This past year, writing a book was on my list of “I want to accomplish this.”  As you know, 2014 was full of blog starting, podcast starting, and more speaking.  When on earth was I going to fit in time to write?

Well, late last spring I sat in on a webinar put on by a guy named Chandler Bolt.  Chandler’s program was how to write and publish a book in 90 days…oh and get that book on the Amazon Best Seller list too.  That sounds good, doesn’t it?  I was really impressed.  Although he’s young, he has an excellent track record of getting his books to the #1 rankings in Amazon.  Not bad, right?

So I signed on for his course and jumped in.  Well, life happened, and I didn’t actually start on the book until mid-fall.  I wrote it in October and November, and my plan is to publish by the end of the February.  Chandler’s program helped me make this happen.

Well, Chandler and his business partner James have put together an updated and fully improved version of their program called Self Publishing School and this new program is why I say Help Is On It’s Way!

If you’ve ever thought about writing a book, I’d encourage you to seriously check out what Chandler and James are offering.  It’s not cheap, but I do believe it’s so valuable!  Here are just a few of the things he and his team will walk you through step by step…

• How to get started
• How to write even when you’re not inspired
• How to create a killer title and subtitle
• Tactics for how to classify your book for maximum exposure
• Social media ninja marketing tactics to help you get all your friends involved and supportive
• Finding an editor
• Creating the perfect cover
• and so much more…

If you have a story to share, or if you know a book would be the natural next step for your own platform, I just know you will love this program!  Starting today, February 16th through the 22nd, only, you’ll be able to sign up for this program.  Click through to the program here.  Think of all the lives you will positively affect by getting your story published!

Question:  Have you ever thought about writing a book?  What has held you back? I’d love to hear your comments!

The post Do You Have A Book In You? appeared first on Christy Largent.

Next week I’m going to clean out Amelia’s closet and room.  The poor thing is living with piles upon piles. I was inspired by Kathy Lipp’s new book, Clutter Free: Quick and Easy Steps to Simplifying Your Space.  I plan on writing a blog post about the book later this month, so I’ll let you know how the room project goes!

What I read this week:

Of all of these, I actually only recommend two.

Anne Lamott’s Small Victories: Spotting Improbable Moments of Grace. This collection of essays on faith, family and community are so beautifully written it often makes you cry. I do so love her writing. Despite our faith differences, I’m always pulled towards contemplation when I read her words. Beautiful.

I love a good mystery, so Margaret Maron’s Designated Daughters (A Deborah Knott Mystery) did not disappoint.  Entertaining and fast moving, I enjoyed this quick read.

The other books were either trite (Danielle Steel, what did I expect?!…can you say, Escape!), boring, The Book of Jonah, or too difficult to wade through.  I wanted to love Dallas Willards’ award winning last book, but it was so dense I couldn’t stick with it.  I hope I have better luck next week!  Here’s what that stack looks like.  By the way, can you tell I’m a huge advocate of our public library!

What I’m planning on reading next week:

Wellness Journey:  Well, I’ve successfully completed week 1!  I’m so happy!  Here’s how it’s going so far…

• So far the food has been pretty tasty and easy to prepare.  I like most of it.
• My favorite thing is that the week’s eating is all planned out and even prepackaged so it’s easy for me to get the food out the night before and have it ready to go in the morning.
• I’m drinking a lot and even writing down what I eat.   That’s a huge win for me because I generally tend to fight that kind of restriction.  But I keep telling myself this is just for 4 months (my goal!) and is a means to an end.
• No exercise but I did go to the chiropractor and also get a massage.  I liked that because it’s a way of taking care of myself.  On Thursday I stepped into a hole in the road while crossing the street to my kids’ piano lesson.  I really shocked my body…thus the trip to the chiro.  But I’m strong and I’m on the mend.  Next week I’ll add in some yoga and walking.  That should feel great!

I just don’t like cooking.  There, I said it.  The incredible amount of time (even with use of the crock pot) just drives me crazy!  Thanks to Sara Fragoso and Everyday Paleo, I now know how to cook, but I just don’t like it.  I guess I would like it more if that’s all I had to do…but with a messy home and kids to play with and books to read, for heaven’s sake!, I just don’t enjoy all the time I spend in the kitchen.  So, that’s just a little aside that’s neither here nor there, but I thought some of you might be freed to say the same thing by hearing me say it.  And some of you might have suggestions for how I could simplify so that I like it more.

Professionally:  This week was neat because I finally got my first podcast of the year posted, and have set up a new schedule…so that it will be released on Wednesdays from now on.  The frustrating thing is that for some reason my podcasts since December 1st are not showing up in iTunes…so I spent a ton of time trying to figure that out…and it’s still not fixed! Argh.

I also had a productive work session with my tech helper and the support team from Infusionsoft, the program I purchased for all my emailings and so forth.  It’s another steep learning curve, but I’m so excited to have it because it will allow me to offer all sorts of exciting products and programs directly to you in a professional and automized way.

Next week I have a few big things on my calendar.

• Saturday I’m speaking for a local non-profit, Homes of Hope for Vida, which is an organization that helps victims of domestic abuse with long term housing.  I’ll be working on that program this week.
• I’m also planning on finishing up all the edits of my book and starting on the recording.  My plan is to launch on Tuesday February 3rd, so stay tuned!
• I’m also working on learning more of that infusionsoft support program I mentioned earlier.  As I said, that’s a steep learning curve, so I’m trying to do a little bit every day.
• Add in a new podcast and 2 blog posts, a day trip to San Francisco to take my son to a Dr.’s appointment, filming for my TV-Show all morning Thursday and a field trip with my daughter’s class on Friday, and it’s going to be a very full week!  I hope yours will be fabulous too!

Question:  What are you working on?  What are you looking forward to?  I’d love to hear from you.  Just leave your comments below.

The post Weekend Update appeared first on Christy Largent.

Two weekends ago, I had 1.89 miles down on a treadmill run of 7 miles. (If you’ve ever experienced Dallas in August, then you understand why I was inside on a treadmill). All I wanted to do was quit. My breathing was ragged, my knees ached and my lower back felt as tight as the sheets on a marine’s bed.

My head filled with all the reasons I could stop. All the reasons to procrastinate put off this long run to another day. Too boring, too tired, not well fueled, too old… But I just couldn’t stop. I did walk. But I didn’t stop.

Have you ever felt like quitting? I did a podcast on the power of quitting when it’s the right time to quit, when you need to change direction and when you know beyond a shadow of doubt that the current path you are on is not serving you well.

But have you ever wanted to quit a big goal that’s meaningful and important to you? You want to quit because it’s really, really hard and you’re tired and you Just. Want. To. Stop.

That’s what I felt that Saturday. And here’s what helped me keep putting one foot in front of the other to the very end of that long run. Maybe it will help you too.

4 Reasons Why won’t I quit and why you shouldn’t either:

1.  Remember your why. Back in the day with Arbonne, the most powerful part of any discussion with a business partner was always “their why”. You see, I understood how easy it was to quit when things got difficult. But if I could help her dig deep and really clarify her WHY then that big, heart connected vision would see her through many a rough evening.

And the same was true with my goal. It’s easy to set the goal, but what kept me focused and moving was the bigger reason WHY I set that goal. My why: I committed to finding a way to increase my fitness. This 1/2 marathon weekly training plan is the discipline that will keep me connected to the final victory – of finishing the journey well.

2.  Tap into the bigger reason. Yes, I want to finish what I started and hopefully even shed a few pounds, but the bigger reason is I want to set an example for my kids – especially my daughter. The kids heard and saw me get into gear for running this race. As I’ve shared before (especially on my podcast), the past few years I set a number of goals and was not able to achieve them. This year I’m breaking that cycle, and the 1/2 is the physical component of what I think of as my transformation. Finishing what I started with this training program and running on October 5th will be a big piece of my transformation puzzle.

3.  Recognize there are high and low points along the way. When I wanted to quit at the almost 2 mile point, I felt horrible! But about 2 tenths of a mile later I felt a bit better, by 3 miles I was gaining strength and had about a mile of sweetness before I felt horrible all over again. It was a cycle that repeated until I finished. Because I stuck with it, I was able to experience all of it. Quitting would have short-circuited the process and I would have robbed myself of the additional good as well as the character-building bad.

4.  It feels so good when you finish. I didn’t stop. I kept trudging forward, using speed intervals to break up the monotony, and before I knew it I had finished my 7 miles. And it felt GREAT!

Now, if I can just remember that feeling as I set out tomorrow to complete my 9 miles.

Question: How about you? Is it easy for you to quit or are you someone who sticks with projects and goals no matter what? Do you think it’s important to stick with it even when it’s difficult? When is the right time to quit? I’d love to hear your thoughts! Please leave a comment below.

The post 4 Reasons Why I Didn’t Quit and Why You Won’t Either appeared first on Christy Largent.