEAKER_01: They don't like taking risks or taking chances.
• 13:53
  SPEAKER_01: You're a person, even though we haven't known each other really that long, relatively, you're obviously a person who is not afraid to take chances, do new things, you're very assertive.
• 14:03
  SPEAKER_01: What is the the switch that needs to be flipped inside of a of an introverted passive person that would allow them to start taking more of a risk and being more assertive?
• 14:13
  SPEAKER_01: Is there a way that a that an introverted person can really start to do that and be much more aggressive with that?
• 14:20
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I've I've made that switch myself.
• 14:22
  SPEAKER_00: Now, you talk about introvert.
• 14:24
  SPEAKER_00: I consider myself an extrovert, but I grew up very shy, very afraid of uh fearful of judgment and rejection, um, playing things safe, not really taking chances.
• 14:34
  SPEAKER_00: And um, I started to open up as time went on.
• 14:37
  SPEAKER_00: I got to college, I joined a fraternity, I talked to more people.
• 14:39
  SPEAKER_00: I got to business school um in 2005.
• 14:42
  SPEAKER_00: I got really serious about networking.
• 14:44
  SPEAKER_00: I talked about that in my book as well, because I read a book called Never Eat Alone by Keith Farazi.
• 14:49
  SPEAKER_01: I've got that book right here.
• 14:50
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it's it's like a Bible, it's a fantastic book about networking.
• 14:54
  SPEAKER_00: I just read it again recently.
• 14:55
  SPEAKER_00: The book is published in 2005, that's when I read it.
• 14:58
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, it still mostly rings true today, but it is kind of funny because it's like pre-social media, and you know, obviously the world has changed a lot, but the tenets are still true that you should always be connecting with people, getting in touch with people.
• 15:10
  SPEAKER_00: And I think extrovert, introvert, there's no excuse.
• 15:14
  SPEAKER_00: Like I speak as an extrovert, but to me, that means I like being in a room full of people.
• 15:18
  SPEAKER_00: I like talking to people all the time.
• 15:20
  SPEAKER_00: If you're an introvert, you probably need some alone time.
• 15:22
  SPEAKER_00: You also need human connection, you also need to connect with people, do it in a one-on-one way, reach out and talk to people.
• 15:28
  SPEAKER_00: And if you're afraid of taking chances, I've been there too.
• 15:32
  SPEAKER_00: The biggest shift for me uh in that realm, going on this personal development journey, was when I read the book Mindset by Dr.
• 15:39
  SPEAKER_00: Carol Deweck.
• 15:40
  SPEAKER_00: And uh, you know, if you haven't read it, it's a fantastic book.
• 15:43
  SPEAKER_00: Dr.
• 15:44
  SPEAKER_00: Carol Deweck is a professor at Stanford.
• 15:46
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, she teaches in this book that basically people operate with one of two mindsets, either a fixed mindset, which means that you think that everything is fixed.
• 15:55
  SPEAKER_00: So either you're smart or you're not, you're creative or you're not, you're successful or you're not.
• 15:59
  SPEAKER_00: And if you try something and fail, you let that define you.
• 16:02
  SPEAKER_00: So if you try to publish a book and no one buys it, then you're a failure and you're a terrible writer and you could never succeed and you never try that again.
• 16:10
  SPEAKER_00: Whereas with a growth mindset, you believe that you can always learn and grow, you can always get better at anything.
• 16:17
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, and therefore, it's awesome to take chances because when you try new things, you get to learn from that.
• 16:23
  SPEAKER_00: And I've adopted not only that mindset, but um, a mantra I learned from another mentor from Afar Hell Elrod, who I believe a quote that I heard from him early on when I got into personal development was that uh there is no such thing as failure.
• 16:36
  SPEAKER_00: There is only learning and growth.
• 16:38
  SPEAKER_00: And when you have that attitude that, you know, I'm gonna try to write a book and I'm gonna publish a book.
• 16:44
  SPEAKER_00: And if nobody buys it, I'm gonna learn from the whole process.
• 16:48
  SPEAKER_00: I'm gonna figure out why, and then I'm gonna try something else.
• 16:51
  SPEAKER_00: When you have that mindset, there really is no failure.
• 16:54
  SPEAKER_00: It this it's all learning and growth.
• 16:56
  SPEAKER_00: And yeah, I know a lot of times we are terrified of rejection and what people might think about us.
• 17:02
  SPEAKER_00: We have to think about that logically too.
• 17:05
  SPEAKER_00: Do people really care that much?
• 17:07
  SPEAKER_00: Most people are focused on themselves.
• 17:08
  SPEAKER_00: Everybody's walking around thinking about themselves all the time.
• 17:11
  SPEAKER_00: They're not thinking about you.
• 17:13
  SPEAKER_01: So true.
• 17:13
  SPEAKER_00: Right?
• 17:14
  SPEAKER_00: Unless you're like a huge name, right?
• 17:16
  SPEAKER_00: You know, there's a couple of politicians in the news people have been thinking about thinking about a lot lately.
• 17:21
  SPEAKER_00: People are not thinking about you.
• 17:22
  SPEAKER_00: They're thinking about themselves.
• 17:23
  SPEAKER_00: And like, if you if you tell all your friends and family that you're gonna publish a book and then you do, and then it's not successful, like, do you think anybody's gonna call you later and be like, well, that was a failure?
• 17:34
  SPEAKER_00: Like, you know, I know they're gonna, you know, they'll be like, hey, at least you tried.
• 17:39
  SPEAKER_00: I've always wanted to try something like that, and I didn't do it.
• 17:41
  SPEAKER_00: They probably admire you any even more because at least you gave it a shot, at least you followed your dreams, because most people are afraid to do it and you did it, and you can always be proud of that, even if it doesn't go well, and you can always learn from it and then move on to the next thing.
• 17:55
  SPEAKER_00: So that's what really drives me and allows me to keep trying big things.
• 17:59
  SPEAKER_00: I'm not I'm no longer afraid of failure because I know that at least I'm gonna learn from the experience uh and and do even better the next time.
• 18:07
  SPEAKER_01: Man, that is so true.
• 18:08
  SPEAKER_01: So we both went through Honore Corter's course uh publishing PhD.
• 18:13
  SPEAKER_01: And it's funny because yesterday, uh, well, we're we're recording this on Wednesday, November the 11th.
• 18:19
  SPEAKER_01: This episode will come out in a week and a half.
• 18:21
  SPEAKER_01: Yesterday I released a podcast episode where I quoted from her book called You Must Write a Book.
• 18:26
  SPEAKER_01: She talks about that exact thing.
• 18:27
  SPEAKER_01: So it's funny that you mentioned that.
• 18:29
  SPEAKER_01: And I I forget the exact quote that I pulled from her book, but it was along the lines of the only way to fail is if you don't write the book.
• 18:36
  SPEAKER_01: There is no such thing as releasing a book, and the book is a total failure because there's always something positive that comes from it.
• 18:42
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 18:43
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 18:43
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, you know, we don't want to put a piece of garbage out there, right?
• 18:46
  SPEAKER_00: Like you, right?
• 18:47
  SPEAKER_00: Which I've seen happen.
• 18:48
  SPEAKER_00: I remember this guy that I knew was like, Did you know you could just like record on your phone for an hour and then like turn it in and publish it on a as a book on Amazon for 20 bucks?
• 18:57
  SPEAKER_00: He hand me to this book and I looked at it.
• 19:00
  SPEAKER_00: And I was like, This is garbage, man.
• 19:01
  SPEAKER_00: You're giving this to your clients, and he's like so proud of it.
• 19:04
  SPEAKER_00: I'm like, dude, just put a little bit of effort into it.
• 19:07
  SPEAKER_01: Please, we're begging.
• 19:08
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 19:09
  SPEAKER_00: So um, but you know, you reminded me of another important aspect too, which is there's nothing we can do to fully uh ensure that we won't fail, but we can uh learn as much as we can and enhance our chances of success.
• 19:24
  SPEAKER_00: So when I decided I wanted to publish a book, I knew I could just write and then you know do a Google search and figure out how to upload the files to Amazon, put it out there.
• 19:34
  SPEAKER_00: But no, I want this book to be successful.
• 19:36
  SPEAKER_00: So, like you, I invested thousands of dollars in taking a course by Andre Corda, who has published over 50 books.
• 19:43
  SPEAKER_01: Exactly.
• 19:44
  SPEAKER_00: And I went through her course, I think three times and learned everything I could from her so that I could put it into practice and have my best shot at making this successful.
• 19:54
  SPEAKER_00: And that's the other thing I talk about in the book too.
• 19:56
  SPEAKER_00: Like, if you're gonna go after something, also be willing to invest time and money in learning and helping improve your chance of success.
• 20:04
  SPEAKER_01: Exactly, exactly.
• 20:05
  SPEAKER_01: And I think that does separate, you know, not to be sexist, but it separates the men from the boys or it separates the uh the women from the girls, I guess, so to speak.
• 20:14
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 20:15
  SPEAKER_01: In that you, I'm sure you see this all the time too, is you know, people come to you for help with something and you say, Hey, here's a course over here you could take, or here's this, or here's that, but it's gonna cost a certain amount.
• 20:26
  SPEAKER_01: And you immediately see kind of the the players from the pretenders.
• 20:31
  SPEAKER_01: Um that sounds like a book title somebody should write.
• 20:33
  SPEAKER_01: Players or pretenders.
• 20:34
  SPEAKER_00: Players from pretenders, yeah.
• 20:36
  SPEAKER_01: But it's you know, the people who really are serious are going to find a way to invest in it.
• 20:40
  SPEAKER_01: And if they don't have the money, they're going to figure out a way to get the money.
• 20:44
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 20:44
  SPEAKER_01: You take the course or to self-publish or do whatever.
• 20:47
  SPEAKER_01: And that's really what it comes down to, just that assertiveness, I think.
• 20:50
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 20:50
  SPEAKER_00: Find a way, right?
• 20:52
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I'm I'm doing that all the time.
• 20:53
  SPEAKER_00: I'm always investing money in courses and mastermind groups and coaching and things to help me get to the next level, even when I don't know if I can really afford it.
• 21:02
  SPEAKER_00: But for me, learning and growth is like one of the most important things for my own fulfillment and for my own for my ability to move forward and progress.
• 21:10
  SPEAKER_00: And you're right, you can talk.
• 21:12
  SPEAKER_00: There are people that dream of big things and then they never actually get off their butts and and go take action.
• 21:18
  SPEAKER_00: Exactly.
• 21:19
  SPEAKER_00: You see what happens with them.
• 21:20
  SPEAKER_00: Sometimes people get lucky, um, but I prefer to invest and try to you know improve my chances.
• 21:26
  SPEAKER_01: Exactly.
• 21:27
  SPEAKER_01: One of the themes I do want to hit on for a couple of minutes, if we can, is the theme of networking that you talk about a lot in the book.
• 21:33
  SPEAKER_01: And I think you devoted a couple of chapters to it, which I was so thankful because I consider you my my mentor in networking because you have you're so good at it and it's so inspiring to see how you connect with people.
• 21:44
  SPEAKER_01: And I don't know if you have like secret clones in your closet or what you know what you've invested in biologically or technologically to have these clones that are doing all this stuff for you.
• 21:56
  SPEAKER_01: I'm just kidding.
• 21:57
  SPEAKER_01: But but you do a great job with that.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_01: For for writers who are more introverted, or maybe even writers who are extroverts, but they they don't really know a lot about how do you start networking, what is kind of the ground zero for where someone would start with networking with other people who might be able to help them?
• 22:15
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, um, I appreciate those kind words.
• 22:18
  SPEAKER_00: That is something that, you know, networking, I think for anything we want to be good at, there is some people have natural ability, and then there's always the ability to learn, you know, with the growth mindset.
• 22:30
  SPEAKER_00: And I think with networking, I do have some natural strengths and abilities.
• 22:33
  SPEAKER_00: I've also learned a ton from books and following other people and just seeing what other people are doing and always trying to improve my approach with that.
• 22:43
  SPEAKER_00: So and I've included a lot of that advice in the book.
• 22:46
  SPEAKER_00: And I think for people just starting out, um, the first thing is get clear on who do you want to connect with.
• 22:52
  SPEAKER_00: So maybe you want to interview people for your book, right?
• 22:55
  SPEAKER_00: And do research and connect with people that way.
• 22:57
  SPEAKER_00: Um, maybe you want to connect with other writers so that you can support them and they could support you or you know, potential clients or whatever it may be.
• 23:06
  SPEAKER_00: Get clear on who you want to connect with.
• 23:08
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, number two is always lead with curiosity.
• 23:12
  SPEAKER_00: It is the most important tenet of networking for me is leading with curiosity.
• 23:17
  SPEAKER_00: It's so simple.
• 23:19
  SPEAKER_00: People forget whether you're walking into a networking event, you are getting on a Zoom call with somebody for the first time.
• 23:25
  SPEAKER_00: If you lead with curiosity and just spend most of the time trying to learn as much as you can about the other person, um, they're going to appreciate it and you're going to find ways to do what is the number three thing, which is always seek to try to help and give value to others.
• 23:40
  SPEAKER_00: So if you are always seeking to find ways to help others, then they will most likely in turn seek to help you, right?
• 23:48
  SPEAKER_00: Now, I caveat this, and I think I say it in the book too, that it's important to go on this mission to help others with no expectations.
• 23:56
  SPEAKER_00: So that means that you don't say, Well, I helped Kent.
• 24:01
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I promoted his book the other day.
• 24:03
  SPEAKER_00: I posted on social media, so he better do the same thing for me.
• 24:06
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 24:06
  SPEAKER_00: No, no, no, no, no.
• 24:07
  SPEAKER_00: When you do that, you are setting yourself up for disappointment every time.
• 24:12
  SPEAKER_00: And when you go into it with no expectations, you're only seeking to help others.
• 24:16
  SPEAKER_00: Just remember that karma will come back to you and help you because it is.
• 24:20
  SPEAKER_00: It absolutely does.
• 24:21
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 24:21
  SPEAKER_00: Someone else is going to help.
• 24:23
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm seeing this happen now.
• 24:25
  SPEAKER_00: It's it's amazing.
• 24:27
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and I I you know hesitate to even talk to this.
• 24:30
  SPEAKER_00: I don't want to brag, but I have been focused on building a network for more than a decade, 15 years, and going out and meeting people and talking to people and getting to know them and helping others.
• 24:40
  SPEAKER_00: And as I go to launch this book, so many friends have reached out to me and said, I can't wait to buy your book.
• 24:46
  SPEAKER_00: How can I support you?
• 24:47
  SPEAKER_00: When can I post on social media about it?
• 24:49
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm like, wow.
• 24:51
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, I'm I'm like floored by it.
• 24:53
  SPEAKER_00: And I, but if I break it down and think about it, it's because I've been there for them.
• 24:58
  SPEAKER_00: It's because I've gotten to know them, it's because I've offered to help them, it's because they see me being generous and helping others.
• 25:04
  SPEAKER_00: And so I think that makes them want to help me too, right?
• 25:08
  SPEAKER_00: I'm not strong arming anybody into it.
• 25:10
  SPEAKER_01: Yep.
• 25:11
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I'm just and same thing with uh a couple of months ago, I hosted a virtual summit, a talent development virtual summit.
• 25:17
  SPEAKER_00: I had uh 32 speakers over five days.
• 25:20
  SPEAKER_00: Now, again, another great example of this, I wanted to host a virtual summit, didn't know how, invested$2,000 in taking a three-day virtual workshop by a guy named Mark Wade, who's the master of virtual summits, learned everything I could, put it into practice, hosted the virtual summit.
• 25:34
  SPEAKER_00: I had 32 speakers.
• 25:35
  SPEAKER_00: I knew I needed their help in promoting it in order to get people there.
• 25:39
  SPEAKER_00: But I was not going to be the jerk that requires them to promote it to be on the summit.
• 25:44
  SPEAKER_00: I didn't require anything of anybody.
• 25:46
  SPEAKER_00: 31 out of 32 speakers posted about it multiple times, sent it to their email list, promoted it.
• 25:52
  SPEAKER_00: And it was every time it was like, you've always been so helpful to me.
• 25:55
  SPEAKER_00: I would love to find a way to help you.
• 25:57
  SPEAKER_00: Uh and they were like very happy to help.
• 26:01
  SPEAKER_00: And of course, it helped them too.
• 26:03
  SPEAKER_00: It helps their brand to show their speaking on a summit, and it helps my brand as well.
• 26:06
  SPEAKER_00: But it's because I've just built the relationship.
• 26:08
  SPEAKER_00: I was curious, I was kind, I was helpful.
• 26:11
  SPEAKER_00: And so, like you said, karma, it comes back to you, may not come back from that specific person, but I do strongly believe it always comes back to you in the end.
• 26:21
  SPEAKER_00: And one more thing I always like to add, because it you people can look and say, well, easy for you to say you're an extrovert, you know, you like talking to people.
• 26:28
  SPEAKER_00: Um, if you're an introvert, you're someone who is like, I don't want to be in a big room of people, focus on one-on-one connections, right?
• 26:34
  SPEAKER_00: You know, and luckily for you, under COVID, everything's virtual, like you don't have to go to conferences anymore.
• 26:40
  SPEAKER_00: You can sit at home comfortable in your sweatpants and just connect with people on LinkedIn or Facebook or whatever and say, Hey, can we get on a Zoom call and just chat for 30 minutes and just be curious and ask them questions and get to know them.
• 26:51
  SPEAKER_00: You don't have to try to impress them.
• 26:53
  SPEAKER_00: Um, it's really just a conversation is like a dance where people are looking for commonalities.
• 26:57
  SPEAKER_00: And when you find things about them that are interesting and that maybe you can help them with, boom, you're you're in good shape.
• 27:04
  SPEAKER_01: Man, I love that.
• 27:06
  SPEAKER_01: That's worth the whole interview right there, folks.
• 27:08
  SPEAKER_01: Worth the price of the whole, of course, this is free, but uh it's worth the price.
• 27:11
  SPEAKER_01: It's worth more than the price because this is free.
• 27:13
  SPEAKER_00: So well, you can also, if you didn't get to write all that down, you can get it in the book that you can buy.
• 27:18
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, exactly, exactly.
• 27:19
  SPEAKER_01: And it's absolutely worth every penny and then some.
• 27:22
  SPEAKER_01: Now, because this is a writing podcast, obviously I want to ask you about the the back end of this process, which was how did you actually write this book?
• 27:30
  SPEAKER_01: What was your process for getting the words down?
• 27:32
  SPEAKER_01: Did you have a system?
• 27:33
  SPEAKER_01: Um, did did you have a time frame?
• 27:36
  SPEAKER_01: How did all that work on a very practical level?
• 27:39
  SPEAKER_00: This was interesting for me because uh I had never really written anything before.
• 27:42
  SPEAKER_00: I've been hosting a couple of podcasts for a couple of years.
• 27:45
  SPEAKER_00: I've created a lot of stuff on social media.
• 27:46
  SPEAKER_00: I've written a lot of like short form posts, you know, but I had never, I've never had a blog.
• 27:51
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I've never written anything close to a book or a long article.
• 27:56
  SPEAKER_00: So I had no idea if I was going to be able to do it.
• 27:58
  SPEAKER_00: The idea for the book came to me like a lightning bolt while I was at a conference in London, the Upreneur Summit, last November, exactly one year ago, from the pretty much the day that you and I were recording this right now.
• 28:12
  SPEAKER_00: And uh I uh had just got done watching uh a talk on stage by a guy named Jeff Goines, who has a few successful books.
• 28:20
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and he was talking about how to write a best-selling book.
• 28:23
  SPEAKER_00: And still, as I was taking notes, I was like, yeah, maybe I'll write a book one day.
• 28:26
  SPEAKER_00: I don't know what it is.
• 28:27
  SPEAKER_00: And then over lunch, I uh my friend Philip Van Dusen, who runs a very successful uh YouTube channel on digital marketing, uh, he interviewed me for his YouTube channel and we were having a conversation and he started asking me these questions and it just brought everything together.
• 28:41
  SPEAKER_00: It was like a lightning bolt came in my head.
• 28:42
  SPEAKER_00: I know what the book is.
• 28:44
  SPEAKER_00: It's own your career, own your life.
• 28:45
  SPEAKER_00: I want to help people, especially in the corporate space, take more ownership and do the things that have helped make me successful, like building a network, building a brand, et cetera.
• 28:54
  SPEAKER_00: And I went back to um a couple talks I gave at conferences last year, and I just basically pulled the framework from those talks, the outline, and I pulled that into my book, and that became two-thirds of the book that is out today.
• 29:06
  SPEAKER_00: And then I kind of had to meander through the third part.
• 29:09
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so then I had so I had the structure up front, which was really helpful.
• 29:14
  SPEAKER_00: And then I thought, okay, I have to sit down.
• 29:15
  SPEAKER_00: And I ran the idea by a few people and I got some feedback.
• 29:18
  SPEAKER_00: Most people were pretty supportive.
• 29:20
  SPEAKER_00: Um, one person was like, I don't know, I don't, I think you should change it to this.
• 29:24
  SPEAKER_00: And I basically was like, no, I think this is it.
• 29:26
  SPEAKER_00: Like I was very confident in where I wanted to go.
• 29:29
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so then I had to figure out how to do it, and I was I was definitely worried about that.
• 29:34
  SPEAKER_00: And I started asking around, uh, how long is a business book anyway?
• 29:39
  SPEAKER_00: I have no idea.
• 29:40
  SPEAKER_00: And so I would get some answers, but basically people told me the average business book is about 50,000 words.
• 29:45
  SPEAKER_00: And I was like, 50,000 words?
• 29:48
  SPEAKER_00: That sounds really intimidating.
• 29:50
  SPEAKER_00: How the heck am I gonna write 50,000 words?
• 29:52
  SPEAKER_00: And I've written a blog post or an article.
• 29:54
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so I remember I remember talking to you, I talked to other writers, and I talked to Henre, uh, who is our mentor in this space.
• 30:01
  SPEAKER_00: And she said, it's easy, you just break it down into a daily habit, um 500 words a day for 100 days or whatever you want to do, and that'll get you 50,000 words.
• 30:11
  SPEAKER_00: And I think she even said, I think she writes this in her book too, on uh the the you must write a book.
• 30:16
  SPEAKER_00: Um, she's like, you probably write emails that are longer than 500 words.
• 30:20
  SPEAKER_00: I'm like, I do.
• 30:20
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, uh let me give it a shot.
• 30:23
  SPEAKER_00: So I am very big on achieving, you know, going after big goals, as you know.
• 30:27
  SPEAKER_00: I'm also very big on habits, and habits are what set us up for success in achieving goals, getting rid of bad habits, establishing good habits.
• 30:35
  SPEAKER_00: And I made that a constant theme throughout my book is establishing habits.
• 30:38
  SPEAKER_00: So I set out, I already had a habit of having a morning routine where I got up and did things like meditate and read affirmations and write in my journal and read.
• 30:47
  SPEAKER_00: So I built this into my morning routine and said, I'm gonna write 500 words a day for 100 days, and that'll get me to 50,000 words.
• 30:56
  SPEAKER_00: And what happened was I stuck to that.
• 30:58
  SPEAKER_00: I wrote seven days a week for three and a half months.
• 31:02
  SPEAKER_00: Every now and then I missed a day.
• 31:04
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I some days I wrote 300 words, some days I worked 1500 words.
• 31:10
  SPEAKER_00: And at the end of three and a half months, I started on January 1st and mid-April.
• 31:15
  SPEAKER_00: I think I finished with almost close to 65,000 words.
• 31:19
  SPEAKER_00: And when I divided it by the number of days since I started writing on January 1st, the average came out to like 530 words per day.
• 31:26
  SPEAKER_00: That's awesome.
• 31:27
  SPEAKER_00: Basically, I was like right down to like I basically I just did it.
• 31:30
  SPEAKER_00: Like I made the plan and I just did it and I just wrote.
• 31:34
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm very lucky, I feel like it it came to me.
• 31:37
  SPEAKER_00: I ended up writing too much, and then the hard part was okay, now like is this actually decent?
• 31:43
  SPEAKER_00: And I gave it to my wife, which is always you know nerve-wracking.
• 31:46
  SPEAKER_00: My wife's a very good writer, she's a former journalist, and she played with a little bit and said, you know, you need to fix this.
• 31:52
  SPEAKER_00: And um, basically came to me and said, the third section is way too long, it's an entire book in itself, and we're gonna need to cut, I think we need to cut that.
• 32:00
  SPEAKER_00: So I was like, Oh my god, I just wrote all this, but I know she's right.
• 32:05
  SPEAKER_00: So I went in and I remember I cut an entire chapter and um quite a bit of some other stuff in there.
• 32:11
  SPEAKER_00: And that was hard, but I knew it was the right thing.
• 32:13
  SPEAKER_00: And I think I posted that on Facebook, and so many people were like, Yeah, I had to do that too.
• 32:17
  SPEAKER_00: And of course, everybody knows like the you know, the famous quote attributed to Mark Quain, Mark Twain.
• 32:22
  SPEAKER_00: Like, if I had more time, I would have written a shorter letter, right?
• 32:25
  SPEAKER_00: We know that brevity is it takes time.
• 32:28
  SPEAKER_00: So um, so I'm glad, uh happy that I put that together.
• 32:30
  SPEAKER_00: I hired our mutual friend Terry Stafford to edit the book.
• 32:33
  SPEAKER_00: He did a fantastic job.
• 32:34
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and then I since I'm self-publishing, I went and hired a formatter interior designer to create the interior layout.
• 32:41
  SPEAKER_00: I'm also creating a companion journal to go along with the book.
• 32:44
  SPEAKER_00: I love that.
• 32:45
  SPEAKER_00: So I created that in a Word doc and then had um my formatter basically format that.
• 32:50
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and that's just about done as we're recording this.
• 32:54
  SPEAKER_00: And um that that got us to the end.
• 32:56
  SPEAKER_00: I just did an interview yesterday with a guy who read the book, and he said, this third part is like almost a book in itself.
• 33:01
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm like, that's how after I cut everything.
• 33:04
  SPEAKER_00: So the cool thing is now I already know what the next book could be if I expand on that content, you know, in the third section, which is about owning your life.
• 33:12
  SPEAKER_00: So that was that was the process.
• 33:14
  SPEAKER_00: There are certainly challenges along the way.
• 33:16
  SPEAKER_00: Um, for me, the biggest struggle is that middle part where it's like, oh, I've done the writing, uh, but now we got to slog through the editing and the revamping.
• 33:26
  SPEAKER_00: I'm a kind of guy that's like, I'm done with this, let's move on to the next thing.
• 33:29
  SPEAKER_00: But there was still a lot of work to do.
• 33:30
  SPEAKER_00: And that was that was the hardest part for me.
• 33:33
  SPEAKER_01: Now, what is included in your in your journal?
• 33:36
  SPEAKER_01: Because, you know, workbooks, journals, those can take a lot of different those can go a lot of different directions when it's a companion to a book.
• 33:43
  SPEAKER_01: What is included in yours?
• 33:45
  SPEAKER_00: So I um I'm a big fan of journals.
• 33:48
  SPEAKER_00: Uh I've been using them for the last few years.
• 33:50
  SPEAKER_00: The the one I'm using the most commonly is the Freedom Journal by John Lee Doomis, which is a hundred-day goal journal.
• 33:55
  SPEAKER_00: I wanted to create something like that, um, but I also wanted a companion to everything I talk about in the book.
• 34:00
  SPEAKER_00: So I did something that I think was pretty smart.
• 34:03
  SPEAKER_00: And as I was writing the book and then reviewing the book, I had a note in my like my notes app on my computer and my phone where I'd make a note of anytime I had a prompt where I'd ask the reader a question and say, you should reflect on this.
• 34:15
  SPEAKER_00: Or oftentimes I'd say, take out a journal and write down this.
• 34:18
  SPEAKER_00: I'd make note of all those things.
• 34:19
  SPEAKER_00: And then I basically went through that list and I created a doc uh where each page was that prompt.
• 34:25
  SPEAKER_00: Here's your space for writing it down.
• 34:27
  SPEAKER_00: So let's plan out your vision.
• 34:29
  SPEAKER_00: Let's talk about your purpose.
• 34:30
  SPEAKER_00: Um, let's figure out what are your big goals, what action can you take right now?
• 34:34
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, who are the people that can help you?
• 34:35
  SPEAKER_00: Where are areas in your life where you could take more responsibility?
• 34:38
  SPEAKER_00: Um, where do you want to invest more in learning?
• 34:40
  SPEAKER_00: Where how do you want to go build your network?
• 34:42
  SPEAKER_00: What are some things you can do to build a bigger network?
• 34:45
  SPEAKER_00: How can you go build your brand?
• 34:46
  SPEAKER_00: How can you shift your mindset?
• 34:47
  SPEAKER_00: All the questions that come throughout the book.
• 34:50
  SPEAKER_00: And then I put those along the way in the first like 20 pages of the journal.
• 34:54
  SPEAKER_00: And then I created 90 days of accountability, basically a morning routine page, an evening routine page.
• 35:00
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I will spawn some inspirational quotes for the top of each one or whatever.
• 35:04
  SPEAKER_00: And then it's just formatting it and putting it together.
• 35:08
  SPEAKER_00: And I mean, as you and I recorded this, nobody's used it yet.
• 35:11
  SPEAKER_00: I haven't even used it, but I I like it.
• 35:13
  SPEAKER_00: I think it's gonna be, I think it's gonna be really helpful because it gives people a space to write down answers.
• 35:18
  SPEAKER_00: And it's you and I know this.
• 35:20
  SPEAKER_00: Like if you're trying to achieve you're setting forth on a big goal or mission, you've got to write down what you want to achieve and make a very specific plan and write it all out and even find somebody to hold you hold you accountable on that.
• 35:35
  SPEAKER_00: And so that's why I created this so people have that space.
• 35:38
  SPEAKER_00: If you have your own journal, that's great.
• 35:40
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but a lot of times this is a new journey for people.
• 35:42
  SPEAKER_00: People are not used to using journals.
• 35:44
  SPEAKER_00: You know, I'm basically speaking to myself five years ago before I started doing that, and um, that's gonna allow you to um go on this journey and be more successful along the way.
• 35:55
  SPEAKER_00: So I hope it's gonna be a successful tool that people can use.
• 35:59
  SPEAKER_01: Man, I love that.
• 36:00
  SPEAKER_01: And and now you have a uh like a second product with this.
• 36:04
  SPEAKER_01: Well, actually, income stream, right?
• 36:07
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, which is awesome.
• 36:08
  SPEAKER_01: Well, as we begin to wind this down, um any advice for aspiring writers for everybody listening who wants to write a book but they haven't?
• 36:16
  SPEAKER_01: What advice would you give them about taking action or getting it done or anything at all that comes to mind?
• 36:21
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 36:22
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so it starts with like how do you even perceive yourself?
• 36:26
  SPEAKER_00: Because I didn't think of myself as a writer, right?
• 36:28
  SPEAKER_00: Some people do or they've always been a writer.
• 36:30
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, you got to shift your mindset, right?
• 36:32
  SPEAKER_00: And think like, okay, I am a writer, I'm going to write a book, I'm going to be an author one day.
• 36:36
  SPEAKER_00: You got to make a plan, like I did, lay it out, how much you're going to write when.
• 36:40
  SPEAKER_00: You got to establish a habit, maybe create a timeline.
• 36:44
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I know Henre talks about that too.
• 36:45
  SPEAKER_00: It's very helpful to say, I'm going to publish my book at this date and then back, you know, back up through it.
• 36:50
  SPEAKER_00: Therefore, I need to get this done by this date, that sort of thing.
• 36:53
  SPEAKER_00: Um, that stuff is really helpful.
• 36:55
  SPEAKER_00: I didn't do all that entirely.
• 36:57
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but for me, I think the habit is so important, whether it's daily or weekly.
• 37:01
  SPEAKER_00: I see the writers that I look up to uh who are getting a lot of writing done.
• 37:06
  SPEAKER_00: And it's it always comes back to that habit of I'm gonna write 500 words a day or a thousand words a day, or you know, maybe for you, you don't have as much time during the week, but I'm gonna write 5,000 words every Saturday or something like that.
• 37:17
  SPEAKER_00: And just making progress, pushing yourself, find an accountability partner, you know, someone else who is writing too.
• 37:24
  SPEAKER_00: And every time you feel afraid, because I think so many people stop somewhere and it's because they're really afraid to put it out there.
• 37:32
  SPEAKER_00: Like, am I really gonna publish a book?
• 37:33
  SPEAKER_00: Like, is anybody gonna read it?
• 37:35
  SPEAKER_00: Come back to this interview and listen to what we talked about in the beginning.
• 37:38
  SPEAKER_00: Exactly.
• 37:39
  SPEAKER_00: And remember, you know, think about where what are you going to regret more at the end of your life?
• 37:46
  SPEAKER_00: Playing it safe or putting that work of art out there, putting that book out there and go give it a shot.
• 37:52
  SPEAKER_00: And again, learn as much as you can.
• 37:54
  SPEAKER_00: Um, join if you, and by the way, if you're a writer, Kent, you're starting a community for writers, right?
• 38:00
  SPEAKER_00: I am.
• 38:00
  SPEAKER_01: It's launching very soon.
• 38:01
  SPEAKER_00: Well, if that is available, you got to come join that.
• 38:04
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, because you you gotta find you you need education, you need a plan, and you need community, you need accountability.
• 38:11
  SPEAKER_00: And I believe that, Kent, you're gonna be creating all of that with your community.
• 38:15
  SPEAKER_00: And so if you find yourself being a writer or aspiring writer, uh, I think you've gotta have that.
• 38:20
  SPEAKER_00: All those things have been so important for me to get this done.
• 38:23
  SPEAKER_00: And uh I'm excited for what you're gonna be creating with that.
• 38:26
  SPEAKER_01: Well, thanks.
• 38:27
  SPEAKER_01: Thanks.
• 38:27
  SPEAKER_01: I didn't have you on the show to to plug my community, but I appreciate it.
• 38:32
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, one final thing here.
• 38:33
  SPEAKER_01: How can our listeners connect with you and find out more about the book and your podcast and all the cool things that you're doing?
• 38:39
  SPEAKER_00: Well, uh, first and foremost, most importantly, um, check out my book.
• 38:43
  SPEAKER_00: It's called Own Your Career, Own Your Life.
• 38:45
  SPEAKER_00: It is available on Amazon.
• 38:46
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, the companion journal is out there as well.
• 38:50
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, so go pick up the book and the companion journal.
• 38:53
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I am pretty active on social media.
• 38:56
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, LinkedIn is where I spend a lot of my time, but I'm on Instagram and Facebook as well.
• 39:00
  SPEAKER_00: So come connect with me.
• 39:01
  SPEAKER_00: Let me know you heard me on Kent's podcast.
• 39:04
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, and then I've got a couple of podcasts as well.
• 39:06
  SPEAKER_00: There's the uh Own Your Career, Own Your Life, formerly the Andy Stewart Show, and the talent development HUSSE, which is more about corporate talent development.
• 39:13
  SPEAKER_01: Awesome.
• 39:14
  SPEAKER_01: Well, Andy, I just want to take a second before we wind up here to to acknowledge you and your friendship and how you have inspired me to take action.
• 39:21
  SPEAKER_01: I love having having you in my circle because you just you always inspire me, excuse me, you always inspire me to reach higher, to do more and to uh even though I'm an introvert, you know, it that constantly is just pulling me out there to be a little bit more social and and be a little bit more action-oriented and intentional.
• 39:38
  SPEAKER_01: So I appreciate that.
• 39:40
  SPEAKER_00: I love it.
• 39:40
  SPEAKER_00: Well, thank you so much.
• 39:41
  SPEAKER_00: And uh the feeling is mutual.
• 39:43
  SPEAKER_00: You inspire me with all you're doing.
• 39:44
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, every time I see people taking action, starting new things, working on big projects, it gets me excited.
• 39:50
  SPEAKER_00: I love seeing it.
• 39:51
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so there's one more piece of advice.
• 39:53
  SPEAKER_00: Surround yourself with people who are doing awesome things.
• 39:55
  SPEAKER_01: Yes.
• 39:56
  SPEAKER_00: And push each other, support each other, help each other.
• 39:58
  SPEAKER_00: It goes, it it it it just helps a ton.
• 40:02
  SPEAKER_01: Absolutely.
• 40:02
  SPEAKER_01: Well, thanks again.
• 40:03
  SPEAKER_01: I appreciate it.
• 40:04
  SPEAKER_01: This has been fantastic.
• 40:05
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, man.
• 40:06
  SPEAKER_01: Thanks for having me on.
• 40:08
  SPEAKER_01: Hey, I hope you enjoyed my conversation with the amazing Andy Storch.
• 40:12
  SPEAKER_01: My main takeaway from this interview, as obvious as it sounds, is just to start taking ownership of your life.
• 40:19
  SPEAKER_01: Uh as you can tell, Andy spends a lot of time working with people in the corporate space where things are typically pretty fast-paced.
• 40:26
  SPEAKER_01: But let's just be honest and let let me be really frank for a second.
• 40:30
  SPEAKER_01: When it comes to creative types like writers and artists and musicians, sometimes we just tend to be kind of passive.
• 40:36
  SPEAKER_01: You know, one of the hallmarks of being a creative person is that we like to be curious, we like to explore, and many times we just have way too much stuff going on.
• 40:45
  SPEAKER_01: So I love the fact that Andy is encouraging us to take ownership and to take control, to be action-oriented and to not be passive when it comes to the direction of our lives and our careers.
• 40:56
  SPEAKER_01: I want you to think about the writing goals that are most important to you.
• 40:59
  SPEAKER_01: And ask yourself honestly, have you achieved them?
• 41:03
  SPEAKER_01: And if not, could it be because you haven't really taken ownership of your goals and gone for them full force?
• 41:11
  SPEAKER_01: When I'm around Andy, it makes me want to spend more time and energy focusing on my goals.
• 41:16
  SPEAKER_01: And I hope that this interview has given you a boost of energy and motivation also.
• 41:20
  SPEAKER_01: And as I said earlier, make sure to grab Andy's book called Own Your Career, Own Your Life.
• 41:24
  SPEAKER_01: And if you enjoyed this interview, make sure to give Andy a shout-out on Instagram at Andy underscore storch.
• 41:33
  SPEAKER_01: Well, thanks so much for listening to this episode of the Daily Writer Podcast.
• 41:37
  SPEAKER_01: If you know anybody who might enjoy these episodes, please go ahead and share this with them.
• 41:41
  SPEAKER_01: Honestly, you never know when sharing an interview or sharing a podcast episode with somebody might just change their life.
• 41:47
  SPEAKER_01: It's happened to me, and it can happen to you and your friends as well.
• 41:50
  SPEAKER_01: As always, remember that your writing has the power to change lives.