I always had a quiet dream. One day, I wanted to be an author. Not just to see my name on a cover, but to use words to touch lives. I imagined my writing could inspire someone, even if only one person, to see things differently or believe in themselves a little more.
But for the longest time, I did nothing about it.
Why? Because writing a book felt overwhelming. It felt like setting aside a huge chunk of my life with no promise of a return. I kept putting it off. I told myself I would begin when the timing was right, when work settled down, or when I had a brilliant idea that practically wrote itself. That day never came.
Until one small moment changed everything.
During my post-graduate studies, I heard a professor say, “If you have a story, it has to come out.” That sentence stayed with me. I realised I had spent years bottling up something that clearly needed space. So I opened a blank Word document, stared at the cursor blinking back at me, and decided to begin.
What followed was a rollercoaster. And through that journey, I learned five important lessons that apply to more than just writing. They apply to working professionals, leaders, and anyone trying to bring a meaningful idea to life.
1. Stick-to-itiveness Beats Motivation Every Time
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I made a simple promise to myself on day one. I would write one page every day.
It went well for the first three days. I felt excited and inspired. But on the fourth day, real life came knocking. Work was stressful. I had errands to run. I was tired. I skipped a day. Then another. And soon, I was back to square one.
But something inside me said, “Try again.” So I did. Even when I did not feel like it, I would open the document and force myself to write at least half a page. Sometimes, I just stared at the screen until words appeared. But the important thing was, I showed up.
Eventually, I developed a rhythm. I realised that progress does not require inspiration. It requires consistency. This lesson reshaped how I approach big tasks at work too. Whether it is designing a new training, leading a team project, or mentoring someone, the results come from the days you stick with it, not just the days you feel great.
2. Breaks Are Not the Enemy of Progress
Eight months in, I felt stuck. Every sentence I wrote sounded like something I had written before. My ideas felt flat. I started dreading the writing process, which was strange because I had always thought of writing as joyful.
Then I reminded myself of something I often tell others: rest is part of the process.
I took a break. Not a long one, but just enough to let my mind breathe. I went for walks. I listened to music. I did things that had nothing to do with writing. Slowly, I felt the excitement return. When I came back to my manuscript, I saw it with fresh eyes.
In high-performing environments, we are taught to keep going, to push through fatigue. But creative thinking and emotional clarity require space. Without rest, burnout creeps in. Whether you are a team leader or an individual contributor, taking time to pause and recharge is not optional. It is essential.
3. Starting Strong Is Good, But Finishing Strong Is Better
After completing my manuscript, I froze.
The hard part should have been over. But now came a new challenge: sending it out to publishers. I sat on the final step for weeks. I kept telling myself I needed to polish a few chapters or update my introduction. The truth was, I was scared.
Eventually, I pushed myself to act. I researched publishers, prepared submission packages, and sent out my manuscript.
The lesson was clear. A good start does not count if you never cross the finish line. Fear of rejection or failure often shows up just before the moment of completion. But the only way to move forward is to push through that discomfort.
In the workplace, I have seen brilliant ideas stall at the last mile. Teams overthink the final steps. Individuals delay sharing their work. Finishing what you start requires courage. But that is what separates intentions from outcomes.
4. Rejections Are Not Personal
Within weeks, the rejection letters started arriving.
Some publishers were polite. Others were brief. Most said they were not interested. At first, each one stung. But then I noticed something. I was not giving up. Instead, I was editing my manuscript based on the feedback. I was improving my pitch. I was growing.
Rejection was not the end. It was a redirect.
This mindset helped me beyond writing too. In corporate environments, feedback can sometimes feel like a personal attack. But it is not. It is data. And if you learn to interpret it with humility and curiosity, it can point you in a better direction.
Eventually, one publisher said yes. But I was grateful for all the ones who said no, because they sharpened me.
5. Persistence Creates Possibility
That acceptance letter felt like magic.
But when I look back, the magic was not in that one email. It was in the hundreds of small choices I made before it. Every day I wrote. Every time I edited. Every time I believed in the story, even when no one else had read a word of it.
There is a story I once read about a stonecutter. He hits a rock one hundred times with no result. But on the hundred and first blow, the rock cracks. Was it the last hit that did it? Or the hundred before?
That is what persistence looks like. Quiet effort. Steady belief. Progress that is invisible until suddenly, it is not.
This principle changed how I view success at work too. We often reward visible outcomes. But real progress happens in the small, consistent actions that no one sees. The team meetings. The early drafts. The difficult conversations. The hours spent learning something new.
If you can persist, even when results seem far away, you are already on your way.
A Deeper Realisation: Writing Transformed How I Communicate
There was one benefit I never expected from writing a book. It changed how I listen.
Writing forced me to slow down. I had to think about how my words might be received. I had to imagine my reader’s questions. This built empathy. And that empathy started to show up in my conversations, in meetings, and in how I facilitated sessions.
I became more mindful of tone, more intentional with feedback, and more focused when engaging with others. Writing taught me not just to speak clearly, but to connect meaningfully.
Today, I find that same benefit when we teach storytelling as a leadership skill. When leaders learn to share personal stories, they connect better with their teams. They inspire, not instruct. They influence, not impose.
If that resonates with you, you might explore a storytelling for leaders workshop that helps teams unlock this powerful skill.
This Was Never Just About a Book
Since publishing that first book, I have written more. Each project brought new lessons. But the first one will always remain special because it taught me more about myself than I could have imagined.
The five lessons I shared are not just for writers. They are for anyone working toward a meaningful goal. Whether you are building a team, designing a new program, or navigating change, these truths hold:
- Discipline matters more than motivation
- Rest is productive
- Completion builds confidence
- Rejection builds resilience
- Persistence fuels everything
If you have a dream, a real one, the kind that makes you nervous – do not wait. Start messy. Start small. But start.
Because the journey itself will teach you more than any finished product ever will.
