Three and a half years ago, I started writing my book. It has been an incredibly interesting and unexpected journey.
I have always imagined myself as a writer. In second grade, I told my grandmother that I would write books one day. In my twenties, standing on the trading floor at Lehman Brothers, I remember planning to retire when I was old (which, at the time, I considered to be my mid-forties). I pictured myself sitting alone on the terrace of a small cottage by the sea, writing for most of the day, pausing only to look at the ocean, my thoughts interrupted only by the sound of the wind and waves.
The process of writing this book turned out to be entirely different from what I had imagined. Not only do I now live in Switzerland—surrounded by mountains instead of the ocean—but life as a parent, wife, friend, board member, investor, and retreat teacher meant that uninterrupted days of writing were rare.
For the first year after announcing that I was writing a book, I felt like a fraud—because I wasn’t really writing. I was planning to write, carefully crafting a book proposal that outlined in detail what I would write about, why, and for whom. Writing a book fell into the category of something deeply important to me, but never urgent. This meant that, over the years, I had to continuously recommit to making it a priority. In the final months of finishing the manuscript, this required late-night writing sessions and very early mornings—just like the old investment banking days.
Now, as I reach the end of this journey, I feel excited, a little proud, and also a little sad. Proud, because I saw it through (apparently, only three percent of people who start writing a book actually finish). Excited, because of its potential to help leaders cultivate the clarity, resilience, and heartfulness needed to navigate these complex and uncertain times. And sad, because I am no longer writing this book. Just as I did when I was pregnant with my twins, I loved being “pregnant” with this book. I loved writing. But now, it’s done. Now, I have actually written a book—Conscious Impact: Mindful Leadership for Meaningful Change and it will be published by Triarchy Press in April in Europe and in July for the rest of the world.
