Book: YOUR LIFE CREED

Your Life Creed: 4 Steps to the Life You Were Born to Live

I’m stunned. I’ve actually written a book. I’m hopeful Your Life Creed will make its way into print. Too many times I’d plucked a book idea from those adrift in my head, given it bones and a little flesh, then just dropped it– too short on time or confidence to finish. A few years back I concluded it just wasn’t meant to be. But some things nudge us in such a way we can’t ignore them for long. Know what I mean?

Taking in the view from Arthur’s Seat, Edinburgh, Scotland UK

That nudge, the itch to publish something longer than a one-paragraph article or poem, grew into an attention-grabbing shove. What started as a quiet whisper had become a petulant child, poking my backside incessantly for attention. It continued until I could no longer stand the sound of my chucks squealing across the floor. So I decided to take one more little step, make one more effort to germinate the seed of a book just to see how it’d grow.

Those little steps forward are of infinite worth– though mostly in retrospect, of course. When facing an impasse, we often assume baby steps won’t get us anywhere, but often that isn’t the case. I offer my life coaching clients this well-honed mantra for what I consider the easiest baby step when you’re stuck: “Phone a friend.” Figuring I’d best take my own advice, I called up my friend Julie, a publicist for a walk on the greenway. Julie, I knew, would let me bounce some ideas off her, and in return offer me the feedback I needed: an honest opinion on the book concept burning a hole in my mind. If the truth hurt, the possibility of not pursuing my book ideas would be a meaner sort of pain that might never let up.

As we walked, my friend Julie suggested we have coffee with her friend for more idea-bouncing. We set a date, I took my notepad to fill with her sage advice, but returned home without a note on it. Her friend was also a literary agent. Just after hello and long before my mug was half-drained, she offered to contract with me as my literary agent. After they’d swept up the shards of coffee mug and scraped me off the floor of the coffeeshop, I asked Julie if they were teasing me. Or crazy. Or just cruel. But she was serious. Turns out someone as broken and ADHD-riddled and as I am, a 5′ tall girl who’s hardly visible in a small crowd, who careens between dark anxiety and height-soaring with rainbow sparkles, can actually get the attention of a literary agent. And it can happen in the space of that One.Little.Step.

God had a beautiful, outrageous plan in mind when He designed you, same for me and everyone else. His plan is a dance, a series of steps thoughtfully placed where He is the lead but the footwork is ours, one step at a time. Your life might be more waltz or tango, a dramatic string of twists and turns, upward thrusts and hair-raising dips pulled up just before your head meets the floor. You’re a co-creator in this dance of your life with the One who promised to guard, guide, and provide you with all you need to give life to your beautiful design.

To give you a head start, God imbued you with amazing faculties— gifts of strength and key limitations chosen just for you. He watches you with the expectation of a parent, marveling at how you use your freedom and creativity. He cheers you on in hopes you’ll fully manifest the best He has for you, fueling your passions to meet the unique need only you can meet for others and the world. And it’s the same for me.

That shove I couldn’t ignore made it clear that my loving Creator intended for me to do certain things– write books, for example–and had equipped me accordingly. He wasn’t about to let me miss out. The footwork confounded me, though; how and where do I place my feet for the first step? and the second? A quick review of my core convictions, my values, laid that first step out for me, plain and clear. In my unique design was the blueprint for my best life; my values, passions and gifts help choreograph the steps of the dance of my life.

I wrote Your Life Creed for the person who wants practical help with living their birthright life. It offers boots-on-the-ground help for those confused as to their very first step, and those already on their path. I love this book for the simplicity of steps and clarity of vision that materialize— uniquely— for each reader. I’m excited to share it because my Life Creed spells out what returned me to my birthright life and keeps me from wandering from it again . I believe you’ll love your custom-fit, sustainable takeaway and the peace it generates. You’ll have your unique Life Creed once and for all, with the know-how to tweak it if needed. You never know the surprise twists God may have in store, but you’ll know exactly what step comes next.

Here’s to the dance, the Life Creed life you were born to live. I trust it will open your eyes wide to the vista already spread before you. And here’s hope that my book finds its way into print. I’ll keep you posted!

—Laurie

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