My Story

Becoming An Author Is Hard Work — But Not Impossible

That's coming from a guy who took over ten years to write his first book.

In 2004, I was a proud member of the Enlightened Millionaire Institute. Robert Allen and Mark Victor Hansen taught how to get wealthy by following four paths. I chose infopreneuring — selling information on the internet for a profit.

My plan was to interview my dad about his music promotion business, turn it into a book, and build a business around him. He wouldn't do it. So we went into real estate instead. About 15 rental units later, I was ready to write a book about renting to Section 8 tenants — with my mother as the author, since she worked the business with me.

I got shot down again. She told me to write it myself. I thought, "Sounds good, but nobody's gonna read a book by me — even though I'd purchased almost a million dollars in real estate while working as a server."

But in 2014, I wrote a tiny 5-page book. It started as a manifesto on how people can change their lives after a major setback. It may come as a surprise — I wrote it on a yellow legal pad while in jail. I didn't have access to a computer because of my living conditions. When I could finally get to one, I typed it up and added some depth.

And then I left it.

I didn't feel I'd proven myself yet. I thought I needed to be living proof of my own book's principles before I could put it out into the world. Months passed. I did nothing. A year passed. It just sat on the computer.

It was 19 months before I did anything with that book.

I was at yet another women's empowerment event. There was a powerful speaker on stage — Kachelle Kelly, a spiritual business coach. Towards the end of her talk, I was on the edge of my seat. When she offered a free session, I already had my phone out. I scheduled it before she left the stage.

On the day of our call, I'm parked in a random church parking lot, watching a teenager practice fade-away jump shots — imagining he's counting down a shot clock, pretending to shoot game-winners. That's my view while I tell her how I want to approach this "productivity thing."

She interrupts my randomness and tells me to stop taking God's glory. My chest tingles. My mind goes blank. Tears form in the corners of my eyes — which I refuse to let fall, because I'm on a business call.

Her words got to me. She challenged me to livestream the next day and tell my story. So I did. And a weight lifted from my shoulders.

That happened in May of 2016. All I needed was one person who believed me and said, "You need to get your story out." She touched me in a way that made me want to finish the book I'd saved on my computer 18 months earlier.

Maybe no one's told you that yet. Or maybe you haven't believed it. But your story isn't just yours.