This week represents a special and important week for me, as I’m publishing my new book Be First Class (Insights, stories and tips to help you to the best you can be personally and professionally).

It’s a big moment as it has been a long held ambition of mine to write a book and share some of the knowledge I’ve acquired from my corporate career and 15 years as an executive coach and facilitator.

The main purpose of the book is to help people discover and fulfil more of their potential. The inspiration for the structure of the book came to me when I started publishing these blogs each week. I have taken some of the most popular blog titles, adapted some of the content and written some new material.

Modern life is busy, so I’ve written the book with short chapters in a style that will enable people to fit reading and reflection into a busy schedule. It’s divided into 52 chapters which contain insights, stories and tips. Each chapter also includes a thought provoking quotation and questions to help people reflect and find the right answers for them. I have created it so that it’s like a personal development programme.

People will be able to focus on a chapter per week or at a slower/faster pace to suit their schedules. Alternatively, they can read it cover to cover and then go back and complete the various exercises and answer the questions.

My wish is that by sharing the information and knowledge, people will glean an insight or take away a piece of information that has a positive impact on their life and results. Hopefully, that insight will also enable them to make a positive difference to the lives of others. Their example could be a source of inspiration and encouragement to other people to be the best they can be. It can be like a positive ripple.

Many people have asked me to share my insights and lessons from the book writing process.

There are lots of things that I have learned from completing the book and these lessons can be the subject of a future blog.

I guess the thing that struck me the most when I reflected on the experience was that the importance of self-discipline. I scheduled time slots into my diary for writing and I made sure that I stuck to those plans, which wasn’t always easy. I set myself a target to write 500 words at each session. I did this as a minimum and when I had more time available I was able to write more than this. It meant the book took a fair amount of time to complete but I got there in the end.

This leads me onto another big insight for me which is that small actions and disciplines applied consistently produce big results. The book came together step by step.

My advice for anyone considering writing a book would be to plan some writing time, stick to the plan and constantly remind yourself of the power of small actions applied consistently. I enjoyed writing the book and another realisation for me was that we do best what we enjoy and feel passionate about.

This week, why not take a few moments to reflect and consider if there is a goal or dream that you would like to fulfil but haven’t yet accomplished. Are you able to take some action to progress things? What could be your first step?

This week’s quotation:-

“To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream; not only plan, but also believe.” Anatole France.

You can purchase your copy of the Be First Class book by clicking here.

To arrange a free no obligation consultation, please contact Stephen Pauley via the contact form or by e mail: Stephen@befirstclass.co.uk