Writing a book is hard.

I realize I said it in my title but I will say it again. Writing a book is really hard. I mean, I had no idea how hard it would be to create this thing from nothing. I spent all summer doing copious amounts of research. I spent August and September putting together the different arrangement of each page.

Then self-doubt kicked in, like, hard. So, here is the thing. My book is a whole list of tips and tools to help busy women navigate getting all the things done, managing schedules, purpose, self-care, stress, goals etc. The thing is though, I am no super mom. I’m trying to think of an example. I asked my writers group if they had an example of a mom who has it all together; the seamless balance of career and home life, self-care and stain free pant suits for days. Not one of us could come up with an answer because there isn’t one. Self -doubt and imposter syndrome keep the greatest ideas in history imprisoned in dreams and casual conversations.

How do I tell you to exercise every day or, for the love of all things stressful, to just remember to breathe when I need the reminder myself?

I tell you because, well, I need the reminder myself and there isn’t a single woman on this planet who doesn’t need the support of her tribe to keep pushing forward to get the day to day tasks done let alone turning a casual conversation into a successful career.

Ironically, it took a good friend reminding me that I don’t have to write the book to remind me I want to write the book. There isn’t any pressure to write it. I am doing it purely for the purpose because I want to.  

So, besides a love of over sharing, I actually have a reason I am sharing this with you. It is hard to turn any dream into a reality. Every person you or I can think of who has worked and accomplished her dreams has gone through failures and insecurities, self-doubt and moments with a serious desire to just quit. Martha Stewart was a single mom. So was JK Rowling. Oprah, Jen Hatmaker, Beth Moore, Elizabeth Elliot all have faced obstacles and dark moments. So have I and so will you. The thing is to keep going. It isn’t about stainless pant suits or home baked meals every night. My goal next week is to for me to actually take the grocery list with me next time I go grocery shopping. We have those days sisters, We also have those days when we are like my friend, Christina Brandal surrounded by people over capacity at her launch party for her first published novel. Every late night, every rewritten scene was worth it.