Why I wrote a book
How do you know when it's time to take your career in a new and bold direction? Almost everyone faces this question at one point in their lives. In 2017 I had to answer that question. During that year I had already decided to venture out on my own as an entrepreneur. I thought my work would focus solely on advising consulting clients.
Right when I was in the midst of getting my business up and running a number of people told me I should write a book. I immediately rejected the idea. I had never thought about writing a book, not once, not ever. You can tell how much I resisted the idea! I was perfectly content to continue on a path that made sense to me at the time.
But then one day something strange happened. Out of the blue during a phone call with my mom she said I should write a book. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up. My mom had never given me such specific career advice before. I knew that phone call was not a coincidence but a sign I needed to get started. In our careers as in our lives sometimes defining moments are not the ones we see coming but the ones that sneak up on us when we least expect it.
The next step was to figure out what to write about. Where I ended up makes perfect sense but when I started I wasn’t sure what to focus on. But a quote that is always in the back of my mind proved to be helpful, “faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase” by Martin Luther King Jr. That’s a reminder to me and to you that the most important thing is to get started and the answers come along the way. And they did.
While writing my book I strived to answer the questions people most commonly ask me when they come to me for career advice. I also included perspectives on how being a person of colour as well as a woman has impacted my career trajectory as well as the strategies I have used for success.
Here are some of the questions you can answer by reading my book:
1. How do I network effectively when I don’t fit in?
2. How do I find a great mentor or a sponsor?
3. How do I pick myself up after a career setback?
4. How do I develop the confidence to ask for what I want including promotions and raises?
5. What does it really take to be successful and what can I do to move closer to achieving my goals?
6. How can I get out of a career rut and switch careers?
While my book is complete I am still looking for a publisher. If you would like to make an inquiry about this you can contact me at: tricia@indigo9digital.com.