The hardest part of building a new life

​

​

Hi, friend.

In case you missed it, I brought back my bundle of courses and online programs for creators at a special discounted price—for this week only. If you want to learn more about that, you can skip the story below and click here to see what you get in that bundle.

Today, I want to let you in on a secret, though. A few secrets, actually. I want to share with you what these past few years have been like—I mean, really—how hard and beautiful it has been to come back from what felt like death. And what lessons I learned.

The birth of a new dream almost always seems to begin with the death of an old one. My dream, for as long as I can remember, was to be an artist, to do creative things for a living in a way that was fulfilling to me and meaningful to others.

I have found my way into such a vocation a few times in life; but the first ever was when I toured with a band for a year after graduating college. We played everywhere: churches, schools, prisons—even Canada. For a month, we had a brief stint in northern Taiwan and were adored by a significant percentage of the tween girl population in the Tam Sui District.

Anyway, when we got back stateside, we stayed with a wealthy family in Montana. And one morning, when I was up before the rest of the band had roused, the owner of that very large home told me, “It’s good that you’re doing this while you’re young, because when you get older, you won’t be able to.”

I sipped my coffee, nodding knowingly. And for years, I believed her. I moved across the country and got a job at a call center, beginning to build a “normal life.” At the height of this normal life, I was making $37,400 per year and feeling creatively dead inside.

It took the death of that “dream” of a normal life to birth a trajectory towards becoming a full-time writer. Once I let go of my comfortable prison of normalcy, I was free to become what I already was: a writer.

Fast forward several years, and now I was in the midst of a successful career as a bestselling author, trapped in a life that looked good on the inside and felt empty on the inside. I had money, a family, a certain level of Internet fame. And I felt like a failure.

After a decade of selling my “brand” to the world, I no longer believed the story I was living. Feeling like a fake, I knew that the only solution, dramatic as it was, seemed to be burning down nearly everything.

That was a harder death. It took letting go of everything I thought I was to become what I’d always been. And after a divorce, a pandemic, and a few years of soul searching—and some serious therapy—I have emerged with a little more clarity.

Who I am is not tied to what I do, but what I do can be an expression of who I am (spoiler alert: I am still figuring that part out).

And so, we find ourselves in the midst of a reinvention, a re-creation of oneself. And in this re-creation, I find myself gravitating to what only a few years before felt like a trap. That is, I want stability, a sense of normalcy, a place my kids can call home.

I fell in love with a wonderful woman, and we want to start a new life together. It feels so good to do something I’ve done before, but in a way that feels like the very first time. I don’t share this to manipulate or coerce or even convince. I do so in humble hopes of your being able to see me as I am: just a guy trying to figure out what his life means and what’s next.

Honestly, it’s been hard. To see the end of a twelve-year marriage in the midst of a global upheaval. To love my children as best I can when I’m not able to tuck them in every night. To try to trust myself and pursue a new endeavor when so many forces lull me back to who I used to be.

As always, I want to do this with you. As a community. That’s always been our arrangement: I go down a path, take a few steps farther than some have gone, and tell you what I find. Here’s what I see on the other side of this transformation: there is life after death. There is something beyond the tomb of whatever Yesterday buried. There is a butterfly emerging from the chrysalis.

This is true, I believe, for all of us. And of course, when you dare to dream again, the world will not believe you. They will say you’re crazy for thinking this time will be different. They’ll tell you to play it safe and have a backup plan and to not be too daring.

And they will be wrong.

Do not listen to the fears of those who are not willing to enter the arena, as you so clearly already have. Trust the inner goading into a new adventure. Consider what she might have to say about what you could become. Who knows what’s waiting on the other side of hesitation.

So, I’m starting again. Building a new life. Buying a house. Blending a family. Doing all the things. And I hope you’ll come along in whatever capacity feels right for you.

If you have a dream of being a writer or an artist—if you fantasize like I did for years about a creative career in which you call the shots—then you might find great value in the Legacy Bundle that is available for sale this week. This sale ends in just a few days, at midnight Pacific on Tuesday, May 10.

This collection of online courses and programs includes everything from how to be a better writer to building a platform to finishing your book and beyond. You’ll learn about email lists and audience-building and many of the marketing principles I still use today.

​Learn more about it here.

As an added bonus, I'm going to host a live Ask Me Anything this month for anyone who buys the bundle this time, or bought it last time. Join me for a chance to get real-time coaching about your big book idea, making a living as a writer, starting a new life, or whatever else comes to mind. This will be an exclusive event, and you should come expecting surprises. :)

Wherever you are in this journey, I hope you take the time to consider what your next chapter may look like. And may you be willing to let go of everything you thought you were so that you might become… something more.

Best,

Jeff

P.S. The Legacy Bundle offer goes away in a few days. We’re throwing it all back into the vault, where these courses will resume their hibernation. It’s not my intention to create a sense of false scarcity or urgency. I spent ten years creating this work, and it felt like the right time to bring it out again. I hope it helps you create your own legacy.

You are welcome to buy this bundle for yourself or a friend who’s trying to become a full-time artist, author, or creator. Learn more here.

​Read in browser | Unsubscribe | Update your profile | 6300 Tower Circle #242, Franklin, TN 37067