TRANSCRIPT

Hi, i the previous video, I gave a summary of the Unstoppable Author Framework, which consists of devoting time each day to four aspects of your life.

The first part of this framework is “health,” and a favorite quote of mine that brings this into focus for me:

“A healthy man has a thousand dreams. A sick man has one.”

I heard this quote, attributed to Confucius, when I was young, and it has stuck with me for decades. In a simple way, this quote makes it crystal-clear how important health is.

If you’re unhealthy, your dream of becoming a published picture book author takes a backseat to your dream of simply wanting to feel better.

That’s why the first part of the Unstoppable Author Framework is: Health. Focus on your wellbeing.

Now I know your health may seem somewhat unrelated to getting published, but it is essential. If you’re sick, you won’t feel creative, so you won’t write. If you’re recovering from an illness, you won’t have much energy, so you won’t feel like sending out query letters. Well, guess what. If you’re not writing and not sending out query letters, you’re not going to get published.

I know with the overload of information about health on the internet, it’s easy to feel confused about how to actually focus on your wellbeing.

The Unstoppable Author Framework simplifies health into two components:

First is exercise. It doesn’t matter what you do… yoga, walking, kickboxing. What matters is that you do it – consistently – every day. Even on the weekends. I’m not talking about spending hours in the gym. Spend just15 minutes a day moving your body, getting your heart rate up and sweating. That’s it.

Second, eat something healthy every day. Now, for me, every morning, I have a smoothie. Not an expensive Jamba Juice sugar bomb, but a healthy smoothie I make at home. All I do is toss frozen kale, frozen spinach and some frozen fruit into a blender and mix it up. That’s it. Regardless of what I eat the rest of the day, I know that I’ve eaten at least one healthy thing. And who knows? Eating one healthy item a day may inspire you to eat more nutritiously throughout the rest of the day.

Now I recommend that you get your exercise and nutrition done first thing in the morning. There are a couple of reasons for doing this. First, if you say you're going to do it later, chances are you won’t. It’s too easy for distractions at work or with the kids to come up. Before you know it, the day is over. Not only will you have missed out on an opportunity to take care of yourself, but you’ll also feel bad or guilty that you neglected your health.

But the most important reason for doing these two items first is that, no matter what happens the rest of the day, you’ll feel proud of yourself for accomplishing something that’s good for you. This positive feeling is part of the virtuous cycle I talked about in the “Commitment” video. When you do something that makes you feel good... something that makes you feel good about yourself, you’re more inclined to repeat that behavior.

Now, in the next video, I’ll cover the second part of the Unstoppable Author Framework that covers the relationships in your life.

Thanks so much for watching. If you got any value out of this video, please like it, subscribe to my channel and share the video with other aspiring picture book authors.