‘It’s not too bad’
‘I could have worked on it more’
‘Hopefully it will help’.
These are all phrases I’ve used when talking about my book, Make Diversity Matter to You. But what am I saying about myself if I am not really willing to believe in what I am creating?
I know that this experience is not unique to me. In the fear of being seen as arrogant, many of us shyly meander around when talking about our own creations. It feels much more comfortable to avoid the idea that what we have created might be good. After all, who are we to be special?
When we create something, we pour our heart’s and souls into it. We dedicate ourselves to our craft. We may labour for hundreds of hours. We often deeply want others to give a positive assessment of our work. But despite wanting this, we massively downplay people’s expectations. The irony is that by underplaying our work, we are undercutting it’s value. Who would want to look at a painting that the painter doesn’t think is nice to look at?
I’ve received a powerful message over the last few weeks about the importance of taking a stand for my own work. If I don’t tell people about the transformative effect reading my book can have, then less people are likely to read it. And even if they do, no one will read it with the idea that it can be so valuable.
I wrote my book because I wanted to positively change the way people understand and think about diversity. Many people feel too tentative to address the issue, or simply do not get it. By bringing a coaching approach, my book will help people understand their own perspectives and be active champions. This mindset shift will change the world.
But I will change nothing if nobody bothers to read the book because I don’t tell anyone I wrote it. Nor will my book make a shift in society if people buy a copy out of pity, simply to sit on their shelves as a nice souvenir.
‘I know the guy who wrote that book. I liked the cover, but I haven’t read it yet.’
My book will make a change by the way I enrol people into reading it. When I demonstrate the power it can have, I can gain the commitment of people to use the information and apply it to their lives, that’s where the real magic lies. What you do not lack is a source of information. But this is about transformation.
It’s not been particularly comfortable writing about my book in such a way. My sense of self-consciousness blares out at me like a foghorn. Yet for you it probably doesn’t feel out of place at all. Here is how our mind can play against our own potential.
The good news is that this becomes easier the more I do it. The more I speak about the transformational effect of my work, the more I embody it. The more I embody it, the more it happens.
So my invitation for you is simple. Be bold. Take a stand for your work.
You are powerful. What you create can make magic. But this will usually only happen when you truly believe in it for yourself. This is not arrogance. This is assurance.
I share my story to help others. And I also share my book as an example of how I embody what I talk about here. This is to create the change I want in the world.
If you would like to check out the book, here are the links below:
Amazon UK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0BMK13Q6C
Amazon Fr (ships to Belgium) – https://www.amazon.fr/dp/B0BMK13Q6C
Amazon DE (ships to Belgium) – https://www.amazon.de/dp/B0BMK13Q6C
Amazon US – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BMK13Q6C
Amazon AU – https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B0BMK13Q6C