“Amanda, can you recommend a designer for the interior of the book?”
“No, I’m sorry.”
(Three months later.) “Oh no! That person was awful and so expensive! They didn’t get me at all, and now I’ve wasted all this money and time!”
……………….
“Amanda, where do I go to get the books produced?”
“These are the companies I’ve heard good things about.”
(Three months later.) “Working with them was a nightmare. I felt like a number, not a new author!”
……………….
“Amanda, what do you think about…?”
Every time I heard this question start out of someone’s mouth, I cringed.
I’ve already shared that two years ago, I had no intentions beyond helping new authors write powerful manuscripts, right?
But when they were done with the writing and editing, and started looking for the right people to help them with design and production, I started to get REALLY uncomfortable and frustrated.
How dare these people treat my amazing clients this way! Who can I refer them to who will care about them enough to listen to their message and make everything about their book true to their intention?
And then I heard that still, small voice again: “Why don’t YOU pull together a team? Why don’t YOU create a program that makes this process EASIER for your clients – that allows them to relax into and enjoy the process of manifesting their book in print? Why don’t you do this right now, so that you can move your authors through the whole process and have them and the books ready for your Dare to Dream Event?”
I trembled with excitement…and fear. That’s exactly what they need, but who am I to do this?
“If you don’t, you’re not going to feel good about getting the manuscripts to completion.”
Ugh, You’re right. This is the logical next step, and it sounds like an AMAZING solution for my clients. But I don’t know how…
“Look around you. What do you always tell your clients? ‘Caterpillars are not born on cement.’ You have everyone around you already. Look up. Go.”
Knowing that the “I feel like throwing up” feeling was just a sign I was headed in the right direction, I made my decision: I am going to provide this service for my clients.
Sure enough, I looked up, and there was everyone I needed to make it happen. And, as I sat down to brainstorm the possibilities, I realized that I had the people around me to not only get the books done, but to help the authors build their business muscles as well. It quickly transformed from Book Production to Launch in a matter of a few hours.
………….
Again, feeling completely sick to my stomach, I took a deep breath and took the “point of no return” step – I SHARED the idea with my clients. “Okay, so the Dare to Dream Event is going to happen on March 3, 2012, and I want to feature a few of my authors on the stage with me and Lisa. That gives us 6 months to finish writing and get the books into print. It’s the first time I’ve ever done this, and I’m sure we’ll make some mistakes, but I’m committed to making this happen, if you want to play…”
I’ve never seen so many eyes light up with excitement…and fear.
And for the next few weeks, I received email after email. “So, do you have that program mapped out yet? Do you know how much it’s going to cost? Come on, Coach.”
————–
I had made the decision, but I had made it quietly. I brainstormed by myself. I made a few phone calls and did some research on what a program like that would/should cost. I played with possibilities. I had made a decision, but I had made it quietly.
It wasn’t until I SHARED IT with people
who were hungry for this type of support
that I started to manifest the dream…
because I didn’t want to let them down.
Sharing it with them forced ACCOUNTABILITY and ACTION. I had a serious deadline to meet for them, so I couldn’t stay in “dream it up mode” for very long. It was time to take action and get it done…because they were waiting.
It’s not enough to say YES and make the decision. We have to SHARE it with people who are hungry for it. We have to promise them that we are going to figure it out and provide a solution for the problem they are facing. We have to promise to stay true to our intention of serving the ones we are here to serve…by the time we tell them we’ll serve them.