Taking the First Step

It is said that the first step is always the hardest. 

Well, I fianlly took it. I have been talking about writing a book for a while now. I have been writing a blog quite regularly and, I know that some of that material will find its way into the book. I have mulled over the structure, the chapters, what to include and what to exclude. 

And yet, I fear that it won’t be good enough. I fear that nobody will be interested in my story. After all, I am not the first person to write a book about being depressed and recovering. Some pretty famous people have already done that so why do I need to do it?

This is a fear which I have had to deal with for most of my life.  The fear of not being good enough, the fear of failure, the fear of taking that first step. But then I think of all of the times when I overcame that fear and succeeded. 

I was so nervous about being a member of the Michigan Marching Band since I came from a small high school music program and never had private lessons. But I made it and was the top freshman in my section.

I was scared to death of getting my MBA at Michigan but I did it (well, I survived it anyway). More recently, I started on a program to lose weight and lost 85 pounds and became a health coach. I tried to run a quarter mile and couldn’t.  Then, last November, I completed a half marathon.

I have been conditioning my brain to think positively. I have been practicing feeling gratitude. I have broken out of my shell and approached people who I once would have thought were unapproachable. I have taken a class to study my faith.  I have even been taking dancing lessons with my wonderful wife! So many changes. And it’s all because I am changing what I believe.

So here I am, with the introduction and the first chapter of the book written. I feel great, at peace, creative, and ready to write some more. I even have a title already selected for my book and it comes from the Torah. I stumbled upon it by accident. Do you believe in accidents? I don’t. Not anymore.