Writing a book is hard. It was far more difficult than I thought it was going to be. Having good ideas is easy and getting the words on the page is straightforward. The part that I found brutal was reading back through my work and wondering, “who wrote this crap?”

Once I had a structure and a timetable, I rather enjoyed meeting my word count goals. I knew what I wanted to say and why and I felt it flowed nicely. But when it came time to edit and publish, I hated what I had produced and I really struggled with the “real work” of turning my words into a book.

Like many business owners and entrepreneurs, I enjoy the creation part of the business process much more than the implementation and revision. I love to splash around in the ideas and concepts and future plans. I can talk a great talk.

But when things get hard, I lose my enthusiasm. When my brilliant plans hit a wall and get tedious, I find myself bored and frustrated and looking for a new project. But through the book writing and publishing process, this is what I learned:

• Someone else loves to do the parts that you don’t. If someone can help you, accept the help graciously. It is not necessary to do it alone.
• Structure is your friend. End every day with the first idea written for the next day. Always hit the ground running.
• There is no such thing as perfect. Good enough is good enough.
• Nobody cares as much as you. It is not as important as you think it is.
• Someone else has done this before you. Lean on their experience and wisdom.

If there is an area of your business that is frustrating you or making you feel less than inspired, consider whether any of the following apply:

• I am trying to do work that is not in my zone of genius.
• I am lacking structure and trying to reinvent the wheel each day
• I am valuing perfection over completion.
• I am over thinking this.
• I am trying to start from scratch when I don’t need to.

As business owners, our most valuable asset is the ability to generate new ideas and projects. It is normal and natural to get stuck and to need a fresh perspective to pull you through the next stage. As always, I love to hear your thoughts. I read every message – feel free to get in touch.

Katie