TRANSCRIPT

Hi, in the last video, we talked about the first part of the Unstoppable Author Framework… health. This video will cover the second part… heart.

I want you to imagine something: Imagine it's many years from now you’re in your study. Your best-selling books line the bookshelves. Your writing awards and framed articles about you hang on the walls. Your study itself is in your dream house that you were able to afford because of your successful career as a writer.

This is your dream come true. It’s what we’re all striving for, right?

Now imagine that you have all this success – but you have no one in your life to share this success with.

Your spouse is long gone because you put your writing career above them. Your children no longer talk to you because you weren’t there for them when they were growing up. Your siblings and friends stopped reaching out to you because you had stopped reaching out to them. You have everything you’ve dreamed of. But none of it matters without loved ones to share your success with.

Building deep and meaningful relationships in your life takes more than simply having loved ones in your life. It takes effort. Think of the relationships in your life like an ATM: you need to make daily deposits in the people you care about in order to build up a savings of goodwill so that they will be there for you when you’re ready to make a withdrawal.

So now imagine that you finally get that email from a publisher saying they want to publish your book. You’re of course thrilled about this and you go to share the news with your spouse, children, siblings, friends, your parents. If you’ve been depositing into the people around you, they’ll be as excited and proud of you as you are of yourself. Because of your actions, they’ll know how much you love them, and that love will be returned in a way that even outshines your excitement of finally getting published.

Because of the importance of relationships, this is the second part of the Unstoppable Author Framework is: Heart. Focus on your relationships.

Like health, this doesn’t need to be anything over the top, but it does need to be consistent.

First, make a daily deposit. Every day, give to a loved one in a simple way…a text saying I love you, a note saying I appreciate you. A phone call saying thank you. Connect with at least one person each day. And then the next day, connect with another. And so on.

As an example of this, I used to put notes in my kids’ lunch bags when they were in school. And even when my youngest daughter was in high school, I kept the notes going. But instead of just saying have a great day or I love you, which was fine when she was younger, I’d send riddles or jokes so that she could share these with her friends at lunchtime. Now this may seem silly or unnecessary, but this small act made a connection with her and it showed my daughter that I loved her and was thinking about her.

So that's part one. Part two is to plan a date night if you’re married. And again, this doesn’t have to be anything fancy or expensive, but a date night, date breakfast, date walk – anything that demonstrates to your spouse that you love them – that will continue to keep that ATM full.

Now focusing on your relationships has added benefits as well. Studies show that meaningful relationships improve mental and physical health, increase happiness and create a sense of belonging.

So what do you think about the importance of relationships as a part of building your career? I’d love to get your thoughts in the comments.

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.