It's About Mountain Climbing

I've been working on a book for a little over a year. It started out as a small-ish audio project, then it got bigger. (If you've ever seen one of my plays then you've witnessed my tendency to cram a little too much into every production.) At some point I realized I had written enough to fill 180 pages, and then the project got more complicated.

Now, it's a year later, and I've revised the whole thing a couple of times. I've also returned to audio. I am producing the audio version of the book first. The pod-book / book-cast version will feature the voices of some of my favorite people and the work of recording all this has been a lot of fun.

That's the work I'm doing now. Recording, editing, assembling. It's really taking shape and I'm getting excited.

Meanwhile, some folks have been kind enough to inquire about the book, to express enthusiasm about it, and to ask, "What's it about, anyway?"

Welllllllll... I've never been great at summing up my creative projects in a pithy-elevator-pitch kind of way. (Apologies to all the marketers who have suffered on my account. I see you laughing. I'm laughing, too.)

Right now, the title in my head is "Ready for Action - The Art and Science of Finishing What Matters." I'd give that title a 6.7 out of 10. If you've got a better idea, please let me know.

Without further preamble, here, in these following paragraphs, is the answer to "What's it about, anyway?"

Part of the story of my adult life is that I considered myself very skilled at overcoming difficulties – including my own laziness, and the never-ending distractions of the world – to put in work, harness my creativity, and make great art with people I loved.

I was very proud of myself. I thought I was HOT SHIT.

However, when I entered the world of Positive Psychology, I started to see things in a different light. I realized how much I could still learn about the processes of making change, overcoming challenges, and doing meaningful work.

I learned more about how the brain works and about how our evolution impacts our attempts to improve our lives. I came to understand the interlocking systems in our minds, and how to take advantage of them to make personal growth easier and more fulfilling.

It’s very much a case of having more tools in the toolbox and therefore being more capable of dealing with whatever life throws at me.

Being here now, at this intersection between the old me and the new me, between art and science – I’m able to combine the lessons that I learned in my years as a working artist with the science I’ve studied as a Positive Psychology practitioner and coach. The result looks something like a map. And that map can take you from where you are to where you want to be.

As you look at that map, you see a mountain. It is intimidating. Jagged and craggy, its peak is waaaay above the tree line. You see thousands of feet of grey rock on its face, capped by snow and ice.

That is where you are headed.

And at the top of that mountain is the change you want to make, the work you want do. It’s your ultimate goal in starting out on the journey.

If staring at that mountain, as it towers above the forest and the valley, fills you with a measure of fear as well as excitement, then you have an appropriate apprehension of how difficult and incredible the process of changing your life can be.

It’s quite a ways to the top, so you’re going to want to get started right away. At the same time, that goal is really important to you, so it’s worth putting some time and effort into planning your path. And your chances of success will be greatly improved if you build up your mountain-climbing abilities and pick up some useful skills along the way.

Those skills are the waypoints on the map, along your route, and they are the chapters in the book. Each section details a tangible, useful, practical skill, an action that will help you accomplish what matters most. Together, those achievement skills are a system.

The great thing about approaching this problem in a systematic manner is that the processes you learn in approaching this mountain are transferable and reliable. When it’s time to climb the next mountain, you’ll know what to do. You’ll know how start. For any goal, you can look at the map, follow the system of waypoints, and make meaningful change.

And it works for all kinds of change and all kinds of projects, These skills work whether you're a gardener, an athlete, a parent, a rock star, an executive, or all of the above. I really believe that and I've seen it action time and again.

Getting you ready to climb the mountain. That’s what the book is about. Ready for action. When you finish reading/listening, you’ll already be part way up the slope, at the first camp, pack on your back, poles in hand, heading for the summit.

And I’d wager that once you learn how to do it, mountain climbing (in this metaphorical way) will become a regular part of your life.

Thanks for reading.

If you want to know more about the book, e.g. when and how to get it, go here: https://mailchi.mp/52f2ebac23b7/i-wrote-a-book