A 15-year writing career, 4 bestselling titles, relationships with highly influential people, the formation of my company — none of it would be possible without hearing the 8 words that would forever change my life.
Those words were said by my late and great friend and college roommate, Greg. And they came when I needed them most.
The morning sun poured a comforting heat down my back as I stood in the grass of our off-campus rental. Sitting on a folding chair that held an unknown number of partygoers the night before was Greg.
He had the benefit of the porch's overhang to provide shade. The back of his head rested against the house's siding and his eyes were closed. Between the white brim of his ballcap and the blue collar of his striped polo was the smirk he carried with him after every fun night.
Brewing behind that smile was a phrase that would change my life forever. He was about to mutter those eight words I needed to hear.
"We should write a story about our lives," he said.
Our lives were nothing special. We were twenty-two-year-olds living in a small college town. But we were young, out of our parents' house, and living the adult life that we so desperately sought out for years prior.
For some reason, however, the words resonated with me. A confused college senior, I still had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. Work in corporate? Have a boss? Scrape ice off my windshield at 6 AM? It all sounded horrible.
But writing? Now THAT sounded fun. There was freedom in it. And creativity. And some serious potential to create something impactful.
I wrote a screenplay in the weeks that followed. Then I wrote a few more. And to further my desire to chase a dream as a professional writer, I moved to California with those screenplays in-hand, ready to become the next Aaron Sorkin.
The cash went poof just a few short weeks later — one month and one day, to be exact — and I was forced to move back east. But the desire to write remained. Breaking into the entertainment industry would be hard, yes, but I was determined to find a back door.
So I started writing short stories in hopes it would gain me some industry exposure.
I started writing fiction books in hopes working with a literary agent could help with networking in Hollywood.
I started writing website content for businesses... and that was really just to pay the bills.
But then I started ghostwriting books for thought leaders and industry experts. And my entire world changed...
Bringing impactful books to the world. Now THAT's a career I can sink my teeth into.