The day has finally arrived and I’m very pleased to share the news. My book, The Growth Mindset will be released by Wiley Publishing on October 9th, 2017. Many of you have asked me how did it all start.  So, I figured I would share some personal information on how this journey began three years ago when I first started working on the book, and what the path along the way has looked like.

Once again, I jumped into a project not fully appreciating what it would take to produce a book with 23 chapters and over 80,000 words. The only thing I had at the time was a clear purpose and a vivid vision of the journey. I underestimated the capacity it would require and the countless revisions. Giving up on the project crossed my mind several times, but what kept pushing me forward was a few good friends that believed in the project and my willingness to see it through no matter what. The lesson for me is simple: writing a book is not a marathon; it’s a long journey. So, be sure to pack light and bring the right team.

Two years into writing the book, I wanted to give up. I didn’t feel that it was living up to the standards that I had in my mind. That’s when I had to dig deep inside and build the courage to keep moving forward. (This perseverance that I get from within rarely lets me down.) I was exhausted from reading the manuscript 20 times and editing out 30,000 words. The courage to keep fighting can only happen if you have a strong “why”. My why was knowing that people’s lives will improve if they read this book and clients will be better served. I say this with a great deal of humility because I have been lucky to have so many great mentors that taught me so much of what you will read in the book.

The best part about writing the book was interviewing all of the leaders in the book (and nearly just as many that unfortunately did not make the cut). I learned a great deal, and their stories are all so inspiring. My curiosity about people, what drives them, and how they achieved success has always been so invigorating. Curiosity about life gives us the thirst to keep evolving and learning.

The core theme of the book is being a great communicator, which really comes down to developing the right skill set to be an intuitive listener and having high emotional intelligence. We live in a service based economy, and soft skills and interpersonal skills are paramount keys to being successful. This digital age makes it easy to just text or send an email, but I can learn more from looking into someone’s eyes than an exchange of 25 emails any day.

Finally, I learned to enjoy the journey. I found capacity for contentment in writing the book and speaking. We have all heard that, as Aristotle said, “It’s the journey, not the destination,”. I write in the book that you can’t win the more game, and materialism only traps. Live with gratitude and joy regardless of life’s obstacles. I wrote a great deal of the book outdoors because nature inspires me. Nature reminds us to be grateful for the simple things that bring us joy.

How did I come up with the title The Growth Mindset? I see two types of people in the world. One type of person is the one that blames and doesn’t take responsibility, is a victim, a taker, an arrogant know-it-all who is unwilling to evolve and doesn’t have the discipline to do whatever it takes. That person is trying to paddle upstream, fighting the laws of nature. Then, there are those that believe they can improve, evolve, and continue to learn. They have curiosity and discipline, and are givers that take responsibility for their life and have a sense of humility. These people have a Growth Mindset. They win.

Check out The Growth Mindset on Amazon or at your local bookstore so you can acquire the strategies for top level performance in any field or leadership position.