Building A Life Out Of Words

Welcome to a special Tuesday edition at River of Thoughts!

Click below to check out how the incredibly creative Chad Thomas Johnston created this beautiful cover art!

I recently had the honor of reading an advance copy of Shawn Smucker’s new book Building a Life Out of Words.

Shawn’s dream, like mine, is writing.  In 2009, Shawn went all-in to follow that dream, and now he’s sharing his story of the difficult by rewarding transition to full-time writer.

Shawn’s story applies to anyone looking to make more out of their life.

So often, we believe that to follow our bliss, to chase our dream of creating art or opening a dress shop or breeding hedgehogs, we must quit our horribly constricting day jobs.

I have eaten office-goodbye-cake with some of these people.  What we don’t talk about at the farewell party is how hard it will get.

A few years ago, Shawn encountered a pretty big speed bump in the life that he and his wife Maile had planned out.   Instead of getting consumed by perceived failure, Shawn chose to view this as an opportunity to build a new life around his dream.

I love the faith that Shawn and Maile invested into Shawn’s dream.  I love the open way in which he shares the difficulty, the doubts, the realities of dream chasing, and ultimately the perseverance and support that it has taken to make it real.

Shawn is honest.  There were times when he nearly gave up.  When he applied for “real jobs.”  When he got frustrated.  But Shawn clung to his dream and his plan, and he shows how commitment and hard work can pay off.  It’s not making him a millionaire, but far more important, it’s granting him the freedom to BE his dream.

Building a Life Out of Words is not just for aspiring writers. With contributions from a variety of dreamers , it resonates with anyone who has a dream of doing something more with their life.

Go buy it.  Now.

If you were set free from your day job, what would you do?  Leave a comment…

Shawn blogs (almost) daily at http://shawnsmucker.com. He is currently traveling the country for four months with his wife and four children in a big, blue bus named Willie, looking for service opportunities as well as other writers to meet up with. You can find him on Facebook (Shawn Smucker, Writer) and Twitter (@shawnsmucker).

Cover art by Chad Thomas Johnston…Visit http://chadthomasjohnston.com to see how he created this cover.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the author. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”