“Going the extra mile is a priceless concept because I believe all of the great things in life can be discovered within that proverbial extra mile. Many people miss the power of this concept because they are waiting to go the extra mile until they get into their chosen field or the area of life where they are hoping to be successful.”
~ Jim Stovall
We Live in Challenging and Uncertain Times… What Are You going to Contribute?
The Coronavirus is not unique. Plague has devastated populations periodically throughout the ages (and that’s just based on the epidemics we know about). While we don’t know exactly what the fallout from this will be, we know that it will disrupt lives, societies, and industries worldwide, touch most of us, bankrupt some, benefit others.
Most of that will be outside our individual control.
What each of us can control, is our own responses and actions to the challenge and uncertainty.
We still have 24 hours to spend or invest and we can spend them positively in:
- Loving, encouraging, and serving others practically and positively
- Going about our work cheerfully without complaining
- Building our own skills and knowledge through reading and study (video and online courses are fantastic resources for yourself and your family)
- Creating assets for our business and for our own personal brand (books, websites, marketing tools, lead magnets…)
- Being independent, resilient, and compassionate…
- Staying healthy and taking care of ourselves through exercise, good nutrition, fresh air, sunshine, and family-time
OR… We can fritter them away in:
- Watching the news and feeding our minds with panic and negativity
- Binge watching TV shows and comfort eating
- Complaining about the situation and talking on the phone incessantly
It doesn’t really matter whether you or I think the government has chosen the best possible course of action in response to this, or not. Since we aren’t part of the solution on a macro level, then it’s best not to fuel it at a micro level.
So, what are you going to do about yourself?
What is YOUR ‘Extra Mile’?
I’ve recently talked to some prospective authors who have said they’re thinking of putting their book on hold and others who want to speed up the writing process. Both groups have reasons for their preferences but I’ve noticed two contrasting factors or attitudes:
- Wherever we end up, I’m going to use this time to grow personally, build assets, and set an example of personal responsibility and resilience because action is better than inaction, and you never know what hidden opportunities will emerge; and
- Right now I don’t want to commit to anything because I don’t know what will happen so I’ll conserve my resources so that I don’t waste my effort.
Maybe writing a book is not your ‘Extra Mile’, but if you’ve realised that a book would help establish your authority and be a key marketing asset, but put it off indefinitely and suddenly your international conferences and other meetings have been cancelled, wouldn’t now be a good time to actually sit down and write it?
I have noticed that the process of writing or working with a ghostwriter on a book helps people uncover unexpected directions and areas of service, so I’d challenge you to take action now and use this time rather than simply sit through it.
Are You Ready to Shape Your Future… and Serve Others?
I’m no prophet and I don’t have enough inside information to do more than guess where this whole thing is headed. Maybe we’ll end up in centralised, controlled society a la Brave New World, but there’s no certainty of that and the widespread presence of the internet would suggest that it’s unlikely to work that way.
The Black Plague in the fourteenth century heralded the end of feudalism. Some people (both landowners and peasants) looked at potential outcomes, took decisive action and went the extra mile, others saw their way of life ending, resisted the change, and lived with the consequences… I don’t believe coronavirus will kill one-third of the population, but I do think that people who step up and take responsibility for their actions will come out of this stronger, wiser, and in greater demand.
Writing your business book is one very positive action you can take. Experience tells me that once you do that, you’ll find a long list of other decisive, momentum-building actions follow.
Observers and Actors
“They stood and watched and did nothing.”
Let’s just start with a caveat… Profiteering and benefiting from other people’s misery is not the kind of action I’m suggesting.
However, let’s assume that what you do helps other people and makes their lives better. Maybe you build houses, nurse the sick, provide insurance, sell cars, comfort the dying, counsel the desperate, manage people’s money, grow food, make or screen movies….
Whatever it may be, you have skills, talents, knowledge, and a willingness to work. Don’t let them go to waste. Whatever shift comes, there will be opportunities to serve and make a difference if you look for them and have the courage to take them.
Would You Be Interested?
I am currently fully booked with ghostwriting projects, but I’ve had many people ask me if I can help them write their own books, especially at the present moment when they are conserving cash but have extra time on their hands.
I already offer the following services:
- Manuscript Review (structural and content suggestions for your existing manuscript)
- Copyediting and Proofreading (final stages to pick up typos etc. prior to typesetting & layout)
- Structural Design & Targeting (helping authors create a framework that bridges the gap between their ideas and expertise and their market gap)
I am considering a self-paced online course to help business authors write their own book and cover both the mechanical and psychological challenges of authorship.
If you are interested, please respond below:
Yes / No.