Most entrepreneurs, speakers, coaches, and leaders will say they want to write a book to benefit their readers—and rightly so. But I’m here to tell you that it’s A-Okay for you to write a book for yourself first.
Why? Because when you invest your time, money, and whole heart into writing a quality book, your writing will require you to develop and clarify your expertise and experience in one coherent place—which will ultimately benefit your reader. You start, however, by putting your own oxygen mask on first.
Here are three great reasons to write a book for YOU.
1. You’ll find out who you really are as an expert, as well as be clear about your message.
A book will require you to organize, focus, and develop your ideas and your message until they’re tightly focused—not just for your audience or prospects, but for yourself. When done well, the process of writing and publishing a book is about discovering, creating, and elevating who you are as an authority in your industry—and in life. Not just anyone gets a book written and published, which is why people are impressed when someone actually publishes her book.
2. You’ll differentiate yourself from other experts in your field.
When Lindsey Schwartz published her bestselling book, The Powerhouse Woman, she had already been doing well for herself in the health and wellness industry. Although she didn’t consider herself a writer at the time, publishing a book made Lindsey stand out in the crowd beyond even what she, herself, had anticipated. For example, Fitposium honored Lindsey as their 2017 Fitpreneur of the year. Then Lululemon invited Lindsey to become an Ambassador for their major fitness brand. By continuing to leverage her book, Lindsey has distinguished herself by holding her third annual Powerhouse Women event, as well as by launching the Powerhouse Woman podcast in 2019—none of which would have happened had she not started writing down her ideas in a book.
3. Your self-confidence will grow exponentially.
Most of us battle “Imposter Syndrome.” Sometimes we don’t think we have enough credentials, experience, or intelligence to claim ourselves as an authority. Once you publish a solid book, your insecurity will take a back seat to your confidence. A published book that you’re proud of will demonstrate to you—and your readers—that you ARE an expert who is ready and capable of changing the world for good.
Book writing is a creative, self-reflexive process with multiple dividends. To produce a quality product, you’ll need to free write, revise, get plenty of feedback, revise some more, refine your ideas, and hire professional assistance to support you as you solidify the message you want to share out loud to make a difference for others.
But the first person you need to make a difference for is yourself. By writing a book and getting to know who YOU are and what you truly have to offer, you’re putting your own oxygen mask on first. After that, you can put an oxygen mask on your readers.