Writing Cats and Dogs: How writing a business book is like owning a cat (as a dog person!)
Writing Cats And Dogs: How writing a business book is like owning a cat (as a dog person!)
I used to be a dog person — more specifically, a lifelong dog OWNER. My family had at least one or two dogs for my entire life, from my birth through grad school. We never had cats, and as a kid I seemed to be allergic to them, so I didn’t really like cats or want to be around them — I was a dog owner through and through. When I came home after my dad passed on in 2015, I was proud to take in our last family dog, Thunder, so my mom and sister could move to another city without giving him up.
Then in late 2016, Thunder passed on as well. Shortly after that, a lot of other things in my life fell apart. Fortunately, I met an amazing woman named Lindsay who helped me through the dark months and (eventually) agreed to share the rest of her life with me.
UNfortunately…Lindsay was a cat person. She had a cat. This cat, in fact: a beautiful Bengal mix named Gabby. And Gabby didn’t like dogs. So when I moved in with Lindsay, I had to face the fact that I wasn’t going to be a dog owner again for a long time.
With the rest of my life with a cat owner (and a cat!) stretching in front of me, I had to start redefining how I related to the animal in my life. More than that, I had to start redefining who I was. I wasn’t a dog owner anymore, I was a cat owner now — like it or not, I’d made the commitment to become a completely different person.
And that was WEIRD. I had to learn to do so many things differently. Like how to pet a cat — did you know that you can’t pet a cat the way you pet a dog? Or how to walk so I don’t step on a cat — they’re actually harder to avoid than dogs, despite being smaller. And definitely how to get love from a cat — dogs just give it to you, but with cats you have to earn it.
The good news was that Lindsay had two decades of cat experience, and gave me plenty of guidance on how to become a cat person myself. But the process still seemed to take forever. For a long time I felt completely lost. Gabby either ignored me or tolerated me for a few pets and then moved away. It was frustrating — I really wanted to love this cat, but I didn’t know how to do it right. I had no experience, no perspective. Many times I found myself wishing Gabby were a dog.
But I stuck with it. I was committed to becoming a cat person, no matter how counterintuitive and frustrating it was. On some level I knew that if I just kept trying to master giving this cat what she needed, following Lindsay’s guidance, one day it would work.
And then one day it did. A few months after I moved in, I got up a couple hours before Lindsay to do some work. I filled my water bottle, sat down on the living room couch, and before I could even grab my laptop, Gabby jumped into my lap, settled down, and started purring. She stayed there for a good half hour, letting me pet her the whole time. Over the next several weeks, she warmed up to me even more — even letting me pick her up a few times, and once crawling all the way up to my shoulder. It felt amazing, and our little apartment started to feel like home.
Three years later, Gabby and I still share early morning cuddle sessions most weekdays, and I can happily describe myself as a cat owner and a cat person. And I won’t likely forget the journey I took to become one. It was a struggle. But it was SO worth it.
The journey of writing a great business book is a lot like the journey to become a cat person. It’s not easy, flashy, or automatic. It doesn’t happen overnight. It means admitting that you’re not the expert anymore — and embracing the challenge of redefining yourself by learning something totally new. And it will have its moments of frustration.
But the moment you connect with an experienced, empathetic expert who’s there to guide you, the journey becomes easier. The moment you hold your published book in your hands and know it’s better than you ever imagined it being, the journey becomes worth it. And years later when you look back and reflect on how this book became the cornerstone of your business, the journey is so integral to who you are you can’t imagine having NOT taken it.
So if you’re looking to write a book that you KNOW will grow your business, and you’re committed to making that book the best it can be no matter what, I invite you to join me on your six-figure book journey in 2020. I can’t wait to guide you on the path to a book that will make you proud, wow your audience, and add $100,000 MINIMUM to your business the first year it’s out.
To speak directly with me about taking that journey, I invite you to book a free Book Strategy Session with me! On this call, we’ll spend 50 uninterrupted minutes helping you find answers to important questions like “what book should I write?” and “how will this book grow my business?” To book that free session with me, click right here.
My life has gotten so much richer from taking the journey to being a proud, dedicated cat owner. I’m excited to see what your life will be like after your journey to being a proud, high-quality business author. I look forward to working with you!
