I’m almost finished with either the last or the next-to-last editing pass on Way of the Three-Year-Old Why, and I’m getting a reaction that surprises me.
Specifically, I’m getting an emotional reaction.
Several weeks have passed since I wrote most of the book, and so it’s somewhat like reading it for the first time. I can almost read it from a third-party perspective. I’m not telling you this to brag. It just surprises me to have my writing affect me like that.
I don’t want to give the plot away, but I will say it gratifies me, since I want to make something that will help you feel something as well. I have long believed strong writing or speaking should address our emotional nature and our logical nature, and the business fable format seems ideal for that. If you have followed this process for a while, you know I wanted to avoid a common failing of business fables, i.e., getting preachy. If the story forms a thin veneer over an explanation of principles, it doesn’t work as well as a straight-out nonfiction book.
I hope it’s not weird for my writing to move me, but I also hope it serves you in both telling a story about characters you care about and making sense of the guidelines you receive to help you ask questions about your own values the way a three-year-old might.
So what were those two freebies you mentioned?
Glad you asked. I have one for you from me, and one from a friend.
From me: the free, complete short story written in the same fictional universe as Way of the Three-Year-Old Why is still available to you. You can get that here.
From a friend: Technically, this is for listeners to an episode of my podcast. You would benefit from listening in on that conversation. Whether you do, though, I think Peg would be OK with me sharing the offer she made to listeners, and I think you would get value from it.
It’s a 90-second quiz that will help you sort out your values (which just means what’s most important to you) for receiving information. The participants then receive a 20-some page report all about themselves! It not only helps you understand yourself better. It also gives you a framework to help you understand better the people you work with. You can access the quiz here.
What’s that early access thing?
When Way of the Three-Year-Old Why is ready for publication, I will release it first via an email to subscribers. For the first month or so, it will remain exclusively available in my own online store. I will notify subscribers about the link, and you are free to share that link with anyone you would like—you will be the ambassadors! Once it becomes available on the standard retailer sites, you will have the authority to post reviews so that you can help others find it. I suppose there’s hardly any book that is right for everyone, and so your recommendation will be extremely useful to the people for whom it is a good fit. There will be some additional perks included for folks who get the book during that initial month.
We’re still thinking it will be available in late September or early October, so share this with friends and family now.
I will confess I’m gratified by what one of my mentors said when he read an early draft, and he has given me permission to include this in the descriptions of the book.
“Timeless wisdom (on many levels) wrapped within an absolutely beautifully-told story! The insight you’ll gain through this wonderful read will be exceeded only by the total joy you will experience while reading it. If I may suggest, purchase a copy for everyone you love. They will benefit greatly, as well as thank you profusely.”
~Bob Burg, co-author of the international bestseller, The Go-Giver
I’m blown away. Bob doesn’t give accolades lightly, so I feel some pressure to make sure the book lives up to that.
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