I think I told you this before, you should do something way easier than write a book: open a document, title it something cool, create a table of contents, start writing random chaper headlines and then open it each day and chip away at a section each day for 30-60 minutes. at the end of the month, you'll know what to do next. trying to perfectly plan a book at the beginning is impossible because no one knows what they are doing. this works if you want to turn it into a proposal too.
For what it's worth, I had a ton of fun writing mine without deadlines or playbooks for 14 months. It was damn hard, but not stressful. It's possible for sure
But also, I am not a NYT best-seller and I hope to never be one!
I had been stuck on whether to leave my job and pursue something else for the last 3 years. It paid well, was close to home, I knew all the tricks of the trade. But I wasn’t learning, wasn’t growing and there was no room to grow at the company.
I finally took the leap a couple of weeks ago and start a new role in January. Even if this doesn’t end up being the perfect fit, at least I know I’m trying something to move forward.
Thanks for your post, I hope we both have a great new year in 2026.
I love my job, and I’ve realized that rather than advancing within my role, the real opportunity is to advance my writing because the trust I’ve built allows me to work with near-complete autonomy.
Yes, busy doing the same things. I can relate. I've toyed with starting a Podcast and collaborating with people I respect to be speakers about longevity. I've also thought about working with small cohort groups on what holds them back from making important lifestyle changes and hosting small weekend retreats. All good thoughts but have not acted on any of them - until now. I'm moving forward with the podcast idea.
I'm a serial over-committer. I am curious about so many things, I ideate constantly and see opportunities to create things everywhere. When I was in the corporate world, it worked well, as I was paid for my creativity and ability to get stuff done, and I had teams that would execute almost as quickly as I conceptualized. But since going out on my own 15 years ago - without a team - I'm constantly starting more things than I can ever deliver. This isn't just about "work", I over-planted pumpkin seeds in my backyard 2 years in a row, and they strangled each other out, and all died....twice! Even though I saw it as a metaphor for my life, the habit persists. I first convinced myself that the problem wasn't planting too many seeds but not pruning back those that weren't growing well, so that those that were could truly blossom. While my pruning skills have improved considerably, I've never come close to growing an impressive pumpkin. Like you, I find myself ruminating about that "Sara, seriously- you have skills, resources, and tolerance for doing hard things. Build something that you can be proud of. You just have to choose, prune-like hell, invest and focus". But at the end of the day - actually for 15 years - I haven't done so. The cliched response is that I'm afraid of failure. Or that by over-committing, then pruning, I'm self-sabotaging. And maybe that's so. But I don't think so. As a career coach, I'm well aware that we all make decisions based on our hierarchy of values. For me, the top five, in order, are: freedom, family, novelty, impact, and then curiosity (which is really a form of novelty). And, if I'm honest with myself, I have created exactly what I want. The "benefit" of having too much going on (my days are anything but consistent or disciplined) is that I get the novelty that I crave (as well as the freedom to be spontaneous, follow my curiosity and be with my family). I also get the impact I crave through the 1:1 and group coaching clients that I serve; it doesn't look like something significant and noteworthy, but to my clients, it is, and for now, at least - that's enough for me. Something I need to remember as I sit down to prune my 2026 goals!
Great piece. A year ago I bought a radiology imaging center. I had been working on buying one for 2 years but as a side project. Then 1.5 years ago I decided it was go time and sold my shares of my prior practice and went all in on buying my own. Getting through the buying process was very difficult. Dealing with banks, lawyers, insurances, sellers, etc. I’m not sure I would have figured it all out if still had the safety net of my prior practice.
i’ve written two books (self-published). if you feel this deep desire and knowing that a book is in your future, it’s probably just a matter of taking one small step at a time. one chapter at a time. it was helpful for me to make the whole outline first and do one chapter at a time.
i’ve been in this period of stuckness and stagnancy with respect to building my new business to scale detox to the mainstream, but i’m finally feeling like the energy is shifting heading into the year of the horse and away from the year of the snake.
This post hit me. My book (Referral Secret of the Elite Trusted Advisor) has been +98% complete for +3 years.
In every way that matters, it's ready.
Even featuring a recorded podcast with big name in my industry. The shows been sitting on ice and has read it, given the thumbs up (he ended up writing the epilogue).
John Lee Dumas (EoFire podcast) wrote the foreword (years ago now).
Alex Hormozi gave the thumbs up for the 4 word epigraph, "there are no rules," But...
That killer "d" word, delay, has snuck in.
My (lame) excuses... A book is personal, it's got to be perfect, the message has evolved, I need to update it blah, blah, blah.
What I've realized, we're trained from a young age to think... Wow, an author? That's huge! A published book? That's huge, but...
It's not.
What is a book, really? It's a content delivery mechanism that has been branded a "big thing," but the reality, it's not.
It's your linkedIn posts organized by chapters, that's it! It's just delivered on paper (digital too, or course).
The making the bigger deal of it, at least for me, has played into why the D word has paused all.
>>For you Justin, you have an encyclopedia of content lol. With the ai tools to organize and generate a book in record speed, I say write your book!
I wonder if you had been writing that book when the idea first presented itself, would you have traveled all over the US with Jen meeting people you've inspired? Would you have given yourself the time and space to pour into your personal relationships? Would you have given your Unsubscribe readers the best of you? It sounds like you are listening to your path - not what the world says your path should be. Whatever you decide, it will be the right decision and I find a ton of piece in that. It reminds me of the quote I used to ruminate on a bunch - wherever you go, go with all your heart.
Could you consider self-publishing? With your network of connections and dedicated fans, it might be easier to pursue self-publishing and promotion. Or explore a completely different approach.
Also, I love the idea of changing our environment. I recently changed mine to step out of my comfort zone and stimulate my mind, and now I am surrounded by luminaries.
For a long time, I did not take my goals and dreams seriously because I did not think I was worthy of them.
Now my mind is shifting: I am thinking bigger and believing I can accomplish more.
Spending time with highly successful people shows me they are just like everyone else, but with a different mindset, one of feeling they deserve success.
After years of not dreaming big or feeling unworthy of my dreams, I am setting a new course with new adventures and the belief that I truly deserve them.
I wish you every success with your decision, my friend. You have a powerful story that can help many people on their journey.
I felt as though you were writing this to me Justin. I had been sitting on a book project for at least three years. It took moving to a new city in another province and reshaping my business to create enough white space to be able to think before I finally got my fingers on the keyboard….and then the floodgates opened. My new challenge - trying to sleep because my mind is so focused and hungry to write that it’s hard to settle after my daily writing sessions. It’s a labour of love and I ‘m in the early stages. The difference maker is that I’m finally crystal clear about wanting to commit to the writing and where I am taking this work. Stay the course!
"You can’t make a good decision about something big when there’s no space to make it." This is the core of the matter. Ambitions and lofty goals stay those when you haven't made space to create something new. For me that's a new house, a new community, a new job, a new mindset, a new/refreshed network - and all in the past 6 months. Now I need downtime to settle in and give myself the space to 'decide' what that next big project will be and the space to act on it with intention.
I had been stuck with the decision of managing my business and my full time job side by side. However, upon detailed analysis, I knew I couldn't leave either one of them, because my job was fuelling by business. Working for 1.5 years, 16 hours+ daily, managing both of them, I have finally quit my job this Dec 15 and I am able to work on my business 24x7. It took a whole lot of guts, sleepless nights but i made it. Justin's content really sailed me through. If anybody is reading this, I really want to tell them, that they should read and apply justin's content. Without application, whatever you read is worthless.
When I've had to make big decisions in the past, one thing that helped me quickly learn if it was the right thing to do was to simply get started. Within a few days, I just knew -- deep within my gut -- that it was either the right thing to do or it was time to pivot. And I specifically use the word "pivot" because I previously considered it to be either "quitting" or "failure". But if you're true to what you're gut is telling you, you're not truly "quitting" or "failing", you're simply pivoting to what's of value to you.
Because at the end of the day, we all have only so much time. So when uncertain of what to do, perhaps the thing to do is just "give it a shot". And if it feels wrong, then perhaps it's not the thing to do. Or perhaps the timing just isn't right. But I'm a believer that you'll likely "just know".
P.S. The book "Failing Forward" by John C. Maxwell is a great read that's quasi-aligned to this. I highly recommend it often.
Perhaps also give yourself a break, not making a decision at all is also sometimes a completely valid and useful strategy - prevarication can be a strength not just a weakness! Look at Elizabeth the first, prevarication expert of decades. There are decisions I too have not made, and I wonder sometimes if I am delaying from fear of doing something I perceive as very important to my life goals as a way of not facing the prospect of judgment or failure. Easier just to do the day to day and never fail. Then I think, there is also a season for all things, and maybe the season for doing that thing just isn’t here yet. Maybe it’s meant to be the season for just enjoying and being in the day to day. It’s beautiful too. Happy holidays and have a great 2026 whatever season it is! :)
A bird sings because it wants to, not because it needs to. Having the space to think *may* let a book arise, but it's definitely not something to commence unless you're compelled to share something worth saying that needs the length of a book. I always laugh when someone mentions the whole New York Times bestseller line, because the legacy is defined by the idea within the book itself, not what trophy it has based on sells (which people may not have even finished reading!). This piece resonated with me, and I agree on having space to think but also combining that with the urgency to act.
I think I told you this before, you should do something way easier than write a book: open a document, title it something cool, create a table of contents, start writing random chaper headlines and then open it each day and chip away at a section each day for 30-60 minutes. at the end of the month, you'll know what to do next. trying to perfectly plan a book at the beginning is impossible because no one knows what they are doing. this works if you want to turn it into a proposal too.
For what it's worth, I had a ton of fun writing mine without deadlines or playbooks for 14 months. It was damn hard, but not stressful. It's possible for sure
But also, I am not a NYT best-seller and I hope to never be one!
This is gold dust brother. Wow. Thank you 🙏🏻
I had been stuck on whether to leave my job and pursue something else for the last 3 years. It paid well, was close to home, I knew all the tricks of the trade. But I wasn’t learning, wasn’t growing and there was no room to grow at the company.
I finally took the leap a couple of weeks ago and start a new role in January. Even if this doesn’t end up being the perfect fit, at least I know I’m trying something to move forward.
Thanks for your post, I hope we both have a great new year in 2026.
Hell yeah. Congrats, Dan! Good luck and Happy Holidays.
Congrats! I too am pivoting from a similar situation. It takes real courage to grow because it's hard stuff and nobody will do it for you.
I love my job, and I’ve realized that rather than advancing within my role, the real opportunity is to advance my writing because the trust I’ve built allows me to work with near-complete autonomy.
Great story Dan. If you’re learning and doing something you enjoy, success takes care of itself 🔥
Thanks Dennis. Agreed! :)
Thanks Tim, I appreciate it!
Yes, busy doing the same things. I can relate. I've toyed with starting a Podcast and collaborating with people I respect to be speakers about longevity. I've also thought about working with small cohort groups on what holds them back from making important lifestyle changes and hosting small weekend retreats. All good thoughts but have not acted on any of them - until now. I'm moving forward with the podcast idea.
I'm a serial over-committer. I am curious about so many things, I ideate constantly and see opportunities to create things everywhere. When I was in the corporate world, it worked well, as I was paid for my creativity and ability to get stuff done, and I had teams that would execute almost as quickly as I conceptualized. But since going out on my own 15 years ago - without a team - I'm constantly starting more things than I can ever deliver. This isn't just about "work", I over-planted pumpkin seeds in my backyard 2 years in a row, and they strangled each other out, and all died....twice! Even though I saw it as a metaphor for my life, the habit persists. I first convinced myself that the problem wasn't planting too many seeds but not pruning back those that weren't growing well, so that those that were could truly blossom. While my pruning skills have improved considerably, I've never come close to growing an impressive pumpkin. Like you, I find myself ruminating about that "Sara, seriously- you have skills, resources, and tolerance for doing hard things. Build something that you can be proud of. You just have to choose, prune-like hell, invest and focus". But at the end of the day - actually for 15 years - I haven't done so. The cliched response is that I'm afraid of failure. Or that by over-committing, then pruning, I'm self-sabotaging. And maybe that's so. But I don't think so. As a career coach, I'm well aware that we all make decisions based on our hierarchy of values. For me, the top five, in order, are: freedom, family, novelty, impact, and then curiosity (which is really a form of novelty). And, if I'm honest with myself, I have created exactly what I want. The "benefit" of having too much going on (my days are anything but consistent or disciplined) is that I get the novelty that I crave (as well as the freedom to be spontaneous, follow my curiosity and be with my family). I also get the impact I crave through the 1:1 and group coaching clients that I serve; it doesn't look like something significant and noteworthy, but to my clients, it is, and for now, at least - that's enough for me. Something I need to remember as I sit down to prune my 2026 goals!
Great piece. A year ago I bought a radiology imaging center. I had been working on buying one for 2 years but as a side project. Then 1.5 years ago I decided it was go time and sold my shares of my prior practice and went all in on buying my own. Getting through the buying process was very difficult. Dealing with banks, lawyers, insurances, sellers, etc. I’m not sure I would have figured it all out if still had the safety net of my prior practice.
Congrats, Ankur. That's awesome :)
i’ve written two books (self-published). if you feel this deep desire and knowing that a book is in your future, it’s probably just a matter of taking one small step at a time. one chapter at a time. it was helpful for me to make the whole outline first and do one chapter at a time.
i’ve been in this period of stuckness and stagnancy with respect to building my new business to scale detox to the mainstream, but i’m finally feeling like the energy is shifting heading into the year of the horse and away from the year of the snake.
This post hit me. My book (Referral Secret of the Elite Trusted Advisor) has been +98% complete for +3 years.
In every way that matters, it's ready.
Even featuring a recorded podcast with big name in my industry. The shows been sitting on ice and has read it, given the thumbs up (he ended up writing the epilogue).
John Lee Dumas (EoFire podcast) wrote the foreword (years ago now).
Alex Hormozi gave the thumbs up for the 4 word epigraph, "there are no rules," But...
That killer "d" word, delay, has snuck in.
My (lame) excuses... A book is personal, it's got to be perfect, the message has evolved, I need to update it blah, blah, blah.
What I've realized, we're trained from a young age to think... Wow, an author? That's huge! A published book? That's huge, but...
It's not.
What is a book, really? It's a content delivery mechanism that has been branded a "big thing," but the reality, it's not.
It's your linkedIn posts organized by chapters, that's it! It's just delivered on paper (digital too, or course).
The making the bigger deal of it, at least for me, has played into why the D word has paused all.
>>For you Justin, you have an encyclopedia of content lol. With the ai tools to organize and generate a book in record speed, I say write your book!
I wonder if you had been writing that book when the idea first presented itself, would you have traveled all over the US with Jen meeting people you've inspired? Would you have given yourself the time and space to pour into your personal relationships? Would you have given your Unsubscribe readers the best of you? It sounds like you are listening to your path - not what the world says your path should be. Whatever you decide, it will be the right decision and I find a ton of piece in that. It reminds me of the quote I used to ruminate on a bunch - wherever you go, go with all your heart.
Could you consider self-publishing? With your network of connections and dedicated fans, it might be easier to pursue self-publishing and promotion. Or explore a completely different approach.
Also, I love the idea of changing our environment. I recently changed mine to step out of my comfort zone and stimulate my mind, and now I am surrounded by luminaries.
For a long time, I did not take my goals and dreams seriously because I did not think I was worthy of them.
Now my mind is shifting: I am thinking bigger and believing I can accomplish more.
Spending time with highly successful people shows me they are just like everyone else, but with a different mindset, one of feeling they deserve success.
After years of not dreaming big or feeling unworthy of my dreams, I am setting a new course with new adventures and the belief that I truly deserve them.
I wish you every success with your decision, my friend. You have a powerful story that can help many people on their journey.
Justin you are not a traditional type of person. Why write a book the way everyone else does it?
What's Justin's way of writing a book? The way that steps off the default path.
If you stop by temecula or are down in San diego county im around! Been a long time since our hangout in Nashville.
I felt as though you were writing this to me Justin. I had been sitting on a book project for at least three years. It took moving to a new city in another province and reshaping my business to create enough white space to be able to think before I finally got my fingers on the keyboard….and then the floodgates opened. My new challenge - trying to sleep because my mind is so focused and hungry to write that it’s hard to settle after my daily writing sessions. It’s a labour of love and I ‘m in the early stages. The difference maker is that I’m finally crystal clear about wanting to commit to the writing and where I am taking this work. Stay the course!
Thanks, Debbie! Congrats on the move.
"You can’t make a good decision about something big when there’s no space to make it." This is the core of the matter. Ambitions and lofty goals stay those when you haven't made space to create something new. For me that's a new house, a new community, a new job, a new mindset, a new/refreshed network - and all in the past 6 months. Now I need downtime to settle in and give myself the space to 'decide' what that next big project will be and the space to act on it with intention.
Give yourself the space and let's see what happens!
I had been stuck with the decision of managing my business and my full time job side by side. However, upon detailed analysis, I knew I couldn't leave either one of them, because my job was fuelling by business. Working for 1.5 years, 16 hours+ daily, managing both of them, I have finally quit my job this Dec 15 and I am able to work on my business 24x7. It took a whole lot of guts, sleepless nights but i made it. Justin's content really sailed me through. If anybody is reading this, I really want to tell them, that they should read and apply justin's content. Without application, whatever you read is worthless.
When I've had to make big decisions in the past, one thing that helped me quickly learn if it was the right thing to do was to simply get started. Within a few days, I just knew -- deep within my gut -- that it was either the right thing to do or it was time to pivot. And I specifically use the word "pivot" because I previously considered it to be either "quitting" or "failure". But if you're true to what you're gut is telling you, you're not truly "quitting" or "failing", you're simply pivoting to what's of value to you.
Because at the end of the day, we all have only so much time. So when uncertain of what to do, perhaps the thing to do is just "give it a shot". And if it feels wrong, then perhaps it's not the thing to do. Or perhaps the timing just isn't right. But I'm a believer that you'll likely "just know".
P.S. The book "Failing Forward" by John C. Maxwell is a great read that's quasi-aligned to this. I highly recommend it often.
Perhaps also give yourself a break, not making a decision at all is also sometimes a completely valid and useful strategy - prevarication can be a strength not just a weakness! Look at Elizabeth the first, prevarication expert of decades. There are decisions I too have not made, and I wonder sometimes if I am delaying from fear of doing something I perceive as very important to my life goals as a way of not facing the prospect of judgment or failure. Easier just to do the day to day and never fail. Then I think, there is also a season for all things, and maybe the season for doing that thing just isn’t here yet. Maybe it’s meant to be the season for just enjoying and being in the day to day. It’s beautiful too. Happy holidays and have a great 2026 whatever season it is! :)
A bird sings because it wants to, not because it needs to. Having the space to think *may* let a book arise, but it's definitely not something to commence unless you're compelled to share something worth saying that needs the length of a book. I always laugh when someone mentions the whole New York Times bestseller line, because the legacy is defined by the idea within the book itself, not what trophy it has based on sells (which people may not have even finished reading!). This piece resonated with me, and I agree on having space to think but also combining that with the urgency to act.