Is it wrong to change your mind? Of course not! Yet too many of us feel reluctant, guilty or foolish when we change our minds, especially when we have been public about earlier decisions!
Before I began working on my book –Live Large: The Achiever’s Guide to What’s Next(pub date: May 9, 2017) in my mind, the title was theYIPPEE Index®.
I’d been working with Kate, an intellectual property lawyer, and she’d asked me to help her think through her career options. She had a prestigious job and made lots of money but her boss was difficult, at times even punitive; her workplace was highly political; and frankly she’d had enough! Yet she felt trapped by her own success. Where could she go and what could she do?
Kate created 4 options, and as she looked at the pro’s and con’s of each one, comparing it to the criteria she had developed, there was still no clear winner. Then I asked her, “Which one makes you want to shoutYIPPEE? Give it a number on the scale of 1 – 5. What’s the number on the YIPPEE Index ®?”
At the time we both laughed. “That’s catchy,” she said. “We should trademark that.” And that’s how my first title was born.
Except that whenever I told someone I was going to writeThe YIPPEE Index®, they looked confused. Years later at an authors’ workshop, I was encouraged to find another title, and it becameDiscover Your YIPPEE®
Then I got feedback from a client that the serious achievers I worked with didn’t resonate with the word YIPPEE. It sounded too lightweight, too flip, and insubstantial. My clients were substantial people looking to make significant changes. Hmmm.
“What do you help people do?” My editor asked.
I help them think bigger, more broadly about themselves, so they can make better choices, and therefore act smarter. Their lives became truly rich and rewarding. From that yet another title emerged –Think Bigger, Act Smarter, Live Richer. I stuck with that for a while but too many folks seemed to think I was promoting a get-rich quick plan. It was time to re-think my decision… again.
Today you will see that this email looks a little different. We are officially launching our new brand and this time, I think the name will stick around, Elizabeth B. Crook, author of Live Large: The Achiever’s Guide to What’s Next.
There were times over the years I argued with people about my title. It was perfect, and I wasn’t going to change it! However as I got clearer and clearer about what I was trying to accomplish, I realized that change was necessary.
My challenge to you is to think about… what you have become attached to that no longer serves your purpose? Relinquish your grip, and consider something new!
Until next Tuesday,
Elizabeth