The Best Personal Development Program You’ll Ever Do: Write a Book
I want to talk about something that has had a profound impact on my life, and that I genuinely believe is the best personal development program out there. What is it, you ask? Well, I wrote a book.
Now, for those of you who know me, this isn’t exactly groundbreaking news. I’ve written many books over the years, but there’s something that I say to people — and while I joke about it, it’s not really a joke. Writing a book will be the best personal development program you’ll ever do.
Here’s why:
1. Writing a Book Is Hard
It’s a tough thing to do. Very few people actually write books. If you’re contemplating it, you might think, “Oh my god, everyone’s written a book!” But the truth is, the number of people who have written a book is still a tiny percentage. Writing a book is like climbing a mountain or running a marathon — it’s difficult. But because it’s hard, it sets you apart. You differentiate yourself by doing something not many people will ever attempt.
2. Discipline Is Key
You’ve got to have discipline, full stop. Writing a 30,000, 50,000, or even 70,000-word book requires long periods of time where it’s just you, the keyboard, and your thoughts. It’s not something you can rush. You need to be disciplined enough to chip away at it consistently, and this discipline is transformative in itself. The longer you do it, the more you build that mental muscle.
3. You Have to Stand for Something
Once you’ve written and published a book, someone will read it — whether you like it or not. That means you’ve got to stand behind your words. You can’t erase them or pretend they don’t exist. It takes courage to put your thoughts out there for the world to see and to stand for what you believe. Publishing a book is like taking a bold step into the world — you’re on the record, and that’s a powerful thing.
4. Overcoming Imposter Syndrome
Writing a book forces you to confront imposter syndrome head-on. At some point, you’ve got to stand in your own power and say, “I’ve done it.” You’ve written a book, and that’s no small feat. For me, that milestone took time. But once you push through those doubts, you realize you’re capable of more than you ever imagined.
5. Calling Yourself an Author
This is a big one. It took me three books before I was comfortable calling myself an author. I would tell myself, “These aren’t real books. I’m not Hemingway!” But my publisher at the time, Allen & Unwin, kept encouraging me to own it. One day, they gave me a meter-long wooden board with the word ‘author’ engraved on it. After lugging that thing around Sydney and back to Cairns, the message sank in. I started calling myself an author, and I embraced it fully.
The truth is, that writing a book is life-changing. Every single book I’ve written has had a profound impact on me, whether it was about customer experience or personal reflections in The Me Myth. Writing is hard, and anything hard is usually transformational. It changes you, challenges you, and helps you grow.
So if you’re ready to embark on what could be the most powerful personal development journey of your life, I have one piece of advice: write that book.
Cheers, Andrew.
