Well, I went and did it. After years of wanting to, thinking about it, talking about it, and playing around with it I finally got busy and finished writing a book that had started with a few paragraphs typed on a laptop in a cabaña on a Puerto Rican beach.
I don’t live in Puerto Rico. My wife and I were on a vacation/award/business trip with a bunch of people on my business team. Even though the company was paying for everything it wasn’t a pure vacation because many of the people were on my sales and marketing team; and I’ve always taken leadership very seriously…
Anyway, after 25 years of travelling the world and leading sales teams I was feeling restless.
It wasn’t total burnout, but I was getting close.
My wife and I had reserved a beach cabaña for the day and I’m still not sure what caused me to grab my laptop on the way out the door.
I’d always enjoyed writing and when I was younger I seriously thought about trying to make a profession of it, but the starving artist lifestyle just held no attraction for me. So I can promise you that I didn’t set out this day to become a writer – the words just started coming out of me.
At the incredibly lavish resort we were staying at, beach cabañas were large king-size beds strewn with pillows and covered with a thatched roof – perfect for enjoying ocean breezes from the shade of a brilliant sun while servers occasionally appeared out of nowhere bearing piña coladas and other such essentials.
I opened my laptop and typed:
Book Ideas – Gran Melia Cabaña – Puerto Rico
April 10, 2010
I sat there looking at it for a few seconds and then something incredible happened. All these thoughts starting forming in my head and I just couldn’t type fast enough. By end of day I had thousands of words written, but more importantly – I felt alive again!
Now I would love to tell you that I immediately pursued my newly re-found dream and started writing full-time. The truth is I returned home, put the laptop in the closet, and returned to making a living for myself and my family.
It wasn’t until four years later that I dusted off that laptop and got serious about finishing that book. I finally published it almost four and one-half years later (to the day) from sitting in that Puerto Rican cabaña. Of course, we’re talking about Here Comes Earth.
God help me, but I’ve now made the crazy decision to pursue writing as a full-time career.
This could be the most foolish thing I’ve ever done; or it could be the most liberating thing I’ve ever accomplished. I know for sure it is the scariest career decision I’ve ever made!
I’m curious to know if there are others out there that have gone through what I’ve gone through… maybe not actually writing a book or changing careers, but have you ever just had the urge to write something? Where you couldn’t get the words on paper fast enough?
Have you gone through what I went through? Wanting to write but needing to pursue a more lucrative career?
It would be comforting to know that I’m not the only insane person out there – because I assure you, there are times I think I’m certifiable…
I would enjoy knowing your thoughts and hearing about your experiences. Please feel free to comment below and start a dialogue.
Meanwhile, I’ll keep working on my next book and post some thoughts on this blog from time to time. Someone suggested that as a new author there might be some value in blogging about my journey and experiences (both good and bad) so that’s what I’ll do. You can cheer me on, shake your head at my foolishness, or laugh at my naiveté… spending decades in sales and marketing has given me a very thick skin.
So I really would enjoy hearing your impressions, both positive and negative and I’ll try to be as open and candid as possible.
Thank you – WLG