When writing this second book, I applied the lessons learned from writing my first book, The Dreams to Reality Fieldbook. I was expecting the unexpected to derail my writing and built in buffer time to manage that (unfortunately, I underestimated how much buffer time I needed). I knew I would need to "just get started" every day and overcome the myriad of great reasons for not starting. I also understood the importance of setting a goal and breaking it down into smaller pieces. Despite being equipped with these lessons learned, I still struggled with writing this second book since it differed from the first one in a few ways. The first book was self-published and this second book was published by Wiley, a well-known publisher. The first book was written mainly from my point of view. The second book had firsthand interviews and cited a number of research studies. The first book was 74 pages. The second book came out to 336 pages.

Writing this book was definitely a challenge, and at times, I felt like a rubber band stretched to the point of snapping. Luckily, I was able to hold it together, and came away with the following insights:

Persistence comes from knowing your Why.

Writing a book is tough. You have to keep track of what you wrote. You have to make sure you're making sense to someone who may not know what you know. You have to cut content that you feel is important. You question whether what you've written is any good, or if you're really in a position to be writing the book in the first place. There were many instances where it seemed easier and better just to call it quits. I was running a business, managing a family, teaching at a university, and volunteering for important causes. No one would fault me for taking one thing off my plate. The main thing that kept me going was my reason for writing this book: To help people who are inadvertently limiting their potential by shying away from sales or approaching it in a haphazard way. Having a why that is in service to others helped me to keep going. I've found that it's hard to keep going if your ambitious goal just serves you since it's easier to call it quits once things become very difficult for you.

Writing is a great way to learn.

I thought I was knowledgeable about sales and business development. That's why I decided to write the book. The process of putting my thoughts on paper and making sure all the pieces fit together without redundancy further crystallized and deepened my thinking. Being constrained on the number of words I could use also helped. Writing something down with the intention for someone else to understand it focuses you on challenging your own thinking and assumptions. You have to assess whether what you believe is actually true, or else the entire idea falls apart. In the words of Paul Graham, "Writing about something, even something you know well, usually shows you that you didn't know it as well as you thought."

Asking for help is a strength, not a weakness.

There were so many people who helped me along the way to complete this book project. Whether it was introducing me to my senior-level interviewees, improving my writing, or watching my kids during a marathon-writing weekend, this book would not be what it is if I decided to go with my initial gut reaction to go it alone. When writing a book, it's so easy to feel like you need to prove yourself by doing it alone or to believe the work is not truly yours if other people help you, but much of that thinking focuses on you, and not how you can best serve others. If you focus on how you'll contribute value to others, you'll naturally recognize that you'll want all the help you can get to best serve others. If you compare the first draft of this book to the final version, you would clearly see the power of asking for help.

Being happy with your work (at this point in time) and letting go is critical.

When I re-read my first book, I was slightly embarrassed. The black-and-white thinking, the unbridled enthusiasm, the self-focused tone. Yet, at that time, that book was my best work (I'm still proud of some of the ideas in there). If I had kept waiting for it to be a better book, I would have never released it to the world, and I likely wouldn't have written this second book. Part of any ambitious work is that you can always make it better, but at some point, you just have to put it out there so you can get real-world feedback. At the same time, it's important to recognize that just getting to this point of being able to ship has already changed you for the better. When it comes to writing, often the destination is secondary to the journey, and it's only when you stop to reflect that you realize how much you've grown from the experience.

Recognizing what is within your control and what isn't will help you focus on the right things.

Now that Selling Your Expertise has launched, I'm focused on getting the book's insights to people who might most benefit from them. That means speaking about the book on podcasts and at companies, trade association events, and industry conferences. What I'm not doing is tracking book sales since knowing how many books I've sold doesn't really help to raise the book's visibility. If anything, it'll likely distract me from my real work - talking about the book. Once book reviews come in, I plan to read them to better understand which ideas need more work and which ones are resonating (If you've purchased a book, please consider writing an Amazon review). Like my first book, some people will find it valuable and some will not. My goal is to figure out who will be better off with this knowledge and get the book in front of them. My other goal is not to worry about anything outside of my control.

I hope these lessons can be helpful to you as you plan to write a book or tackle an ambitious goal that has true meaning for you. If you enjoyed these tips, you may want to check out the 10 books I wished I read earlier in life or the top 10 insights that have changed my life. If you're interested in learning more about Selling Your Expertise, watch this video trailer. You might also like this updated list of my book and course recommendations.

The post Lessons Learned Writing My Second Book (Selling Your Expertise) appeared first on Embrace Possibility.

His story puts life into perspective and removed any excuses I can ever think of for not pursuing my dream. His courage is amazing. For the first few days, I was moved, excited and motivated.

Predictably, a few days later, life went back to normal.

How many times have we been inspired but failed to follow through?

We felt recharged, energized and ready to go but the weight of real life settles back in and we do nothing.

What's worse is sometimes that inspiration turns to envy as we see others having much less achieving much more. What a bad way to focus our energy.

So, what can we do?

For starters, we should take it easy on ourselves. Don't throw good energy after bad.

Here are 3 things you can do to inspire action:

Step 1 - Restart: Just because you didn't follow through the first time doesn't mean you won't follow through this time. Remember that the past does not predict the future so don't defeat yourself before you even start. Just reset and take the next step.

Step 2 - Renew Commitment: Reclarify the reason for doing what you want to do (insert link). How is it relevant to YOUR life's purpose? Inspire yourself.

Step 3 - Track Your Progress: You get what you measure. If you are not writing down your goals and tracking it on a daily basis, it will be tough for you to get what you want in life. I do my tracking on an excel spreadsheet and I make sure that everyday I'm doing something that is going to bring me closer to my goal.

It's easy to get hung up on whether we're doing the right thing and end up doing nothing. I have my own fits of self-doubt that creep up on me from time to time. What helps me to keep going is realizing that no matter what happens, I will learn something important that will help me achieve what I want. If I'm wrong, I know what not to do. If I'm right, I know what to do more of.

While it's great to be inspired by others, it's time to be our own inspiration by committing to our dreams. 

The post Inspiration without Action? appeared first on Embrace Possibility.

... looking back.

Reflect on 2013 - what were the major highlights and disappointments?

Take time to celebrate both your successes and failures.  Successes confirm that your skills and plan were on point.  Failures identify opportunities for growth and invite flexibility in your plan.  This year, I've achieved some of my goals, changed a few others and failed at a good bunch.

If you're hitting all of your goals, you may be having an awesome year or it might be a sign that you've set the bar too low.  If you're hitting none of your goals, then the goals you've set might be slightly unrealistic.  Find the sweet spot on the outer edge of your comfort zone.  This is the place where you begin to grow.  Keep pushing your limits.

After you've reviewed and celebrated 2013, spend time ...

... projecting forward.

Now that you have another year's worth of knowledge and experience, what do you want 2014 to look like?

What do you hope to accomplish?  What do you want to stop doing?  How are your 2014 goals aligned with your personal mission in life?

Take this time to mentally visualize what you want your next year to look like.  Get specific and observe how you are going to execute your plan and note the sacrifices you'll be making to get you there.

As you move from the past to the future, don't forget the importance of ...

... staying present.

Acknowledge that you're consciously taking the time to analyze your past and plan your future.  If you are not present during this process, you put yourself at risk.

It's easy to reminisce for too long - patting yourself on the back for your accomplishments or kicking yourself for what you didn't do.  At the same time, it can be enticing to stay in the future - fueled by the euphoria of dreams or the paralysis of worry.

To prevent this, set trip wires for yourself to stay present.  This may be in the form of regularly scheduled meditation or a periodic alarm that will remind you to be aware of what is happening in the moment.

Whether you believe it or not, you've had a great year being you.  You've just learned another year's worth of valuable information about yourself.  If you don't feel that way, make it a goal in 2014 to be more self observant throughout the year.  Note what you're doing and what you're not doing that gives you the results you like and continuing experimenting to find the best strategies that work for you.

Share with us your 2014 goals in the comment section below.  It'll be a good way to keep yourself accountable and inspire others.  Also, you can review your goals periodically to see how you're doing.

Thank you for taking this journey with me this past year.

Have a happy new year!

The post Look Back, Project Forward, and Stay Present appeared first on Embrace Possibility.

Thank you very much for reading the Embrace Possibility Blog. I'm happy to hear through the comments and emails that you enjoy the content and find it helpful. Thank you for allowing me to pursue my passion.

I'm leaving in a few hours for a trip around the world and I'm not sure if I'll have the time or resources to write articles while I'm away. I'll also have very limited access to email but be patient and you'll eventually get a response.

I'll be back early 2013 with even more insightful articles on personal development, health, financial freedom, professional development and relationships. In the mean time, I recommend re-reading some of my previous articles. As you grow, your focus when you read will change and you may be able to take away something new that you weren't paying attention to before.

Enjoy the holidays and stay safe,

Robert 

 PS - Below is an article from the Embrace Possibility Monthly Newsletter from October that I thought was appropriate. Usually it's exclusive content for newsletter subscribers but I'm going to make an exception.

Enjoy!

Why I'm Going Around the World and Why You Should Consider it Too

I've always enjoyed travelling - the people you meet, the foods you eat, even the tired feet and airline seats.

There are so many benefits to travelling and you should not put it off because it will pay dividends for your life both personally and professionally.

Here are a few reasons why travelling should not be seen as a reward for hard work but rather a worthwhile and necessary education for those who want to succeed in life:

Improves Relationships

Mark Twain describes a virtue of travel perfectly when he said,

"Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness."

You don't know what you don't know. If you've never visited a foreign country, there is no way for you to feel the discomfort of being made fun of or yelled at for actions that you have always believed to be the norm. Every time I return from visiting a foreign country, I find myself more accepting and open to the people from that country because I understand why they act the way they do and how it makes sense in their country even though it doesn't make much sense in mine.

The more places you go, the more you begin to see that one way of life is really no better than another. Realizing this has allowed me to be more open to other people's ideas and I find that I can relate to others on a much deeper level when I take time to be curious about their way of thinking and of life.

Improves Creativity

In my article, 3-Sure Fire Ways to Generate New and Great Ideas, I list travelling as one of the best ways to boost creativity. All new things are really remixes of old things. When you travel, your five senses are completely engaged:

• Smell: exotic foods, strong spices, intoxicating fragrances
• Hear: new music and sounds, different languages
• Touch: interesting people, new goods, unfamiliar textures
• See: vivid colors, animals, architecture, scenery, people
• Taste: local drinks and cuisine

All of these new experiences will also change the way you experience familiar things and the more unique experiences that you have, the more interesting your remixes will be. This is an excellent example of why you shouldn't put off travelling. Think of all the new ideas that you could be having if you make time to broaden your experiences.

In addition, travelling gives you time to think and to read. It takes about 15 hours to go from the US to Asia and you can make use of that down time to feed your mind and to cultivate your thoughts. At home, it's all too easy to get into a routine of trying to get as many things done that we don't take time to really think. I have found that some of my best ideas come from time spent on airplanes.

Improves Happiness

Do you want to know the secret to being happy?

You're in luck. I'm going to tell you, with no strings attached and it's only two words:

Living Intentionally

This means to live a life that you've chosen for yourelf. Unhappy people are those who feel as if they don't have any control or options. They live by coincidence and feel trapped in a life that has been chosed for them. On the other hand, happy people choose the life they want from a endless sea of possibilities.

So why do people let others decide their lives?

They don't want to take the blame when life goes wrong. If you listen to other people and something goes wrong, you can always blame the other person. What you probably don't realize is no matter who makes the decision, you are the one who has to live with the consequences. Think of a time when you blamed someone for something that happened to you. Who ended up paying for the consequences?

Lesson: Never let someone else tell you how you should live your life.

Ever since I read Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne as a child, I thought it would be great to take an adventurous trip going literally around the world. Growing up, to travel around the world was just not practical and it was always something that I'll do when I win the lottery or when I retire. Over the last 3 years, I've realized just how wrong that type of thinking is. There is no reason why I should defer my dreams. When I do so, I am living the life others have chosen for me.

We're not promised tomorrow. We're not even promised the next 5 minutes. I find it useful to ask myself: If I pass away tomorrow, would I regret how I've spent my time last week? How I spent today?

I haven't won the lottery and I am not retired but I'm still going to travel around the world. It wasn't money that was holding me back, it was my own beliefs. When people ask me about my trip and I tell them my itinerary, they usually say, "That's amazing. I wish I could take a trip like that". My reply to them is "Why don't you?" and they go into a small rant about all the reasons why they can't. They usually end by telling me it's on their bucket list or if they ever won the lottery, that's the first thing they'll do. Usually I just smile because that's exactly what I would have said not too long ago.

By now, you know my passion is to help people move forward to live their best life. I hope that this article and my life will inspire you to start living the life that you really want. Stop seeing life as trade-offs. There is no reason why you can't have everything you want.

I hope you enjoy this month's newsletter and thanks again for helping me pursue my passion!

Robert

The post Gone Travelling … appeared first on Embrace Possibility.

Let Us Help You Reach Your Full Potential

Welcome to the Embrace Possibility Blog!

Here you will find insightful articles, inspiring stories and invaluable courses to help you live life to the fullest.

For more information, read the About page.

If you have any comments or suggestions, feel free to contact us at info@embracepossibility.com

Enjoy!

Robert Chen, Founder of Embrace Possibility

The post Let Us Help You Get What You Want appeared first on Embrace Possibility.

It can be intimidating to navigate a new blog so I've created a quick start guide to help you.

To learn more about me and why I started this blog - click here

If you want to get started right away, check out the best articles of the Embrace Possibility Blog (click here).

This blog is broken into 6 main categories:

1 - Personal Growth

What are your aspirations and dreams for your life? What is meaningful work for you? This category is about personal mastery and clarifying and achieving purposeful goals. Articles here talk about both ways to get what you want and overcome barriers that may stand in your way.

Topics Include: Philosophy, learning, personal goals and interests, purposeful living, spirituality, focus, decluttering, self-esteem, being present

2 - Relationships

Life is about relationships. The greatest joys come from awesome relationships and the greatest pains come from toxic ones. If you want to live your life to the fullest, you need to create and grow meaningful relationships. You'll find articles on how to improve your relationships through trust, understanding and openness.

Topics Include: How to create and improve relationships with spouse, children, customers, boss, employees, friends, relatives, strangers, others less fortunate, etc.

3 - Professional Development

We work for a greater part of our lives. The secret to a fulfilling career is to find your passion and get someone to pay you to do it. Articles here will show you how to build value using your passion, improve skills that matter and help you gain traction in your professional career.

Topics Include: Achievement, career advancement, finding and getting your dream job, effective communication, public speaking, emotional intelligence, interpersonal skills, productivity

4 - Financial Freedom

Money is a magnifier. Nothing more and nothing less. If you're living your passion, money will help you accomplish more and reach out to more people. Without money, you lose the freedom to make your own decisions. You are forced to do what others tell you, whether it's your boss or your clients, and delay the fulfillment of your dreams. Articles here will focus on getting you one step closer to financial freedom. With money and resources, you can truly live to your full potential.

Topics Include: Financial planning, wealth accumulation, personal finance, investing

5 - Health

How can you live your best life if your body and mind is not in its best condition? Articles here are geared towards building both your mental and physical strength.

Topics Include: Diet, sleep, exercise, preventive care, meditation

6 - Inspiration

Here you will find inspirational stories that get me going when I'm feeling discouraged. It's easy to look around us and find excuses to live a mediocre life. I find people who show true strength of character and purpose inspires me to keep going and I believe they'll do the same for you.

If you read this far, great! Now you may want to start with the best articles of the Embrace Possibility Blog.

For those who want to get my articles by email, you can by entering your email on the right sidebar or by clicking here. When signing up, you can also choose to receive our monthly newsletter with exclusive content and product discounts for free.

If you enjoy what you read and want to help us do more - click here.

Thank you for visiting and all the best to you!

Robert

The post First Time Here? appeared first on Embrace Possibility.