What a crazy week it has been. We have just returned from the mountains for a conference of mine. And amidst our work on a variety of our normal contracts while we were there, Megan and I have both been hurling through our list of items to complete before the book is released.
Yes, for those who might not know, the actual book is done and it’s on schedule to be released in February. And even though the writing is done, we are still scrambling to prepare everything that needs to be completed before we are ready to start selling. The actual text of the book is in the hands of our designer undergoing interior layout in preparation for the printer. But as we wait for her to get the formatting complete, we are moving forward in a number of other areas, most importantly completing a website specific to the book itself, completing our book trailer and preparing for the release event, not to mention organizing the financial aspects of book sales, learning about taxes, and organizing ourselves for each of those components.
What has been interesting to me over the last month and more specifically the last week has been the ways Megan and I find ourselves engaging with the work around the book, compared to our action around other projects. Even the most mundane of tasks for the book has flowed from our actions with grace and naturalness, even if it is a topic area where we are often uncomfortable.
In comparison, the times that we have had to focus our efforts on other projects to make sure that our other areas of emphasis are not lost in the midst have been the most daunting they’ve ever seemed. Both of us have found great resistance to completing them. Indeed, our passion and love has become increasingly more focused around the book itself, and the work that we will hopefully be able to do as a result of its publication. We also noticed that the more energy and commitment we apply to it, the further it can grow and impact a wider and wider audience.
The question for us is, there are only so many hours in a day, and while we would love to dedicate all of them to efforts on the book, we do have to meet our other obligations. How then, do we maintain the same excitement and vigor for these other projects that, while they may not be entirely out of our vision or mission are not the central focus of where we need to be going? For me, it has been to acknowledge the purpose that they do serve, providing a basic income, allowing us to put food on the table and supporting us to move toward the bigger picture even in the slightest way, always knowing the central effort needs to remain in clear focus of the vision itself.
As you know, it has been quite some time since I last posted on this blog, and now that the main writing portion of the book has been fulfilled, I trust that my voice will have a stronger presence once again, bringing you the latest insights that we continually seem to find ourselves in.