Written by: Silke Harvey, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
Something I've become more and more passionate about over the last years is helping women break free from society’s expectations and live their dream lives. Women are still not treated as true equals in society, and even today have to fight to speak their truth. I am here to be part of the global awakening that is taking place right now and want to provide women with a platform where to share their inspiring stories with the world so that they can break free from society’s expectations and lead their dream lives – on their own terms.
And through that journey, I’ve found that I love helping female entrepreneurs do the same. That is, breaking free from society’s expectations and living their dream life – in alignment with their beautiful businesses and passions.
This time last year I was dreaming about being a bestselling author. I had started on my own book, stopped again, got discouraged and in the end kept telling myself that it just wasn’t going to happen for me – too little time, too many distractions and, worst of all, big HUGE impostor syndrome kicking in: “Who am I to think I can publish a book anyway?”
I was feeling horrible because I had promised my friends that they would soon get to read my story and I was discouraged because it was yet another thing on my bucket list that just never seemed to materialise.
I realised something had to change and that that something was ME. So I set out to find the best possible publishing deal out there and spent days and weeks researching and investigating, writing off to publishing houses and getting quotes.
And I quickly realised that the traditional publishing path isn’t for me – it takes too long, too many “big boss men” (yes – there are still very few women running publishing houses) have the right to turn you down without ever giving your story a chance. In the end, I decided to go down the route of self-publishing. So back I went to the drawing board and learnt everything I could about how to publish my own books.
One of my big aha-moments came when I talked to a friend who is a mindset coach and she kicked my butt for procrastinating by hiding behind all of the “research”. I was ready – ready as I’d ever be but kicking the can down the road by learning more and more. So with my friend holding me accountable and with me giving myself a stern talking to, I finally got the ball rolling.
But rather than just publishing my own book, I decided to go one further and start my own publishing company – Inner Hippie Books. Now this was HUGE! All of my dreams, passions, skills and competencies rolled into one and combined into my heartfelt business – a publishing house by women for women. This was a dream come true! Not only could I publish other women’s stories, but I could publish my own stories at the same time – and owning a publishing house is heaven for a bookworm like myself!
I now know that the mindset you have to develop and the change in thinking you have to accomplish to finally see your story in writing and published can be a big shift and it’s far easier to do with support and guidance.
Have you also been wanting to write your book but unable to get it done? Do you have too little time? Not enough discipline to sit down and write regularly? Are you feeling scared of putting your written work out there for the world to see?
The scenario is familiar: you sat down with enthusiasm, got your journal or word processor out, got all excited, and then.... nothing! Not a word crossed your mind. Total and complete writer’s block! Fear setting in: “Am I mad to want to write a BOOK??? Who am I to think I can do this? Let’s just leave this, it was a bad idea!”
And so you gave up, buried your passion deep inside you and continued as if nothing had happened – and nothing ever did. Your story or book still hasn’t been written to this day. But every time you hear or read someone saying: “I’ve released my first book,” you sigh and wonder why that can’t be you.
I’ve been there. I know how horrible it feels.
But it’s not your fault. You’re making mistakes that you’re not even aware of. If you’d only know what you’re doing wrong you’d see how easy it is to make your dream become a reality.
1. You lack structure
Writing a book is like most other things in life – you need a structure to successfully do the job. Simply sitting down and starting to write rarely leads to results. Of course, there are exceptions to this rule and some people excel at spontaneous writing, but for the majority of us, it takes a structured plan that we can follow to get results.
If you know how to create a structure for your book, then all it’ll take is to fill in the blanks with your stories – which is easy when the whole construct is already gently pushing your thoughts in the right direction.
2. You don’t set enough boundaries
Life is full of demands – demands on your time, your personal space, your emotions and everything in between. From family and friends to social media and the press – everyone seems to want something from you, and by trying to comply and keep everyone happy you end up exhausted with no time left for yourself. This is THE No. 1 reason why most books remain unfinished. After all, how can you put your mind to writing when it’s full of other stuff and you’re too tired to think?
If only you could start setting healthy boundaries so that your personal time, energy and emotions are protected, it would be so much easier to get started AND to finish your story!
3. You suffer from low self-esteem
You are full of ideas and enthusiasm, yet whenever you tell anyone of your dreams, you get laughed at or belittled. Your family and friends tell you “to keep your feet on the ground”, that “this is not for people like us”, and that “it’s time to get REAL”. Slowly but surely your ideas and dreams fade into the background and you convince yourself that you’ll never be able to achieve them. Impostor syndrome kicks in big time and you resign yourself to staying in the box that society has reserved for you.
But what if all of what you’ve been told is lies? What if this is no more than jealousy and fear talking? Jealousy that you might do better and earn better than “them” and fear that if you make it, you won’t have any more time for “them”. Once you realise this and manage to break free from these lies and constraints, nothing at all can stop you in this world. If you can dream it you really can achieve it! Whatever you can create in your mind can become a reality! You just need the right guidance and support from other women who’ve been there and done it already.
On my own author journey, I found that it’s possible to fix all of this with these 3 tips:
1. Writing your book in as little as 5 minutes a day
Did you know that it’s entirely possible to write your book in as little as just 5 minutes a day? Yes, as long as you have a clear structure to work by and the encouragement to sit down to a regular writing practice of just 5 minutes each and every day, you can have your book written in less than three months from now. First, brainstorm what you want to write about. Then write down the titles for each chapter and subchapter as bullet points. Arrange the bullet points until the structure starts making sense to the reader. You can rearrange it as often as you need to. Once you have this structure in place, write a brief synopsis for each chapter. Now you have a structure to work from when you sit down to write your book. Next reserve 5 minutes every day to write. Use any method that suits you – handwriting, typing, voice dictation. You can easily get a couple of hundred words or more done in 5 minutes, especially if you already know what you want to write about.
2. No need to create all new content
Are you worried that you don’t have enough to say to fill a whole book? Think again! Take a look at all of your social media content, videos, blog posts and emails over the last few months or even years and you’ll realise that you have already written everything that you need! Transcribe your videos. You can use software like Otter.ai or get a transcriber on places like Fiverr. Copy pertinent sections from your social media posts and blogs and enter them in chapters that talk about the topic. If you have been writing regularly, I’m pretty certain that you can already fill lots of the blanks with all of this wealth of existing content. With just a little research into your own work, you can cut your work in half, if not more. Just some editing and polishing and voila – you’re a huge step further toward completing that book!
3. Get into the right headspace
Writing is around 20% skill and 80% mindset. Everyone can write, especially with today’s assistive technology. But not everyone can finish their writing because that takes a strong mind and lots of focus. You have to overcome pesky obstacles such as impostor syndrome (who am I to write a book?) and get the discipline to sit down and actually WRITE on a regular basis. The good news is that with accountability, plenty of support and some simple mindset exercises, you can overcome all of these hurdles and get your book DONE. Joining an accountability group or group of authors can help enormously with keeping you in your seat and putting pen to paper (or finger to keyboard in today’s world). Mindset exercises, meditation, coaching as well as professional support from an expert all help you with developing the strong mind and focus that is needed to get your writing project done.
Once you’ve mastered these 3 tips, you’re almost there. Congratulations – keep going! Writing and publishing your own story is one of the most rewarding things you’ll ever do and it’s now within your reach. At Inner Hippie Books I help women do just that. Reach out if you need any advice – I’m always happy to help.
If you’d like to find out more about working with me, follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn. Join my Facebook Group and visit my website.
Silke Harvey, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Silke Harvey is the founder of the Inner Hippie Club and Inner Hippie Books, radio presenter, international bestselling author, Senior Level Executive Contributor at Brainz Magazine, Brainz 500 Global 2020 and 2021 honoree and CREA Global Awards 2022 nominee. Her mission in life is to make the world a better place to live for generations to come.
Drawing on her colourful past as an energy healer, Rock’n’Roll bass player, corporate employee and freelance financial translator, she has compiled her wealth of personal and professional knowledge into the Inner Hippie Club to help other women find joy and purpose again.
Inner Hippie Books is a natural extension of the Inner Hippie Club, providing inspirational women, thought leaders, visionaries and change-makers with a platform, a virtual fireside, from which to create a movement of authentic storytelling that lights a path to a brighter future for humanity.
Silke is also a certified Reiki Master, Reiki Drum and Seichem Level II practitioner, a graduate of the Diploma in Chakra Dancing and Creative Meditation, HAO Diploma in Animal Healing and HAOK9 Massage, and a member of the Healing Animals Organisation.
She lives in the UK with her wonderful husband and rescue dog and splits her time between her cosy home by the coast in North East England and her beautiful country cottage in Bulgaria where she is planning to run retreats.
