When You’re Shocked By Words

I was shocked by the words I was hearing.

It was a business lunch.

Myself, Jerry Grimes, Adam McCain and Rob Bunch.

The topic? the launch and marketing of my soon to be released book.

Rob, from The High Road Agency, said, “Now Brian, you need to prepare your heart for critics. There are people who will read your book and then trash you and your name. And there are people who will never read the book but simply say horrible things because they’re jealous or they don’t like you. We’re going to strategize how to respond those comments…”

I sat there in disbelief.

All I wanted to do was write a book, get it published, have some people read it and hopefully make a difference in some people’s lives.

But here I was at an important meeting with our media agency and I was being told to prepare my heart for the negative.

To be honest, it never crossed my mind.

Read this line carefully….THE BOOK ISN’T EVEN OUT YET.

Let me type that again…THE BOOK ISN’T EVEN OUT YET.

“Leadership Endurance” is set to launch the last week of May / first of June.

And you know what I’m discovering….Rob from The High Road Agency is right.

In the last 30 days, I’ve been told the following from people outside of PAR and my circle of friends…

“Brian is a great writer, but he doesn’t live what he writes.”

“Sir, you have no Masters or PhD. Are you sure you’re qualified to write a book?”

“You’re a pretty big guy. Shouldn’t you lead yourself to health before you write a book about leadership?”

There are more comments…but I’ll end there.

People actually said them to me…or wrote them to me. (It’s one reason I no longer Facebook messenger.)

Let’s address this issue up front: Do not call, text or comment below that you’re sorry people said those words. That’s not why I’m sharing this.

Read this carefully…

The dream isn’t free. You’re going to face hurdles, obstacles, jealousy, hate, and negativity. That’s the price of admission for achieving your goals. People are going to oppose you. Some will give you a reason and others…well…some just like opposing stuff because life didn’t turn out the way they wanted it and you’re an easy target. Keep marching toward your dream. Don’t give up. I’m not. The book will still be published. There’ll be interviews, videos, speaking engagements, and so on. And there’ll be critics. Not everyone is going to like you or appreciate your dream. You need to embrace that. But your passion for the dream must be greater than the hurt or disappointment you’ll feel from the critics and obstacles. If it’s not, they’ll stop you in your tracks and your vision will die. Remember, the dream isn’t free and you must be willing to pay the price.

Let’s be honest…I don’t always live what I write. I’m not Jesus. He was the only person who was perfect.

You must be willing to put the words of your critics in perspective. Remember, your critics are accusing you of not being perfect…but they’re imperfect as well.

Yes, I’m a man with a large waist size. I don’t have a Masters or a Ph.D. But those are obstacles I overcame to be a leader, author, and speaker. Those things didn’t hold me back. Some may see them as areas to critique. I see them as steps on a ladder toward my goal.

I’m also a fella with a speech defect. I stutter. And yet, I’m reading my book so it can be available on Audible and other platforms. The dream isn’t free and you must be willing to pay the price.

I end this rambling with a few requests…

First, would you pray for me? Pray that I’ll remember that the dream isn’t free. Pray that I’ll continue to have the courage to pay the price to achieve the goals set before me.

Second, and I’m being totally transparent…pray that the book wouldn’t suck.

Third, would you pray about being part of my launch team? You’ll be asked to read sections in advance, give a review online and you’ll be asked to pre-order the book. If you’re interested, could you email us at info@parfm.com? I’d be honored.

Finally, pray for those who will read the book. Pray that it will make a difference in their lives.

I know this was a long post.

Thanks for taking the time read it.

Remember… easy never changed the world…

 

– Brian Sanders