Ep. 285 Five Surprising Life Changing Lessons I Learned Writing My First Book

[00:00:13] Welcome to Hustle in Faith. This channel is dedicated to helping women who want to analyze, apply, and amplify their God-given gifts.

[00:00:20] We accomplish this by discussing business, self-improvement, health and beauty, and my random thoughts about life from a Christian perspective.

[00:00:28] I'm your host, LaTosha Johnson.

[00:00:30] Writing a book was a dream, but it taught me lessons that I never expected.

[00:00:35] In today's episode, we're going to discuss five life-changing lessons I learned from writing my first book.

[00:00:43] And so I'm really excited about today's episode because it's pretty much me taking a moment to celebrate something that I never thought that I would be capable of doing.

[00:00:57] And quite frankly, that is adding author to my resume.

[00:01:02] This whole process, this whole writing process, I've learned so many different lessons and I wanted to be in a position to share them with you as well.

[00:01:12] So let me jump right into it.

[00:01:14] So lesson number one, I am capable of more than what I ever expected.

[00:01:21] Anyone who knows me knows that I keep a very busy schedule, right?

[00:01:26] But I've got my priorities.

[00:01:27] But to be quite honest, writing a book was never on the bucket list.

[00:01:33] But the past couple of years, God has put it on my heart to share some of the lessons that I've learned throughout being single.

[00:01:43] And oh, I should probably share the title of the book, right?

[00:01:46] So the title of the book is called How to Live an Extraordinary Life with or Without Mr. Right, A Christian Woman's Guide on How to Survive and Thrive on Single Avenue.

[00:01:58] So again, God put it on my heart to share some of the lessons that I've learned throughout my life.

[00:02:04] And it's kind of funny.

[00:02:07] His timing is perfect.

[00:02:09] But at the same time, it's also a mystery because the past couple of years have been incredibly stressful for me.

[00:02:16] I've been dealing with, for the past couple of years, I've been going through a lawsuit.

[00:02:24] I filed a lawsuit against my condo board because, quite frankly, there's a lot of issues that they're not taking care of.

[00:02:32] That's a whole other story, trust me.

[00:02:35] Maybe a future episode.

[00:02:37] But I've been dealing with that.

[00:02:39] And then I've just been dealing with toxic personalities in business and in life.

[00:02:45] And it's just been quite stressful.

[00:02:47] And then trying to make sure that I'm taking care of myself because, you know, you can't pour from an empty cup, right?

[00:02:54] So making sure that I stay on top of my health.

[00:02:56] And then I do voiceover work.

[00:02:58] And I've got the podcast, Hustle and Faith.

[00:03:01] And just making sure that I keep my priorities in line, right?

[00:03:09] And one of the main reasons why I never thought that I would be in a position to write a book is because I always...

[00:03:15] I'm so type A, okay?

[00:03:18] And that's something that I'm trying to get over.

[00:03:20] But I'm so type A.

[00:03:22] And I've always thought that I had to have just a set amount of time to write a book.

[00:03:27] Like, I just...

[00:03:29] I don't know.

[00:03:30] I always just pictured those folks that were writing the book.

[00:03:32] Like, they took time off from their career.

[00:03:34] And just, you know, they had all this free time.

[00:03:37] And so they had the ability to really just pour into it, right?

[00:03:42] And the whole...

[00:03:43] The funny thing about me writing my book...

[00:03:48] And by the way, I wrote not one, but two books.

[00:03:51] So I've got the book and then I've got the workbook that is just as robust as the book.

[00:03:58] And it taught me...

[00:03:59] God was trying to get me out of my rigid ways because I've always been kind of very structured.

[00:04:05] And quite frankly, I had to find time whenever it was possible to do this book.

[00:04:12] And it...

[00:04:15] I don't know if that's the best way to say it.

[00:04:17] But I had to make sure that I was prioritizing my time correctly whenever I could to write this book.

[00:04:24] It took me about a year to write this book.

[00:04:27] With that said, it's been in my head for about five or six years, right?

[00:04:32] So, you know, God was very patient with me.

[00:04:36] I have to admit, he was very, very patient.

[00:04:37] And helping me to finally realize that it was time for me to, you know, get it out of my head and onto paper.

[00:04:46] So that was lesson number one.

[00:04:48] I am more capable of more than what I ever expected.

[00:04:52] And he really tested my faith during this time.

[00:04:56] I kept thinking about 1 Peter 1.7.

[00:04:58] And God really was refining my faith throughout this process because there were times I just thought...

[00:05:07] It was like there were certain times where everything was coming at me at one time.

[00:05:11] You know, I had business, personal life, my, you know, the lawsuit and all these things that, you know, trying to get justice and all these different things were coming at me.

[00:05:23] And yet and still, I kept telling myself, okay, my one focus and my one main goal is to make sure that I write off being an author.

[00:05:36] You know, I finally had...

[00:05:37] I finally was just like, I got to get this out of my head.

[00:05:41] I have to.

[00:05:42] So, yeah, that was one main lesson.

[00:05:45] I'm more...

[00:05:46] I'm capable of more than what I ever thought that I was capable of.

[00:05:49] Lesson number two was having confidence in my abilities because I, quite frankly, never in a million years saw myself as an author.

[00:05:59] So, you know, I was coming into this kind of like, ooh, can I do this?

[00:06:02] I don't know.

[00:06:06] But it taught me that I need to always make sure that I have confidence in myself.

[00:06:11] Because when I was kind of bouncing some of these ideas off of my friends and some of those in the Hustle and Faith community as well, that's my podcast, my podcast community.

[00:06:23] So, you know, I was kind of bouncing some ideas off of the people that I encountered.

[00:06:28] I was thinking to myself, you know, I think I have an idea here.

[00:06:33] And I'm going to be completely honest, guys.

[00:06:35] I was thinking about going the traditional publishing route.

[00:06:40] Now, I'm not downing the traditional publishing route in any way, shape, or form.

[00:06:45] There's two ways that you can publish your book, traditional or self-publishing.

[00:06:50] I decided to go the self-publishing route under my company, under my own company, Hustle and Faith.

[00:06:57] So one of the main reasons I did that is because I, when I kind of shot my manuscript, and I didn't even do it to a lot of publishers, but I just felt like the whole process was, I don't know what else to say, but it just felt very cumbersome.

[00:07:16] And quite frankly, if you take a look at the statistics about how many, you know, authors of color are within, especially the Christian publishing industry, it's quite sad, right?

[00:07:30] And I know that I have a message that quite frankly, yes, it will resonate with folks that look like me, but I know it'll definitely resonate with other single women as well that don't look like me.

[00:07:43] And I have a feeling like a lot of the publishing industry, sorry, I got something on my face here, is still kind of like stuck in the Stone Age, and they don't realize that there are other demographics.

[00:07:57] I'll just leave it at that.

[00:07:59] So, you know, I was told that, oh yeah, I like the concept and everything, but I just don't know because, you know, I think, you know, we've had some other books that are published on this subject.

[00:08:10] And I'm like, okay, but that doesn't stop these publishers from publishing topics from the same folks that look like them on the exact same topics that we see and hear about every day.

[00:08:25] And I think you all know where I'm getting at here.

[00:08:27] So I'm just like, okay, I know I have a message.

[00:08:30] I know that, you know, I never saw myself as an author, but I do know that I'm a good writer.

[00:08:35] I've been told that.

[00:08:38] And so I went forth.

[00:08:40] I said, you know what, I'm going to do this a self-publishing way.

[00:08:43] And so I, school of YouTube, y'all, went to work trying to figure out what did I need to do.

[00:08:52] So I got my editors, I got my book designer.

[00:08:56] I did everything myself.

[00:08:59] And I cannot tell you how proud I am of myself.

[00:09:04] You know, everything that you see has been personally designed by me.

[00:09:11] With the exception of the book designer, with the book design cover, I literally came up with the concept, but I worked with my designer to make it come to life.

[00:09:19] So I created the websites.

[00:09:22] I created, obviously, I wrote the book.

[00:09:24] I, you know, all of that is me.

[00:09:27] And I just cannot believe that I was in a position to do this.

[00:09:33] And it really does remind me that through Christ, you can do all things.

[00:09:38] Like nothing is too impossible for you to do.

[00:09:40] So I'm really proud of myself from the standpoint that I had the confidence that even though I had the, some folks told me no, I knew in my heart that this should be a yes.

[00:09:55] And I went and did it anyway.

[00:09:57] So what I want to let you know is in the event that you feel that you have a book in your heart and you're, you're thinking that, oh, I've just, well, you know, traditional publishing.

[00:10:10] I don't know how to do this.

[00:10:11] It's not as hard as you think.

[00:10:13] And I really cannot stress enough the fact that you should take some time to really weigh the pros and cons anyway.

[00:10:22] Because throughout the process, I realized that self-publishing was the way to go for me.

[00:10:28] Now, that may not be the best for everyone.

[00:10:31] But for me, it definitely was, especially as someone who's rather tech savvy and already do voiceover work.

[00:10:40] So, you know, there's like a lot of stuff that I already, a lot of gifts that I already had.

[00:10:44] But that's not to say that you can't gain those gifts, okay?

[00:10:48] So in the event that that's something that you're interested in, you really go to the school of YouTube.

[00:10:53] I'm a proud school of YouTube graduate.

[00:10:55] There have been so many things that I've taught myself and self-publishing was one of them, okay?

[00:11:01] Number three, perfect segue into number three.

[00:11:05] Leverage the opportunities that are in front of you.

[00:11:09] And I just mentioned one of them, the school of YouTube.

[00:11:12] So many of us sit back and say, I can't do X, Y, Z because of ABC, right?

[00:11:19] And it's like, why can't you do it?

[00:11:22] Why can't you do it?

[00:11:23] Is it because someone told you you can't?

[00:11:27] Because if that's the case, I don't know about you, but when someone tells me that I can't do something,

[00:11:33] bet, I am going to do everything in my power to make sure that I prove you wrong.

[00:11:41] The best way to get back at someone is success.

[00:11:47] Success.

[00:11:48] Success, God's way.

[00:11:50] Making sure that you did your best.

[00:11:53] Because if you put forth the effort and you've got faith, there's nothing that can stop you.

[00:11:58] And so I want you to leverage your opportunities because we have technology today that, my goodness,

[00:12:05] if I had this 20 years ago, I really do feel like I would be so much further in my career.

[00:12:14] Like, I just know I would have gone a different trajectory.

[00:12:17] Not to say that where I'm at now is bad, but I know I probably could have gotten to my second act,

[00:12:23] which is what I'm working on right now, a lot faster had I been in a position to really leverage the opportunities that we have today.

[00:12:31] And that's what I'm doing now.

[00:12:33] I'm capitalizing on YouTube.

[00:12:34] I'm teaching myself the TikTok.

[00:12:36] I'm like, oh, good grief.

[00:12:38] I know I sounded so old when I said that, but whatever.

[00:12:40] But I have been really, really focused on making sure that I get these videos together and just sharing my knowledge.

[00:12:49] And I'm so looking forward to releasing the book, which is going to be released on Black Friday.

[00:12:57] I made that decision because of a variety of different conversations I've been having.

[00:13:02] Shout out to Juliet.

[00:13:03] Thank you so much for convincing me to release this book on Black Friday.

[00:13:08] I was going to launch it in January, and I'm still going to have the virtual launch party in January.

[00:13:15] I'll share that date closer when it gets here.

[00:13:20] But I decided to release the book on Black Friday for a variety of reasons because the holiday season is here.

[00:13:29] Well, I had a very good conversation with my friend Juliet.

[00:13:32] So again, shout out to you for convincing me to do this.

[00:13:34] But then I had another conversation with my mom.

[00:13:38] And one of the main reasons why I thought I need to move up the release date because the holidays are here.

[00:13:44] Folks are putting together their New Year's resolutions or goals or whatever.

[00:13:50] And during the holidays, let's face it, I'm single and I totally understand.

[00:13:58] I'm so blessed to not have a parent like this or have to be in a family situation where folks are questioning,

[00:14:03] why are you still single?

[00:14:05] Now you can just hand them my book.

[00:14:08] Okay.

[00:14:10] Hand them my book and that'll explain everything.

[00:14:14] Okay.

[00:14:15] Because I wrote this book in mind to encourage single women, especially single Christian women,

[00:14:24] you know, nothing's wrong with you.

[00:14:26] Nothing is wrong with you.

[00:14:28] So, you know, if anything, I wanted to release this book to help you stay strong,

[00:14:32] but also be in a position to hand it to whoever else is bothering you.

[00:14:37] Have them read it because then they can figure it out.

[00:14:39] Okay.

[00:14:40] So again, number three is leveraging your opportunities.

[00:14:44] So I'm utilizing technology to the fullest.

[00:14:49] I really am.

[00:14:50] There is no reason why so many of us today feel like we can't do certain things because

[00:14:59] we didn't go to school for that or we don't have the coding skills for that.

[00:15:04] There are so many different applications and tools that you can use to help you get from A to Z.

[00:15:12] But you have to put forth the effort to do that.

[00:15:15] I just had a mentoring session not too long ago with someone that is in college.

[00:15:20] And this person was, you know, kind of trying to figure out where they should go in their career.

[00:15:26] And I told this person flat out, I'm like, listen, you got to create your own opportunities, man.

[00:15:31] Like jobs are just not going to fall from the sky.

[00:15:33] And I'll probably get into this in a future video, but my whole career and how I got to where I am today is so unconventional.

[00:15:46] It's ridiculous.

[00:15:48] But I know that my story is going to inspire some other folks.

[00:15:52] So that'll be a video for another day.

[00:15:55] Number four.

[00:15:57] This lesson is it really hits home to me.

[00:16:01] Time management.

[00:16:03] Time management is something I have to admit, I feel like I've always been rather good at because when I was in high school, you know, I've been working ever since I was 15.

[00:16:13] And so I've always been used to juggling a variety of activities.

[00:16:18] So I would literally, when I was in high school, I would go to high school, obviously.

[00:16:22] And then I would go to work.

[00:16:26] No, no, no.

[00:16:26] I would go to high school, obviously.

[00:16:28] And then I played sports.

[00:16:29] So then I would go to practice.

[00:16:31] And then after practice, I would go to work.

[00:16:33] And then after work, I would come home, do my homework and get up and do that all over again.

[00:16:38] So I've always been used to juggling more than one thing.

[00:16:42] However, as an adult, it gets a lot more interesting, right?

[00:16:46] And, you know, I work a nine to five.

[00:16:51] I do consulting on the side.

[00:16:53] I, you know, voiceover work and I've got the podcast and a variety of other, you know, hobbies and interests that I do as well after work.

[00:17:03] And so it's been interesting how I'm looking back trying to figure out how in the world did I find the time to write this book?

[00:17:13] And it really is inspired by God because I was looking at my schedule and it's just like I would write whenever I found time.

[00:17:24] So between 5 a.m. and 8 a.m. is like my sweet spot.

[00:17:29] I am a morning person.

[00:17:30] And I know the thought of me just saying 5 a.m. probably scared a lot of folks.

[00:17:35] But I don't care what anyone says.

[00:17:38] That is that time to me is so precious because the house is quiet.

[00:17:45] You know, I'm single.

[00:17:46] I don't have any kids.

[00:17:46] So, you know, it's always it's but it's even more quiet than normal.

[00:17:50] Right.

[00:17:51] I live in the city, so there's always like horns and stuff going off or whatever.

[00:17:55] But I'm super quiet.

[00:17:58] I don't have to deal with work.

[00:17:59] I don't have to answer any emails.

[00:18:02] I don't have to have the phone ringing.

[00:18:04] It's just me and God.

[00:18:06] And that time is so precious to me being in a position to meditate and write.

[00:18:14] And that's when I yeah, that's when I wrote the majority of the book was in the morning.

[00:18:19] Then there were times during lunch, you know, I would go for a walk outside.

[00:18:24] I get my best ideas exercising.

[00:18:26] I cannot stress that enough.

[00:18:29] You've got to make sure that you're putting aside time for self-care because if you're

[00:18:34] not, you're missing out on a lot.

[00:18:36] First of all, your health.

[00:18:37] Right.

[00:18:37] You need to make sure that you are taking care of you because you can't pour from an empty

[00:18:42] cup.

[00:18:42] So a lot of times I would find time to write in the morning.

[00:18:47] During lunch, I would dictate in my phone via voice notes, voice memo.

[00:18:52] I would send myself messages like telling myself, hey, for chapter one, you need to do blah, blah,

[00:18:56] blah.

[00:18:58] And then a lot of times when I went to the gym, a lot of times when I went to the gym, I would

[00:19:04] be thinking of things.

[00:19:05] Come home, write late in the evening.

[00:19:08] I mean, honestly, the past year, I feel like I've been like the energizer bunny.

[00:19:14] Like, I don't know where this energy came from.

[00:19:18] Actually, it probably came from the exercise, but it's just the time management is crazy.

[00:19:25] But you will make time for the things that matter most to you.

[00:19:29] Right.

[00:19:30] You're going to make time for the things that matter most to you.

[00:19:32] And getting this book written and being a source of encouragement, that was very important

[00:19:38] for me.

[00:19:38] And that's why I made sure to make time for that.

[00:19:40] OK.

[00:19:41] And so you need to make sure that you do the same thing for yourself.

[00:19:45] Again, what are the goals that God has put on your heart that you have just been pushing

[00:19:49] off and pushing off because you're you're just not sure how to make that happen?

[00:19:54] Right.

[00:19:54] What are you doing?

[00:19:56] What do you need to remove from your plate so you can make room for what it is that he

[00:20:00] wants to actually be on your plate?

[00:20:03] So many of us make time for some of the dumbest things.

[00:20:08] Right.

[00:20:09] Like, it's just ridiculous.

[00:20:11] You know, some people are still.

[00:20:14] It's going to sound horrible, but I'm just going to say it anyway.

[00:20:17] Some people are still living their life for someone else.

[00:20:21] And what I mean by that is some folks.

[00:20:25] You have the time.

[00:20:26] It's just you're scared to utilize it in a way that really benefits you.

[00:20:30] So, for example, for my folks that work their nine to fives.

[00:20:34] Right.

[00:20:35] You know, sometimes the job has happy hours.

[00:20:39] OK.

[00:20:41] That is not a happy time for me.

[00:20:44] It's just not.

[00:20:45] It's just awkward chit chat half the time.

[00:20:48] I don't even know what they're talking about.

[00:20:49] I have nothing in common with these folks.

[00:20:51] That is not happy for me.

[00:20:54] That is not a happy hour for me.

[00:20:55] So my happy time is when I leave, you know, work and I'm able to work on things that I'm

[00:21:02] passionate about and engage in conversations that are actually meaningful and something

[00:21:07] that I can find beneficial in helping me grow as a person.

[00:21:12] And I'm being honest throughout my career.

[00:21:15] I've just never been in a position where that's been the case.

[00:21:18] OK.

[00:21:18] OK.

[00:21:20] And that's a whole nother video that I'll probably do in the future.

[00:21:23] Like, how are you really leveraging your nine to five?

[00:21:26] Because some of us are looking at our nine to five as our sole income, our identity.

[00:21:31] And that's just not how you need to view your nine to five.

[00:21:34] It's just not.

[00:21:35] But I'm not going to touch on that in this video.

[00:21:37] But I said all that to say this.

[00:21:39] Make sure that you are prioritizing your schedule in such a way that it benefits you.

[00:21:45] OK.

[00:21:47] You need to be working on, especially at this age, I'm 42.

[00:21:52] And at my age, I'm thinking about my second act.

[00:21:56] OK.

[00:21:57] I'm being honest about it.

[00:22:00] I'm thinking about my second act.

[00:22:01] I don't foresee myself being in the corporate world for years on end.

[00:22:08] Like that is not my goal.

[00:22:09] That's not.

[00:22:10] My goal is to help encourage women, especially Christian women, to analyze, apply and amplify

[00:22:20] their God-given gifts.

[00:22:22] OK.

[00:22:23] To help further God's kingdom.

[00:22:25] That's what I want to do.

[00:22:27] And again, I do that through the Hustle and Faith podcast.

[00:22:29] We discuss self-improvement, business, health, beauty.

[00:22:33] And, you know, my random thoughts about life from a Christian perspective.

[00:22:37] This is what I'm passionate about.

[00:22:38] Now, that's not to say that, oh, you know, I hate my nine to five, you know, the corporate

[00:22:44] world, blah, blah, blah.

[00:22:45] Listen, the corporate world has its place, at least in my life.

[00:22:49] But I know how to view it.

[00:22:50] It's not my identity.

[00:22:52] OK.

[00:22:52] And that is why I have no problems unplugging.

[00:22:56] OK.

[00:22:57] You will get a full day's work for a full day's pay.

[00:23:00] OK.

[00:23:00] If I have to work late, you know, every now and then, I have no problems doing that.

[00:23:05] But what you will not catch me doing is doing that every day.

[00:23:08] That'll never happen.

[00:23:10] Because the more time that I'm spending working on something that has nothing to do with my

[00:23:16] future is delaying my future.

[00:23:21] And that's not what I want to do.

[00:23:23] All right.

[00:23:23] So, you know, this book has taught me a lot about time management and making sure that

[00:23:29] I always, always, always prioritize what needs to be done first.

[00:23:35] First things first.

[00:23:36] And that's always putting God first and making sure that I am working towards the goals that

[00:23:43] he has in store for me.

[00:23:44] Because, again, we all have a book.

[00:23:46] And that's Psalm 139, 16.

[00:23:49] And I just want to read this real quick.

[00:23:51] I don't want to mess this up.

[00:23:52] So, your eyes saw my unformed body.

[00:23:55] All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.

[00:24:01] Each one of us has a book.

[00:24:02] And I want to make sure that I am living out all the plans that God talks about in Jeremiah

[00:24:08] 29, 11.

[00:24:11] I want to make sure I live out all those plans.

[00:24:13] I want to make sure that my book, Psalm 139, 16, is being fulfilled.

[00:24:20] I want to make sure I'm on track.

[00:24:21] And to be quite honest, I know that I'm off track in certain areas.

[00:24:27] But I'm going to do my best to make sure that I make up that time by making sure that

[00:24:33] I leverage the time that I have left on this earth.

[00:24:35] And I want to make sure that I am in a position to encourage as many people as possible to join

[00:24:41] me on that journey.

[00:24:42] And last but not least, embrace the detours.

[00:24:46] I cannot tell you how many distractions were in my path in trying to get this book and the

[00:24:55] workbook done.

[00:24:57] I cannot tell you how many distractions I encountered, okay?

[00:25:02] You know, going in and out of court with these idiots.

[00:25:06] Dealing with idiots, you know, in my personal life and on and in business, you know.

[00:25:13] It's just been really interesting.

[00:25:15] All the distractions that Satan sent my way.

[00:25:18] And there was a period where I was kind of sick for a while and did not like, you know, whatever,

[00:25:24] but I wasn't feeling my best.

[00:25:26] And I was just really tired and all that stuff.

[00:25:29] And I think it was because a lot of the stress was starting to get to me.

[00:25:33] And that was another way that Satan was trying to attack me.

[00:25:37] But I fought through all of that.

[00:25:38] And I said all that to say this.

[00:25:42] You can do it.

[00:25:44] So if you have a book in your heart, make sure that you take the time to get that book on paper.

[00:25:54] Get that book out of your heart, man.

[00:25:56] Get it.

[00:25:56] Get it out of your heart.

[00:25:57] You have the ability to write it.

[00:25:59] I never thought I would be adding author to my resume.

[00:26:03] And here I am.

[00:26:04] I am so excited that I was in a position to persevere.

[00:26:08] And I want you to feel that same excitement that I feel right now.

[00:26:14] Okay?

[00:26:15] So again, I just wanted to share those five life-changing lessons that I learned from writing my first book,

[00:26:23] How to Live an Extraordinary Life with or Without Mr. Right.

[00:26:27] A Christian Woman's Guide on How to Survive and Thrive on Single Avenue.

[00:26:32] I truly hope that you found some encouragement in this video and that it resonated with you.

[00:26:38] And yeah, please be sure to check out the book.

[00:26:42] I'm very excited about this book.

[00:26:44] It's being released on Black Friday.

[00:26:46] And I would love to hear your thoughts.

[00:26:53] Thanks so much for listening to this episode.

[00:26:55] If you enjoyed listening to Hustling Faith and would like to support the show,

[00:26:59] please consider sharing it with your friends, rate or leave a review,

[00:27:03] donate or make a purchase at our shop starring you crew.

[00:27:07] Remember, if you're everything to everyone, the risk be no one.

[00:27:11] You never know who you will inspire.

[00:27:13] See you in the next episode.