Do you 110% believe in what you’re doing?

In July 2014, I went to Disneyland Tokyo with the love of my life. After enjoying various attractions and rides, I saw many people huddled together. Curious about the crowd, I walked towards them and found that they were making a wish list. Pardon me for my bad English and please excuse me if it’s grammatically incorrect. This is what I wrote:

At that moment, I’ve already authored two books about education and they were published by eminent publishers in Jakarta, Indonesia. However, the decision to be an author has been made long before that day. When I was in junior high school, my favourite subject was Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian language) and I thought that I could pursue a professional career by doing my hobby in writing. I wasn’t totally wrong about it. My writing skill has helped me to win two scholarships (for my undergraduate and postgraduate studies) and formed my experience in undertaking several roles in communication-related areas, such as Marketing Communications Coordinator, Copywriter, and Communication Specialist.

Financially, I can’t say that being an internationally-acclaimed author is my lifetime goal, but I’ll be lying to myself if I say that it’s not. I never knew how it feels to earn six figures via book royalty, but it’s too early to say that it’s impossible, isn’t it? So far, being an author is not something monetary and momentary. It’s not only about fame or recognition. Instead, it’s very philosophical. It’s very personal. And it’s also very aspirational.

If I’ve ever been so lionhearted in fighting for what I think I deserve, my fight with the goal to be an author is noteworthy. I’ve gone through seven rejections from seven different book publishers before my first book was published. It happened to me when I was 17 years old (I think that’s a bit too much to swallow for my age). The fact that I didn’t give up reminds me how philosophical, personal, and aspirational it is to become an author, which in this case makes it legitimate to say that I 110% believe in what I’m doing.

I haven’t done any research to prove how many people around me who go to work every day because their works are aligned with their ultimate goals in life. I haven’t conducted any survey to prove otherwise as well. So, let’s just fairly assume: some of us know exactly where we are going and believe that what we do will pave the way closer to our destination, while some of us do what we do because it feels right to do so.

In a society saturated by information, this article might be read, shared, and then forgotten. But I think you will remember what Confucius once said, ‘Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.’ This is exactly what I feel about being an author.

Being a book author is not the end of the story. It’s not an isolated status or title. By 110% believing in what I’m doing, I escalate myself to reach the next level, which is 110% believe in what I’m producing. In the digital era, I would be irrational if I didn’t proactively promote my works, thoughts, or books through the most magnificent tool at my fingertips: the internet. It would be illogical if I didn’t inform my networks about my new book, for example. I would also feel guilty if I let my publisher work alone in promoting my books. This is what I do:

Participating in the Frankfurt Book Fair 2013 and 2015 to expand my international networks in the book-publishing industry

Getting an endorsement from Darmadi Darmawangsa, Indonesia's Top Motivator (Master of Motivation)

Media relations (in total, there are more than 20 publications from newspaper, magazine, and online media)

Presenting my book to Bacharuddin Jusuf Habibie, the third President of the Republic of Indonesia

Book review from a notable journalist and author

Presenting my book to The Hon Sue Ellery (WA Minister for Education and Training)

How do I do it? Is it because my parents know them? No, it’s not. Here’s my secret:

1. Build strategic relationships with everyone and do it genuinely without any hidden agenda. Make friends with journalists, business leaders, community leaders, student leaders, students in general, lecturers, successful people, people who just started their careers, people who just failed their exams, janitors, bus drivers, my neighbours, and people I meet in networking events or tennis courts. How to make friends? Be a friend. Be friendly, supportive, positive, helpful, sincere, cheerful, and don’t forget to grow the relationships slowly but surely.
2. Get my story ready and make sure I know how to make myself relevant when I meet or communicate with the people I mentioned above. Be enthusiastic about what I’m doing and producing. I never fake enthusiasm because natural enthusiasm keeps my energy recharged every day.
3. Share the credits with my book publishers and all institutions I work at/with. It’s never about a one-man show. It’s not a winner-takes-all rule of the game. If people know me because of my works or books, I will also mention and introduce them to the people who support me from backstage.

If you choose to work in silence, it’s totally up to you. It’s not a right-or-wrong proposition. If you choose to reach out to your networks and communities as I did, then ask yourself: How far will I go to show that I 110% believe in what I’m doing and producing?