Many people are searching for success, and they are drawn to self-help programs which provide meaningful instruction.
I, too, follow the self-help gurus because I get hope and inspiration from them along with great strategies.
But what I’ve found is that just reading books and watching videos is not enough. Yes, I’ve watched the movie The Secret many times. But just watching alone is not enough. Success, fame and fortune are NOT going to roll down the hill into your home and jump into your lap while you are watching The Secret. You have to hunt it down and capture it!
I have always been an action taker, and I recently proved to myself and the world that by taking action you can make your dreams come true. You see, my goal is being known as the number one LinkedIn trainer in the world. What better way to achieve this than to have my self-published LinkedIn book selected and distributed worldwide by the top business publishing house in the industry?
There’s a problem: Big publishers very rarely will take a chance on a self-published book.
But if action takers let “common wisdom” stop them, where would we be? What if the Wright Brothers said, “Yeah, you’re right. If man was meant to fly, we’d all have wings. Can I just fix your bicycle instead?” Then none of us would have the thrill of flying, and waiting in TSA lines, and being strip searched…but that’s another story.
So I took action. I printed up a T Shirt with my book cover to turn myself into a walking advertisement, and off I went to Book Expo America in New York City in the summer of 2012. It was held in the Javits Center, which is 675,000 square feet, over three days. And yes I walked the entire floor all three days so my feet felt like I had run a marathon about five times over. I pitched my book to anyone who would listen.
My big break came when I went to the McGraw Hill booth. It wasn’t really a “booth” but a space about the size of a good sized Panera Bread. I searched through all their books on display, and when I was confident they had no similar book, approached the business editor who was standing with a group of her coworkers. I did my pitch, and she told me to send her the PDF version.
I sent it off, and in a matter of weeks I had an email from an editor on her team offering me a contract along with an advance. Now I can proudly say I am a McGraw Hill author, and I am looking forward to working with them to make my book a big success.
So you see, you need to get off the couch and take action! That is the one path that is sure to help you create the life of your dreams.
Dan Sherman is a contributing blogger for JenningsWire.
