The Full Monty

Published on
June 23, 2014
Author
Chris Taylor
"Ideas are only valuable when applied."
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I launched a book yesterday. My first book. A book about something that matters to me. And, completely unexpectedly, it’s been a nerve-wracking experience.

For a little context here, I write, speak and “put myself out there” for a living. I’m constantly standing in front of a room full of strangers, sharing my enthusiasm and passion for this program, or that book. And it honestly doesn’t faze me very often. But writing the book was different.

This isn’t a book about my business beliefs, it’s a book about my core beliefs. Who I am, fundamentally. And it’s scary, man! To put your true self out there. To expose yourself to the criticisms, skepticisms and (even worse) nonchalance of the public. I never realized before how much “protection” there was in having a company name to hide behind. To leverage the concepts from top authors and thought leaders and the confidence that comes with speaking to their (pre-determined and already existing) audience.

So it’s nerve-wracking, but I launched the book anyway. For a couple reasons:

  1. I believe it was Seth that said, “the fear you feel is an indication of something worth pursuing.
  2. I believe in this book. I believe in the importance of the message, and it’s ability to give others the courage to be proactive in their own lives. (And that alone means more to me than the fear of failure. Of not being good enough.)
  3. I have a close knit group of friends who believe in me. Who are celebrating this with me and whom I don’t want to disappoint.
  4. I think being a published author is very, very cool. (What, they couldn’t all be serious, right?)

So my stomach is in knots, I’m giddy with enthusiasm, and I have a profound new respect for authors everywhere. (As if the respect wasn’t deep enough already!) I’m reminded of how easy it is to pass judgement from the sidelines, and how rewarding it can be to get on the field and actually play. Strangely, I think this could become an addictive process.

The trailer is below, and you can get a limited edition hard cover copy here.

If you do decide to pick up a copy, post a comment below to let us know what resonated! I’d love to hear from you. Thanks for your support.