We're All Authors...of Something!

Today is National Author’s Day, and it’s OK if you didn’t know that this holiday exists. It’s been around since the 1930’s and is a way to celebrate those people who use words to move, inspire and educate their readers. Every author has a different process for writing their books, from staring at a blank piece of paper until brilliance demands to be captured in words, to dictating stories and letting a ghost writer do the actual writing, and thousands of other processes in between. Today is a day for you to appreciate the people who’ve written the books that inspired, entertained and educated you.

Have you written a book? If so, I celebrate you today! If not, have you ever wondered what it’s like to finally do that thing you may have thought about doing and never quite got around to??May I tell you the process I used to write my first book, The Original MBA so you might find the courage to begin?

My mom passed away when her granddaughters, my nieces, were very young. They felt her love and missed out on being able to learn important life lessons in the gentle, wise way she taught them to my brothers and me. I decided that one day I would assemble Mom’s wisdom in a book and give it to them. And through the years after she died, I thought about that book off and on, sometimes even starting a book outline or list of stories. I’d remember the mental promise I made to my nieces and feel bad that the beginnings of “their” book never went anywhere.?

On Mother’s Day of 1998, it was clear that Mom was spending her final days in her body, and I struggled with what to give her as a gift. I ended up giving her a framed list of things I’d learned from her. Some were silly, some quite profound, and each one of them reminded us of stories we could tell each other about our lives together. When she died, Daddy gave that framed list to me. One day, looking at it, I realized the list was a book outline. I picked out fifteen of the life lessons, wrote the story around how I learned each one, a story about how each lesson served me in my work and life, organized them into five chapters and voila! A book was born, and it took on a little life of its own. Intended to just be for my nieces, it ended up being an award-winning book that has inspired many who’ve read it.

So today, on National Author’s Day, celebrate those who’ve arranged words in a way that you enjoyed them, learned from them and wanted to read more of them. And if you’d rather listen to some words, here are links to Wellbeing Wisdom Tiny Bites podcasts about the power of the written word and how you can use it to create success in your life. PS…you don’t even have to do much writing at all!

Not feeling much like an author? There’s a Tiny Bite for that!

Need to re-write your brain’s story? There’s a Tiny Bite for that!

Want to re-write how your team members work together? There’s a Tiny Bite for that!

The Wellbeing Wisdom Tiny Bites podcast is?the world's second-shortest podcast, and every episode shares a gamebraining tool to help you deal with whatever life throws at you.

Got a minute and a half? There's a new Tiny Bite podcast waiting for you every day at the?Center for Workplace Happiness website?and wherever you listen to podcasts.??

Enjoy National Author's Day...who's your favorite author?

Wags, Sandy Weaver, Program Director, Center for Workplace Happiness

PS...looking for something different to give your clients, teammates or family members this year? Check out the personal development courses and books available through the?Center for Workplace Happiness. Need a bunch? Enjoy generous bulk discounts!??