Purpose in Life

"You're special."

Author's Perspective #1: When you're fighting a disease such as diabetes, it's important to realize that you're special. We are all put on this planet for a reason, a divine purpose. We were all given a gift to share and help others. Many of us feel blessed to live the lives that we live. But, if you truly feel blessed, then, it is your responsibility to "pay it forward", to help others with your blessings. Unfortunately, we are all so busy dealing with life's daily problems* that we just don't have the time to discover how special we are.

*Note: Life's daily problems include family issues, health issues, problems with school, problems at work, trying to keep a job, trying to find a job, trying to pay the bills, figuring out how to get a raise or make more money, and trying to survive the current (or next) economic crisis.

We are each gifted in one way or another. There is something unique about you and your life that could help others as well as help your family -- financially, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. You may not see it right now, your family may not see it, but you are an expert -- in something. There is something that you're good at or were good at when you were growing up.

The "trick" is to figure out what that is -- to figure out your gift so that you can live the life you were meant to live.

Think about it: What did your parents praise you for when you were growing up? What would you do if money were not a concern? What do you really enjoy doing?? What floats your boat?

Your gift may be something that you take for granted. Whenever I get the chance to talk to diabetics and other people, it doesn't take long before I realize that their life story is powerful, inspirational, heart-warming, educational ... but, the person I'm talking to doesn't see what I see! Why? Because they're living that life and they take it for granted! They don't realize that what they've experienced could actually help others!

I recall a young woman telling me during a health coaching consultation: "I wish I had some marketable skills, but I didn't finish college. I had to raise 7 children."

I said: "SAY WHAT? You raised 7 children and you don't think you have any skills? Are you kidding me?"

She said: "What's so special about that? Everyone does it."

I said: "No, they don't!"

Then, I asked her some more questions, and told her that she had several gifts, but she needed to figure out which one or two of them are the most dominant or important to her.

So, you see, you may be good at something and not realize it because you may not think it's that important. There are many things that you could be good at and not realize it. Some examples include: writing, talking, telling stories, raising your kids; taking care of your husband, wife or partner; running the household, cooking, helping others, sports, consoling a friend, providing emotional support, participating in church activities, community volunteer work, debating with others, organizing picnics and other events, entertaining your friends, gossiping, graphics design, driving a car, fixing stuff around the house, science, mathematics ... the list goes on and on!

Now, the world around you may not "see" your value. As a consequence, you will not see your true value. So, you must take it upon yourself to look inside and figure out what is your true value -- that is, your purpose in life and your true gift to your family, your community, or the world.

Author's Perspective #2: Whenever I meet someone after a workshop or when I get the chance to talk to someone on the phone, more times than not, I hear an inspirational story. When I point this out to the person, he or she is shocked to learn that their story is inspirational, that they have a story that will help other people. That they have a story that other people want to hear about.

The challenge that you face is to figure out what makes you special, and, how to help others. And, once you figure out how to help others, you'll be helping yourself and your family. You will discover your true Purpose in Life.

Note: You may be struggling right now physically or financially, but don't despair, don't give up. Once you overcome your struggle, you will find that you now have the power and the insight to help others.

Finding Your Purpose in Life
So, how do you find your true Purpose in Life?

Here's one way: Listen to your inner voice, your true self: -- the Voice of God speaks through your heart, but you have to be still and very quiet to hear the Voice . . . don’t look for God to speak to you like he did with Moses and the Burning Bush . . . he speaks to us everyday, if we just listen quietly.

Get in touch with your true feelings, your calling, your purpose in life, your real passion – it’s not what you want to do, it’s what you want to be. It’s what you were meant to be. Use your personality (the essence of who you are) and everything you’ve learned throughout your life to serve your soul and drive your true passion.

Everybody has a calling, and your real job in life is to figure out what it is you’re called to do.

If you find your Purpose in Life, you will never get tired because you’re fueled by the passion and the energy of trying to fulfill your Purpose in Life.

How will you know that you found your Purpose in Life? You'll know it’s right when it feels right. You'll know it’s right because it gives you your juice. You'll know it’s right because you’d do it for no money if you could. Your passion is what gives your life purpose and meaning . . .

How to Find Your Purpose in Life

How do you discover your real purpose in life? I’m not talking about your job, your daily responsibilities, or even your long-term goals. I mean the real reason why you’re here at all — the very reason you exist.

If you don't believe you have a purpose and that life has no meaning., then, you will struggle and suffer in one or more ways, i.e. financially, emotionally, spiritually, physically, etc.

If you want to discover your true purpose in life, you must first empty your mind of all the false purposes you’ve been taught (including the idea that you may have no purpose at all).

So how do you discover your purpose in life? While there are many ways to do this, some of them fairly involved, here is one of the simplest that anyone can do. The more open you are to this process, and the more you expect it to work, the faster it will work for you. But not being open to it or having doubts about it or thinking it’s an entirely idiotic and meaningless waste of time won’t prevent it from working as long as you stick with it — again, it will just take longer to converge.

Here’s what to do:

Take out a blank sheet of paper or open up a Word document where you can type (I prefer the latter because it’s faster and easier to edit).
Write at the top, “What is my true purpose in life?”
Write an answer (any answer) that pops into your head. It doesn’t have to be a complete sentence. A short phrase is fine.
Repeat step 3 until you write the answer that makes you cry. This is your purpose.

Here’s another way to find your Purpose in Life:

Think about what you're good at or what you like doing, and write it down. For example, I was good at mathematics and I liked to solve problems. Maybe you're good at writing or maybe you like to talk -- that may be your gift!
Think about something else you're good at, and write it down.
When you run out of ideas, ask your partner what he/she thinks you're good at. Then, ask your children, your relatives, your co-workers, ask as many people as possible.
Sort through the list and look for common themes and group them.
Repeat step 4 until you find the answer that makes you cry. This is your purpose.
Some ideas that clients shared with us that they liked doing, but didn't think it would help them to help others or help them to make money: talking, doing someone's hair/nails, driving, dressing up, writing, walking, dancing, going to church, listening to others, cooking, shopping, homemaking, decorating, planning a party, entertaining friends, playing video games, mowing the lawn, gardening, watching TV, talking about sports, talking on the phone, gossiping, etc.
Note: If you still need help with figuring out your Purpose in Life, read some examples at the bottom of this web page.
Once you find your Purpose in Life, write it down and expand upon it. Post it on Facebook or some other platform to share with your family and friends. Then, develop your family's Purpose in Life. Then, develop one for your team, your church, your company, etc.

That’s it. It doesn’t matter if you’re a counselor or an engineer or a homemaker. To some people this exercise will make perfect sense. To others it will seem utterly stupid. Usually it takes 15-20 minutes to clear your head of all the clutter and the social conditioning about what you think your purpose in life is. The false answers will come from your mind and your memories. But when the true answer finally arrives, it will feel like it’s coming to you from a different source entirely.

For those who are very entrenched in low-awareness living, it will take a lot longer to get all the false answers out, possibly more than an hour. But if you persist, after 100 or 200 or maybe even 500 answers, you’ll be struck by the answer that causes you to surge with emotion, the answer that breaks you. If you’ve never done this, it may very well sound silly to you. So let it seem silly, and do it anyway.

As you go through this process, some of your answers will be very similar. You may even re-list previous answers. Then you might head off on a new tangent and generate 10-20 more answers along some other theme. And that’s fine. You can list whatever answer pops into your head as long as you just keep writing.

At some point during the process (typically after about 50-100 answers), you may want to quit and just can’t see it converging. You may feel the urge to get up and make an excuse to do something else. That’s normal. Push past this resistance, and just keep writing. The feeling of resistance will eventually pass.

You may also discover a few answers that seem to give you a mini-surge of emotion, but they don’t quite make you cry — they’re just a bit off. Highlight those answers as you go along, so you can come back to them to generate new permutations. Each reflects a piece of your purpose, but individually they aren’t complete. When you start getting these kinds of answers, it just means you’re getting warm. Keep going.

It’s important to do this alone and with no interruptions. If you’re a negative person, then feel free to start with the answer, “I don’t have a purpose,” or “Life is meaningless,” and take it from there. If you keep at it, you’ll still eventually converge.

Obviously, this process won’t work if you quit before convergence. I’d estimate that 80-90% of people should achieve convergence in less than 2 hours. If you’re really entrenched in your beliefs and resistant to the process, maybe it may take you 5 sessions and 10 hours, but I suspect that such people will simply quit early (like within the first 15 minutes) or won’t even attempt it at all. Eventually you'll reach convergence. Just, hang in there!

Here's a Purpose In Life that someone in a workshop came up with: to live consciously and courageously, to resonate with love and compassion, to awaken the great spirits within others, and to leave this world in peace.

When you find your own unique answer to the question of why you’re here, you will feel it resonate with you deeply. The words will seem to have a special energy to you, and you will feel that energy whenever you read them.

There is no one way to find your Purpose in Life. Here's another way to find your Purpose in Life:

Make a list of the things you do for fun, or that you really enjoy. Include in the list the parts of your job that you really like, the things you volunteer for, sports, the arts, reading, speaking, etc. Imagine you're a billionaire with no worries about money, how would you choose to spend your time? Add those things to the list, even if you don't do them now. This list is of your passions; the things that you love to do, or would do simply for the pleasure they bring you.
Write down the names of people that you admire, and why you admire them. For example, you might admire Patch Adams for choosing to step out of the traditional role of medicine and creating new ways of healing and connecting with his patients while also having fun. You might admire the band Green Day for living out loud and on purpose, creating the music that they love and speaking their minds. You might admire Oprah Winfrey for choosing to reveal her truth, at a time when concealing is the norm. Name as many as you can think of. When you're done, look at the list and know that what you appreciate about others, is also in you. You are attracted to these qualities, because they speak to you, and they speak to you, because they are a part of your path. If this was your list, Stepping out of the box, telling the truth, and living out loud would be action steps that would take you toward your purpose. Adopt these admirations of others as a way for you to show up in the world. These are your actions.
Make a list of the things you do naturally without even thinking about it. (You may want to ask others for feedback, as it's common for them to see talents in us that we don't see ourselves) Such natural talents may be: an eye for detail, a great sense of humor, a nurturing side, the ability to focus intently, or being playful. (Consider also, the things you've done that have gotten you into trouble--oftentimes if you turn them around and look at the positive aspects of it, you'll find a gem of a natural talent that you previously hadn't appreciated) These are your genius. Genius comes easily and profoundly, without needing to expend a lot of energy. Some people are geniuses at math or music; but there are lots of other types of genius as well. There are genius mothers, genius teachers, genius listeners, and genius independent thinkers. We are meant to use our genius in service of our Life Purpose.
Look at your Passions, Actions, and Genius lists, and spend 10 minutes each morning doing something from one of the lists. Draw, sing, dance, tell the truth about something you've been concealing, organize a drawer, thank someone you've been appreciating silently, take a risk and call that girl.
Notice how you feel. By definition, if you're living your life purpose, you'll feel exhilarated, excited, happy, and alive. If you're not feeling these things, go back to your lists, and see if there's anything you forgot to write down, or do the one you've been avoiding because it's so scary.
Feel your fear and do it anyway! It's normal and natural to feel scared when stepping into your life purpose. Fritz Perls said, "Fear is really just excitement without the breath." So, keep breathing, and take the next step. If it's worth doing, you're probably going to feel a little scared doing it. Just think of the fear as the energy you need to take the next step.
Think about your life events. Make a list of the major events in your life: school, graduation, college, the service, marriage, divorce, your first child, your 2nd, 3rd, etc. child, your first job, your first promotion, your next job, the day you felt you knew you were good at your job, overcoming your biggest fear, helping a friend, helping your church, volunteering to help your community, etc.
Reflection. Ask people what they think of you -- the good and the bad. Ask your wife, partner, children, relatives, friends, co-workers, etc. What are the 7 key events that shaped your life?
Keep a journal. Keep a record of daily events, or buy a $10 portable recorder (or use your iPhone), and record your thoughts every day. Think about some aspect of your life. Think about what you tell someone when you run into a friend that you haven't seen in months or years. Think about your bio or obituary -- what would you want someone to write about your life? If you were on the elevator with Oprah Winfrey, what would you tell her about your life? Look at some photos or videos of family gatherings -- capture your thoughts from those photos and videos. If you were living comfortably and didn't have to worry about paying bills every month, what would you be doing with your life? After several months, you'll be pleasantly surprised with all the riches and treasures you've collected. Somewhere in that journal or set of audio recordings is "your voice" -- your story that needs to be told and shared with others that will eventually help others -- via a blog, book, CD, or website. Tip:If you don't think you have time to take notes or keep a journal, take advantage of the "wait" time in your life -- when you're waiting in line at the grocery store or post office; or, when you're stuck in traffic; or, when you're at the car dealership waiting for the mechanic to repair your car; or, when you're watching TV or listening to the radio. There is a lot of time we all spend "waiting" for something -- use that time to your advantage!
Write a book! A lot of people say "I should write a book." But, they never do! Why? Because most people are too busy -- they don't have the time to write a book. Other people think that it's too difficult to get published. Some people think you have to be a great writer. But, nothing could be further from the truth! The key to writing a book is NOT to try! It sounds crazy, but, if you do some of the things listed above, you'll have more than enough great ideas to write severalbooks.

Here's another way to find your Purpose in Life, and put a plan into place to actually achieve your Purpose in Life:

Take a notebook or journal and make a list of 100 things you want to do, be and have in your life.

This is your chance to brainstorm all the possibilities, all the wishes and dreams you have for yourself.

Here are just a few guidelines:

# Think BIG! No limits!

# Don't settle for less than what you want.

# Don't let your early childhood programming get in the way.

# Live your dreams, not someone else's.

# It is okay to want money and the things money can buy. Money is a thing. It is not good or bad, it just is.

# Every person is meant to have the best life possible.

# There is enough for all. There is no need for competition.

# Decide what you want, not what you don't want.

Visualize your ideal life: What do you want financially, in your career, relationships, health, leisure, your community, personal growth?

The first 30 or so "wants" are easy, after that it becomes more difficult. Add to the list.
With this exercise your true wants will start to emerge. If you have been struggling with your purpose in life this may help it become more clear to you.
Action Steps:
Make your list of 100 things to do, be, and have. Keep adding to it. This is a critical step as you move to goal setting.

Your Action Steps:
Besides being aware, start to make some lists.

What are a couple of positive qualities that you feel you possess? Write them down: For example: Creativity, enthusiasm, outgoing, introspective, etc.
Write down what you feel you are really good at. What unique qualities do you have? What do people compliment you on? These can be general or specific: For example: Listening, teaching kids, connecting with kids, woodworking, reading, sewing, etc.
How do you enjoy expressing your talents? Make a list of when you are feeling the happiest, most at peace, most fulfilled: For example: When I hear one of my clients have lost weight, reduced their meds or reversed their diabetes; or, when I am expressing myself through a workshop, lecture, interview, or writing a new book.
Now consider if you didn't have to work for a living, what would you do with your time? What are you passionate about? It appears that many people say they want to help others with their health. Are they giving the answer they think we want to hear? Probably, but I also find that most people in the health and teaching professions have a true desire to make life better for others.

And the next big question:
What does the ideal world look like to you? Write down what your ideal world looks and feels like to you.

And now your task is to look at your lists and try and combine them so they define your life purpose and act as your personal mission statement.
Look back at the examples of personal mission statements. You can see how a person's passions, talents and vision for the world can combine and become a guide in achieving your life's goals.
You may need to work on this over time. It really is important that you reflect on who you really are as a person before moving on to the goal setting exercises.
Take some time alone to meditate. Read some books on life purpose and life purpose exercises.
Some recommended: The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success, by Deepak Chopra; A New Earth, by Eckart Tolle; The Success Principles, by Jack Canfield.
There are many, many books on this topic. Use them as guides, but remember, ultimately your life purpose is unique to you and must come from within YOU.

Decide upon your major definite purpose in life and then organize all your activities around it.
When you are clear about what you feel you were put on this earth to do you can start each day with energy, enthusiasm and confidence that you are on your chosen path.
Now you are ready to move to the next success strategy and decide what you want in life.
Start to share your vision and some of your wants with others. When you share your vision with others wonderful things start to happen. Your vision will become more real to you and some people will start to help you realize your vision. This success strategy is key. You must know what you want! Now time to move on to goal setting.
Your action steps for goal setting are to define your goals and write them in the positive as if they have already happened. If you can, try for three goals in each of your key life areas:

Financial - Income, debt reduction, investments, net worth, financial freedom, multiple streams of income
Profession - career
Hobbies, travel, recreation, fun
Health and fitness
Relationships, family, friends
Personal development and growth
Community, service, contribution to society

You may want to sketch out your goals and then refine them a few at a time. When setting your goals work backwards. Look at your personal mission statement. Look at your list of 100 things you want to do, be, and have. These should be your guide.
Next, think about where you want to be in all of the seven key life areas five years from now. Still working backward, identify three goals in each area that you want to achieve over the next year. Be as specific as you can, how much, by when.
When defining your goals, think about what really matters most to you. It is your desire to achieve your goals, what matters most, that will move you toward success.
Don't worry about the "how" of your goals yet.
Once you have defined your goals, your mind will start to work night and day to achieve it.
Your mind will start to work out the "how."
Now that you have identified and set your goals you are ready to move on to learning how to achieve those goals.
Now that you have written down your goals in all of the seven key life areas, it is time to make a plan for achieving those goals. The way to do this is to make them specific and measurable. Choose the goals that you want to work on first.
Use any type of goal setting format that works for you. A notebook, journal, your computer; there is even software that can track your goals.

Another success strategy for achieving goals is to have an accountability partner, or partners. Form a small group of supportive people who you can turn to for motivation for keeping you on track.
Work on your most important tasks. Without action there will be no success.
As you work on your "to do" list, focus on the 20% of the tasks that will account for 80% of the value you will gain toward achieving your goals. This is the 80/20 rule. Most people spend too much time on the easier, low value tasks.

Here's another (quick) way to find your Purpose in Life:

Discover your passion
Find your calling and you will start to experience the ecstasy of an inspired life.

Dedicate your energy to it
Passion + production = performance. People who love what they do, get the best results.

Build a business or find a job you love
Make your calling your work, and you will never work a day in your life.

Purpose in Life Examples

Here are some examples of Purpose in Life statements that may help you and even inspire you.
"The purpose of life is to aspire to intimately and completely understand each 'player' in life so that you can make decisions that improve everything to the greatest possible point for any given time period."
That includes yourself. Unfortunately this aspiration is currently impossible, mightchange in the future. There are two factors that limit this goal.

Each life form has to live and define themselves in time
Each life form has a limited time of life

This does not mean that we should not aspire to understand because with every inch that we progress we improve ourselves and everything else that much more.
To achieve the purpose of life, all you have to do is

Listen (As much as possible)
Think (Ask questions, derive answers, look at different perspectives by yourself)
Act (Only after you have significantly listened and thought)

If other intelligent life exists, then the purpose of life takes on an entirely different definition. To quickly understand and acknowledge "the purpose of life" one could simply answer:"The purpose of life is to seek knowledge of the unknown while finding the meaning and value in everything known, along with identifying the purpose in relationships between entities."
More Examples of Purpose in Life

My mission is to create, nurture, and maintain an environment of growth, challenge, and unlimited potential for all those around me.
My life purpose is to energize, connect, and inspire purpose in others. ~ Kim
My mission is to enliven, encourage, and reinspire the love of music for children in public schools.
My purpose in life is to be a mom: to empower independence, self-reliance and confidence in others through being a positive, supportive role model. ~ SL
My life purpose is to live and mentor an authentic, adventurous, spiritual life, while being a catalyst for positive change. ~ Mikel
With friendship and affection, I will interact with others to improve my home life and obtain pleasure and recognition. ~ Jeff
My purpose in life is to grow continually and use my wisdom to help others grow through teaching and encouraging them while making a difference in their lives and the lives of those around them. ~ TO
My purpose in life is to rejuvinate the soul, learn about God, love, life, happiness & hope. Unleashing the God-given beauty, strength & vibrance within others through the love in my heart; creating happiness, caring for others, while resting in God’s arms. ~ Michelle
My purpose in life is to serve others in a balanced and flexible manner in areas of health in such a manner that I get feedback on improvement. ~ Ron
To leave the world a better place than I found it, for horses, and for people too. Monty Roberts (The Horse Whisperer)

To inspire and empower people to live their life in a context of love and joy. Jack Canfield, author of Chicken Soup
To make the world a better place by helping children, and those who work with them and for them, realize their personal gifts and self-worth, so they will be empowered to achieve their life goals.

From the Author: How My Father and Mother Helped Me Find My Purpose in Life

Author's Perspective: Now, some people discover their Purpose in Life by accident as I did. However, my mother told me it was not an accident. She said that there are no accidents -- they're blessings from God. As I look back, I now believe that she was right. But, at the time, I couldn't see how almost dying from a diabetic coma was a blessing!

My father had an interesting way to help me and my siblings find our way in life. He believed that whatever he told us to do that we should do it as well as possible and enjoy doing it. And, if you didn't do it well, you got a scolding or a beating. Although I disagreed with my father's methods, he instilled a strong work ethic in all of us. My father worked 3-4 jobs, my mother worked 2-3 jobs. My siblings and I (especially me and my older brother) painted houses, mowed lawns, cleaned out people's basements, worked on our uncle's farm, helped our father with his garden.

My father taught us that we could make money by going around the neighborhood and finding work. Someone always needed their lawn mowed, or snow removed from their driveway. My father taught us that if we mowed or shoveled well, other people in the neighborhood would want us to mow or shovel for them.

My father not only worked on us physically, but he drilled us mentally. He would give us a fraction and ask us to convert it to decimal or a percentage. Or, he would give us a couple numbers to either add or multiply.

At first, we thought this was torture, but, over time, I became really good with numbers. At the time, I didn't think it was a Gift, but as look back, I now see the Gift, or, at least, part of it.

Making Your Purpose in Life Work for You

Discovering your purpose is the easy part. The hard part is keeping it with you on a daily basis and working on yourself to the point where you become that purpose.

And, the real hard part, is figuring out how to mold your life, your job, your family, and your environment so that they align with your Purpose in Life.

One of the reasons why we find a new job, or leave home, or start a new business, is that we are not satisfied with our life. In most cases, we think it's because we're not making enough money to live a happier life.

This is why some people start a health business. This is one of the reasons why multi-level marketing companies are able to recruit so many people.

But, there are 2 things that happened in the 1980s and 1990s that gave people a set of tools to actually start their own health business or any business.

Do you know what those 2 things were?

The computer
The Internet

Unfortunately, most people are unaware of the power of the computer and the Internet to start a business or seek out your Purpose in life.

Here are just a few ways to leverage the Computer and Internet to use your Purpose in Life to help others and help your family prosper:

Write a story or an event from your life every day for a month, or whenever you can
Use a voice recorder to record your daily conversations
Write a book
Make a video
Do lectures and record them to make a CD or DVD
Develop a website or a blog
Sell health products on your website
Become an expert (via a certification program) that others respect and look up to
Train or teach others

Need help with any of these? We can help: just call or email us with your thoughts.

Tips for Finding Your Purpose in Life

Look at ways to incorporate your Passions, Actions, and Genius more and more into your life. As you do, your life purpose will begin to unfold. Could you bring your attention to detail into your job? How about spending your lunch hour writing an article teaching someone else how to do something you love to do?
As you increase the amount of time spent fulfilling your life's purpose, you'll notice it's easy to make decisions in life as you ask the question "Does this opportunity fit in with my passions, actions, and genius?" Over time, you'll spend more and more of your days living your life's purpose, and you'll feel happier and healthier than ever before.
We often look at our Purpose as a way to answer everything right now or something that can only be fulfilled way into the Future. While one's life purpose may ultimately be fulfilled far into the future, find ways to start NOW: is it a side project, is it one of many aspects of your current job, can your purpose be expressed in the way you interact with current relationships.
Keep in mind that often times, we find our purpose along the way. It is often stated after one's life has ended that they had a purpose, based on the events and choices of one's life.

Note: For additional information and perspective, read the following web pages:

How to Write a Book

Once you understand your Purpose, you can use that to fuel your passion and your drive to write your first book and help your family, your church and your community.

One of the best ways to achieve your Purpose in Life (or start your own business) is to write a book. If you are a good writer who loves to write, this may be just what the doctor ordered.

The self-help book industry has boomed in recent years, due to the increased pace of our lives and due to the increase in diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. People are constantly searching for ways to improve their lives, including topics such as diabetes, nutrition, health coaching, lifestyle changes, spiritual enlightenment, website design, and how to use computer technology, just to name a few.

Becoming an author is a great way to gain credibility and build your following (and make a lot of money!) -- as long as you write a book that talks to your target audience. And, because there are so many free tools and technologies, writing a book and getting published is a lot easier today and a lot less expensive.

But, you may be wondering that if that's true, then, why don't more people write a book? Well, there are 5 major reasons (or excuses) why most people don't write a book:

Time: Most people believe that they don't have the time to write a book.
Motivation: Most people aren't really driven or motivated to write a book.
Writing Skills: Some people don't know how to write.
Publishing Skills: Most people don't know how to get a book published.
Finances: Most people think that it costs a lot of money to write a book.

The key is that you have to get started now and overcome these 5 excuses:

Time: Find the time! Take 15 to 20 minutes each day to write down some ideas and thoughts. Within 6 months, you'll have most of your ideas and content for your first book.

Motivation: If you truly want to help people, that should motivate you to get started! Reach insider your inner spirit to drive you and motivate yourself to write a book.

Writing Skills: If you don't know how to write, then, use an audio recorder to record your ideas and thoughts. Then, get someone to transfer your words to paper.

Publishing Skills: If you don't know how to get a book published, contact a local author or our office after you have put your words down on paper.

Finances: If you do most of the work yourself, you can minimize your costs.

Bottom-line: If you know how to write and if you're truly driven and motivated, you'll find the time to put together a manuscript. Then, once you written the manuscript, you can find a publisher that will publish your book for a few hundred to several hundred dollars.

Book Writing Tips
Here are some tips to help you get started if you're really serious about writing a book:

Collecting Information

Use your own life and work experiences to write about a topic that you are most knowledgeable, skilled and comfortable to talk about.

Use a notepad or journal or get a portable audio recorder to capture your thoughts and ideas about the major events of your life; also, write down your thoughts, your dreams, and your ideas.

Audio record or video record when you talk, especially when you're talking to a group of people. The more ways you capture your words, thoughts and ideas, the more information you'll have for a future book.

Write a several-page autobiography about your upbringing and your life. Think about the key events in your life and write them down. Don't try to write your bio in order of when the events occurred. Instead, just think of the key events in your life and write about each of those events. You can put the key events in their proper order later on.

Now, use your autobiography to write a 1-page bio for your book. Then, edit your 1-page bio and reduce your bio to 3 to 4 key paragraphs. Also, use your bio to create an elevator speech about your life centered around the key topic of your book.

Use the Internet and Google to conduct in-depth research for the key topic area of your book. Find out what experts in that topic area have to say. Figure out what you have to offer about that topic that would be beneficial to your potential readers. For example, if you've figured out a way to defeat your congestive heart failure or if you figured out a way to lose weight, people in your community will want to know how you did it.

But, make sure that you do your homework! Don't offer advice about a topic without doing in depth research first! If you don't do the research, you may lose credibility with your potential readers!

Here's another key tip from Mr. McCulley: Don't try to write your book all at once. In fact, don't focus on writing your book. Initially, just focus on capturing your thoughts, ideas, and expand on those thoughts and ideas by writing and audio recording.

If you capture your thoughts and ideas at least a couple times a week, within 6 months you'll have a lot of things to write about and expand upon! The key is to get started with collecting your thoughts and ideas and documenting them either on a bunch of notepads and/or on an audio recorder.

When you get a chance, visit your local library and take a look at all the many self-help books written about an array of various topics. This may give you some more ideas about the content of your book.

Begin thinking about the key sub-topics of your book and create an outline of your book. For example, if your book's major topic is about a specific ailment such as congestive heart failure, think about some of the sub-topics for that disease such as a description of the disease, the statistics about the disease, the drugs used for treatment, various diets used, different forms of exercise, and your support system. Then, do some research about each of those sub-topics. Eventually, each of those sub-topics will probably become a chapter in your book!

Lots of people say they're going to write a book. Lots of people are even told by their friends and others to write a book. But, very few people actually follow through to write a book. It takes a special person to write a book. As long as you believe that you're special and have something to share, then, you'll start your journey today. That's right -- today -- not tomorrow, not next week -- right now.

If you don't start now, a week will go by, then a month will go by, and 6 months from today, you'll still be where you are today -- nowhere -- waiting to get started ...

Note 1: The business of writing self-help books is about establishing credibility as an expert in your subject area. If you expect readers to seek your book for advice, you need to prove you aren’t just an amateur. So, it’s important to complete extensive research. The use of statistics can help you make points, show how certain techniques work, or let your readers know they’re not alone.

Note 2: Part of your research should include getting to know your target audience. Examine the type of person that you’ll be writing for, so you can develop a positive rapport and gain their trust by understanding who they are. It’s okay to address your reader as “you” and refer to yourself as “I.” This develops a warm and supportive tone that is imperative in a self-help book.

Book Outline

Organize your sub-topics, ideas, and thoughts and develop an outline. Build your book around a framework of headings and subheads to help your reader easily follow along. If you're good with pictures, then, develop a flow chart or diagram that represents the structure of your book. Use a step-by-step method to explain your "program" and to avoid confusion.

Focus on just one skill or theory in each chapter, helping the reader know what they should be taking away from the material. Then, expand on each chapter to build the manuscript for your book. Use shorter paragraphs to limit each paragraph to a single idea.

Remember to stay focused on the practical – inspirational sentences and theories can be helpful, but overuse may overwhelm the reader.

Have your manuscript properly edited by a professional. You want to ensure that people don't find misspellings, typos and grammar being utilized incorrectly.

Select a great title to reach your target audience.

Come up with design for your book cover and find a reputable professional designer to design your cover as a high res JPEG and a PDF.

Make sure you tell your story as part of the book. Why? Because stories sell. Your story will create a connection with your reader and target audience.

Provide a fresh point of view that is different from other books in your genre.

For a self-help book, provide a simple solution that is easy for your readers to understand and implement. Make it as easy as possible for your readers to see how they can implement your instructions.

Speak their language, that is the language of your target audience. Speak in your voice or the voice of the reader to "connect" with your readers.

Tip: Figure out if you're a left-brain (i.e. analytical) thinker or a right-brain (i..e. creative) thinker -- that will help you decide the best way to develop your first manuscript. For example, if you're a left-brain dominant (like most engineers), then, using structure, outlines and models will help you develop your manuscript. If you're right-brain dominant then, using brainstorming, meditation, art, photography, video, audio, and notepads will help you develop your manuscript.

These are just a few ideas to help you get started. For more details about writing your first book, set up a business consultation or get the author's How to Start a Business With Little Money ebook.

By the way, did you know that you can set up your own website or your own blog forfree? Did you know that you can get Internet platforms such as Google and YouTube topay you every month? The business ebook will help you get started going in the right direction while saving you a lot of time and money trying to figure out what to do.

Key Point from Mr. McCulley: Lots of people say that they're going to write a book. Then, a a couple months goes by, and another few months go by ... The next thing you know is that a year has gone by and you still haven't written your book!

How to Write Your Bio

Types of Bio: Job/Performance-focused, Event-focused (more like a story), Combo

Purpose of Bio determines how to type of bio to write: To impress, to target an audience, to connect with and attract customers; to establish credibility

Skills: 3 R's, 4th R: running your mouth

; 5th R?: rebel (if you plan to be a health advocate or if you plan to write a controversial book)

Your Motivation: Wanting to help others with diabetes; wanting to live longer to see your children grow up; preventing the loss of more relatives from diabetes, other diseases.

Who are you? Define in 1 sentence.

What gives you credibility? What makes you interesting? What helps people connect with you? Are you a member of a professional organization? Have you published any articles? Written for a newspaper or magazine? Have you helped to improve the health of others?

Try not to include too much “resumé” type information in your bio –- info such as your education, job history, etc. tends to be boring. Only include what’s relevant to your business goals and business//marketing plan.

Consider carefully the purpose of the bio – who is the audience? Tailor it to that audience.

Write in the third person -- it will make your bio sound more objective – like it’s been written by someone else – which can be useful in a formal setting (ex. for work). If the bio is personal, however, writing it in the first person will make it sound friendlier.

Your name should be the first thing you write.

State your claim to fame. What are you known for? What do you do for a living? Don't leave this to the end or make your readers guess—they won't and they may well lose interest quickly if it's not up front. This should be explicitly stated in the first or second sentence. Usually, combining it with your name is easiest.

Your Opening Sentence
This is where you sell yourself to the editor. Your opening line is your introduction, the first thing the editor notices. This line can make you or break you. Start out by stating, "Jennifer Greene is a freelancer, online journal editor, e-book author." State your name and who you are. Never mention your personal life, just your professional titles.

Mention your most important accomplishments, if applicable. This is a tricky one, and might not be applicable in all situations. Remember that a bio is not a resume. Do not list your accomplishments, and only include them if they are relevant and you have space.

Include personal, humanizing details. This is a nice way to invite the reader to care. It’s also your chance to get some of your personality across.
When he isn’t glued to a computer screen, he spends time working in the garden, playing trivia at the pub, and trying very hard not be the worst pool player in the Rockies.

Include contact information. This is usually done in the last sentence. If it's to be published online, be careful with the email address in order to avoid spam. Many people write email addresses online as something like: jennifer (at) fizzlemail (dot) com.
You can reach her at jgreene (at) email (dot) com.

Aim for at least 250 words. For an online blurb, this is just enough to give the reader a taste of your life and personality without becoming a bore. For a more serious post such as a college entrance bio, delve into the details a little more.

Key Words (for SEO, Google, Internet, customers): Review bio -- ensure key words are part of your bio.

Elements of bio include:

Your area of expertise;

Key events that your audience can relate to

Relevant business experience (if you offer related business services or you’re a speaker)

Any major media coverage you’ve received; Publications that you write for
Key words (for SEO/Google)

A link to your website

The title of your book

Everyone wants your bio to be shorter. The shorter your bio, the more people will read it. No one is impressed by a long series of unimpressive things. If you have a great one sentence bio, people will be curious enough to find out more. On the other hand, if you have a bad and long bio they are certain never to want to learn anything about you. When you are famous enough to appear on TV or write an article for The New York Times, your by-line will be a few words long: Author. Senator. Musician. Keep this in mind. The goal is to make your bio shorter, not longer.

How to Write Your Own Autobiography

What's your story? Anyone who has lived a full life has something fascinating to share with the world. The trick to writing an autobiography is to treat it like any good story: it should have a protagonist (you), a central conflict, and a cast of fascinating characters to keep people engaged. Read on to learn how to craft the story of your life and polish your writing to make it sing.

STEP 1: Mapping Out Your Life

Write out a life timeline. Start writing your autobiography by conducting research on your own life. Creating a timeline of your life is a good way to make sure you include all the most important dates and events, and it gives you a structure to build upon. You can consider this the "brainstorming" phase, so don't hesitate to write down everything you can remember, even if you don't think the memory will make it into the final version of the book.
- Your autobiography doesn't have to begin with your birth. You may want to include some family history as well. Write down information about your ancestry, your grandparents' lives, your parents' lives, and so on. Having information about your family history will help readers get a sense of how you became the person you are.
- Write down information about your childhood. What's your earliest memory? What were your mother and father like? Did you grow up with siblings? Was yours a traditional or untraditional upbringing?
- What happened when you were a teenager? What led you to make the decisions you made?
- Did you go to college? Write about those transitory years, too.
- Write about your career, your relationships, your children, and any big life-altering events that occurred.
Identify the main characters. Every good story has interesting characters, friends and foes who help move the plot along. Who are the characters in your life? It's a given that your parents will play a role, along with your spouse and other close family members. Think beyond your immediate family to others who have affected your life and should play a role in your autobiography.
- Teachers, coaches, mentors, and bosses are extremely influential in people's lives. Decide whether someone who has been a role model (or the opposite) for you will figure into your story.
- Ex boyfriends and girlfriends might co-star in some interesting stories.
- What enemies have you had in life? Your story will be boring if you don't include some conflicts.
- Offbeat characters such as animals, celebrities you've never met, and even cities are often points of interest in an autobiography.
Pull out the best stories. The story of your entire life would start to get pretty long-winded, so you'll have to make some decisions about what anecdotes you're going to include. Begin drafting your manuscript by writing out the main stories that will be woven together to create a picture of your life. There are a few main topics that most autobiographies cover since readers find them fascinating:
- The childhood story. Whether your childhood was happy or traumatic, you should include a few anecdotes that give a picture of who you were and what you experienced at the time. You can tell the story of your childhood by breaking it down into smaller anecdotes that illustrate your personality - your parents' reaction when you brought home a stray dog, the time you climbed out the window at school and ran away for 3 days, your friendly relationship with a homeless person living in the woods . . . get creative.
- The coming of age story. This heady and often sensual period in a human's life is always of interest to readers. Remember that it's not about writing something unique; everyone comes of age. It's about writing something that resonates with readers.
- The falling in love story. You could also write the opposite of this, the never-finding-love story.
- The identity crisis story. This usually occurs in the 30s or 40s, and is sometimes referred to as a mid-life crisis.
- The story of facing down some force of evil. Whether its your battle with addiction, a controlling lover, or a madman who tried to kill your family, you've got to write about conflict you've experienced.
Write in your own voice. People read autobiographies to gain insight on what its like to be someone else. Being authentically you is a sure way to keep people engaged. If your writing is formal and stiff, or if it reads like a college essay instead of an expose on your life, people will have trouble getting through the book.
- Write as though you're opening your heart to a trusted friend, in prose that's clear, strong and not too cluttered with vocabulary words you rarely use.
- Write so that your personality is revealed. Are you funny? Intense? Spiritual? Dramatic? Don't hold back; your personality should come through in the way you tell your story.
Be revealing. You don't have to be explicit, but it's important to reveal truths about yourself and your life in an autobiography. Don't let the book become a list of your accomplishments, with all the negative material carefully kept under the rug. Present yourself as a whole person, sharing talents and flaws alike, and your readers will be able to identify with you and hopefully root for you as they make their way through your story.
- Don't always cast yourself in a positive light. You can have foibles and still be the protagonist. Reveal mistakes you've made and times when you've failed yourself and other people.
- Reveal your inner thoughts. Share your opinions and ideas, including those that may spark controversy. Be true to yourself through your autobiography.
Capture the spirit of the times. How was your story shaped by the moment in history in which it took place? What wars influenced your politics? What cultural events inspired you? Discussing what happened in the world at large during your lifetime is a good way to make your story more relevant and interesting to those reading it.

STEP 2: Creating a Narrative

Create an overarching plot. Now that you know what content you want to include in your autobiography, think about how you want to structure your book. Like any great book, your autobiography needs a great plot. Work with the material you have to craft an interesting story that builds toward a climax and ultimately resolves. Create a narrative arc by organizing and filling out your written memories and anecdotes so that they flow together logically.
- What's your central conflict? What's the biggest obstacle life presented that took years to overcome or come to terms with? Maybe it's an illness you were diagnosed with at an early age, a relationship wrought with turmoil, a series of career setbacks, a goal you worked for decades to achieve, or any other number of things. Look to your favorite books and movies for more examples of conflicts.
- Build tension and suspense. Structure the narrative so that you have a series of stories leading up to the climax of the conflict. If you central conflict is trying to reach the goal of competing in the Olympics for skiing, lead up to it with stories of small successes and plenty of failures. You want your readers to ask, will she make it? Can he do it? What's going to happen next?
- Have a climax. You'll get to the point in your story when it's time for the conflict to come to a head. The day of the big competition has arrived, a showdown happens with your worst enemy, your gambling habit gets the better of you and you lose all your money - you get the picture.
- End with a resolution. Most autobiographies have happy endings, because the person writing the story lived to tell the tale - and hopefully get it published. Even if your ending isn't cheerful, it should be deeply satisfying. You somehow accomplished your goal or won the day. Even if you lost, you came to terms with it and gained wisdom.
Decide where the story is going to start. You could a straightforward chronology of your life, beginning with your birth and ending in the present, but mixing up the chronology can make the story more interesting.
- You could frame the entire autobiography with reflections from the present, telling your story through a series of flashbacks.
- You could begin the story with a poignant moment from your childhood, go backward to tell the story of your heritage, move forward to your college years, and launch into the story of your career, with anecdotes from your childhood sprinkled in for comic relief.
Weave in themes. Use the major themes of your life as a way to tie stories together, connecting your past and your present. Aside from the central conflict, what themes have followed you throughout your life? A fondness for certain holidays, your fascination with a certain place that you visited over and over, a certain type of guy you've always fallen for, a rich spiritual life you fall back on again and again. Bring up the themes every so often to help form a cohesive picture of your life.
Take a step back to reflect. You're chronicling your life lessons, but what have you learned from them? Relay your intentions, desires, feelings of loss, feelings of joy, the wisdom you've gained, and other inner thoughts from time to time throughout the book. Taking a step back from the action of the story to reflect on what it all means is a good way to add depth to your autobiography.
Use chapter divisions to give the book structure. Chapters are useful because they allow you to move on from discussing certain life periods or events. There's a reason we have the expression that we've "closed a chapter" or "opened a new chapter" in life, and its even more applicable when discussing an autobiography. Chapter breaks allow you to skip forward 10 years, go back in time, or start describing a new theme without jarring the reader too much.
- Consider ending chapters on a poignant or suspenseful note, so people can't wait to start the next one.
- The beginnings of chapters are a good place to take a bird's eye view of your past, describe the setting of a place, and set the tone for what's to come.

STEP 3: Editing and Polishing the Book

Edit your draft. Once you've finished your first draft, go back through it with a fine-toothed comb. Reorganize passages, paragraphs and even chapters where necessary. Replace mundane words and make your phrasing more interesting and clear. Correct your spelling and grammar.
Share it with other people. Present your autobiography to your reading club or a friend so you can get an outside opinion. Stories you find impossibly funny might seem dull to someone else. Get feedback from several people if you can, so you'll have a better idea of how your book comes across to other people.
- If several people recommend cutting a certain section, strongly consider making the cut.
- Try to get opinions from people outside your circle of family and friends. People who know you might try to spare your feelings, or they might be biased - especially if they appear in the story.
Hire a copyeditor. A good copyeditor will clean up your writing and make the dull parts shine. Whether you're planning on getting your book published at a publishing house or going the self-publishing route, it's never a bad idea to have a professional polish your book at the end of the writing process.
Come up with a title. It should match the tone and style of your book, in addition to being attention-grabbing and intriguing. Keep the title short and memorable, rather than wordy and difficult to grasp. You could title it with your name and the words "My Autobiography" or choose something less direct. Here are some famous autobiography titles that perfectly capture the stories inside:
- Bossy Pants, by Tina Fey.
- My Confession, by Leo Tolstoy.
- A Long Walk to Freedom, by Nelson Mandela.
- The Sound of Laughter, by Peter Kay.

STEP 4: Publishing Your Story

Take steps to self publish your book. Even if you don't want to worry about trying to sell your book to the public, you might want to have it designed and printed to keep for yourself and give to your family members and other people featured in the book. Research companies that offer book designing, printing, and shipping services, and decide how many copies you'd like to order.^[6] Many companies offering these services produce books that look just as professional as those printed by traditional publishing houses.
- If you don't want to pay for a publishing service, you can still create a nice copy of your book by taking it to a copy store and having it printed and bound.
Consider finding a literary agent. If you want to publish your autobiography and share it with the world, enlisting the help of a literary agent can get you on your way. Research agents that work with autobiographies and send them a query letter with information about your book, yourself, and how you think the book should be marketed.
- Start the query letter with an airtight blurb succinctly describing the highlights of the book. Situate your book in the correct genre, and describe what will make it stand out from the rest. Tell the agent why you think he or she is the right person to shop your book around to publishers.
- Send sample chapters to agents who show interest.
- Sign a contract with an agent you trust. Make sure to read the contract carefully and check into the agent's history before signing anything.
Submit a query letter directly to publishers. If you don't want to take the time to find an agent, you can submit a letter directly to publishers and see if anyone bites. Research publishers that publishes books in the same genre. Don't send the entire manuscript right away; wait until you get a manuscript request from the publisher.
- Many publishers don't accept unsolicited manuscripts or queries. Make sure you only send letters to publishers that accept them.
- If a publisher decides to move forward with a book deal with you, you'll need to sign a contract and set up a schedule for editing, designing, proofreading, and finally publishing the book.
Look into publishing your book online. This is an increasingly popular method for publishing books, and a great way to save on printing and shipping expenses for all involved. Research online publishers that publish the books in the same genre, submit your query letter, and move forward with editing and publishing the text.

Note: The major types of books to write include:
-- Fiction: Mystery, Thriller, Crime, Science Fiction, Romance
-- Non-Fiction: History, Biographies, Religious/Spirituality, Self-Help, Current Affairs,
True Crime, Business

Key Point: Write about what you know about.

And, don't ever forget: You're special!

Note: For more information about how to write your own book manuscript in 30 days (or set up your own website the right way), read our Start a Business web page and get the author's How to Start a Business ebook.

References