Hi Lorelie! Thank you for sharing that. Believe me, you’re not the only one thinking that or feeling that way! There is an element of selling that is absolutely required for any level of success…it’s the element of vulnerability. We can create anything we want, but if we keep it to ourselves forever, there will be no success. Our remarkable thing will never live. It will simply be a “what if”. In the act of being vulnerable, and I mean intentionally vulnerable, we have to invite other people in to our lives. In those moments, when we share how we’ve used our time, what we’ve worked on, and what we hope for…those vulnerable moments are powerful sales transactions. No, they’re not monetary, but they are the basis in which future sales or interest occurs. When we vulnerably share with someone what we have created, we are giving them power over what they decide to do with it. They can reject it or they can embrace it. Realistically, the concept of creating something remarkable is truly Step 1, while vulnerably sharing what we have created is Step 2. We sell people all the time (why they should hire us, why we should only pay so much, why it’s their turn to take the trash out, etc.), but most of the time it’s not from a position of vulnerability. Also, it’s easy for us to think the odds are stacked against us or something is wrong with the system. But remember, if something is truly remarkable (like a self-published book) people will be compelled to make a remark about it. If you or anyone don’t see results of people wanting to tell others about it, the best thing we can do is take another look at why. We repeat this cycle over and over again: Create Something Remarkable, Vulnerably Share, Make More Remarkable, Vulnerably Share, and so on. Please know this too…the market is NOT oversaturated with remarkable content. It’s only over saturated with regular content. If we aren’t standing out, we’re too similar to everything else. I hope this helps!

Well said, Rebecca! Couldn’t agree more. As difficult as it is to separate the act of writing with the act of receiving some reward or recognition, simply writing to write is, and should be, enough for us to keep at it!

Thank you, Annie. I’m so glad it resonated with you and encouraged you!

Thanks, Lisa!

Thanks for sharing, Rachel! The key really is in your last sentence. There is always someone who benefits from our writing. The expectation is that it must be “someone else” and we nearly always ignore the fact that writing improves US in many ways. Statistically, half of what we write is below average. Yet, to create the below average work means we are also creative the above average work. With each writing we are improving, even if only in the ability to communicate our thoughts to words on a page (or screen). If “no one” would benefit, writing surely wouldn’t be so important. Yet, someone always benefits and, if we are working hard to be authentic in providing value to other people, more people will be impacted than we know. It sounds like you are doing a great job focusing on the necessary effort of writing and not giving up. Thank you for doing that! The change your words will bring for generations to come are not quantifiable.