When I finished writing my book last December, there was a moment of real growth in that experience that I sense is inherent in any brave and bold steps we take in our lives.
I delivered the final manuscript to the publisher on December 5 at 3:30 p.m.
Now in reflection, I realize that the last two weeks of writing had a lot to do with finding something deep inside that transforms words into heart --- even in a business book. The experience is humbling and scarey. At my lowest point, I even thought about the "itsy bitsy spider" ...
“The itsy bitsy spider climbed up the water spout. Down came the rain and washed the spider out. Out came the sun and dried up all the rain, and the itsy bitsy spider climbed up the spout again.”
There was a day that I found out two key chapters had to be rewritten. It meant I would not make the original deadline. My editor was kind, tough and firm coach. It shocked me. It stunned me into this deep down low that I'm not sure I've experienced before. I temporarily lost my confidence; could hardly remember what I was writing about and couldn't type a sentence. One day I spent 8 hours "trying" --- I read what I wrote to a dear friend, "Not good! Too complicated," she told me in a soft voice.
The following day, when I got up, "I pulled my socks up" and decided I would open one of my favorite inspirational books to a page I had never read; one with no highlights or underlines from other times; hoping to find inspiration to pull myself up. This is the story that was on the page...
... a small boy named Henry had hardly begun his recitation of his lessons in class when the teacher interrupted him with an emphatic "No." He started again from the beginning, but in great confusion sat down when his teacher uttered a stern "No!" When the next student also heard a resounding "No," he continued to the end of his lesson without stopping. "Very well," the teacher said. Henry complained, "Hey, I recited just as he did." The teacher replied, "That is not enough," she replied. "It is not enough to know your lesson; you must be sure. When you allowed me to stop you, it meant that you were uncertain. If all the world says "no," your business is to say "Yes" and prove it."
It was one of those moments Gandhi talked about, "When you're after a righteous cause, people pop out of the pavement to help you." In this case, John Homer Miller, an author I never heard of from a time before me was that person. This story was a turning point that helped me reach inside to find my own authentic voice and prove it. It changed everything and me.
What experiences have you had when the world was telling you, "No," but you've reached inside to find the courage to say "Yes! and prove it" ?
Those moments of strength are treasures to revisit when you need them most.
Debbe
Debbe Kennedy
Author and founder, Global Dialogue Center
Home of Women in the Lead
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