Context: I was listening to a podcast where David Hansson had just been asked about a couple of the books he’d published. He commented the first one was a huge success but the following books he wrote sold only a tenth as much.

I had to ask myself(as I’ve done many times before) what book would I write if I had that sorta dedication to sit down and write out my thoughts?

A few things came to mind but what really stuck out was I don’t feel like I’d have anything new to contribute to any genre of literature(Fiction wasn’t something I considered). I don’t say that for pity but when I think about the authors(Jack Carr, Jocko Willink, Ben Stuart, C.S. Lewis) I admire it makes sense why I feel so unqualified to even beginning thinking about writing something. These authors have contributed so much to their field so why wouldn’t they have a book worth of advice or experiences to share with the world?

There’s nothing wrong with trying new things and then moving on(that could be a book) but isn’t that what most of us do? The books I want to read are from people with life experience and knowledge that’s found after years of investing their time and thoughts.

Maybe I won’t ever go on to write a book and that’s just fine with me. Being an author probably motivated 0 of the people I admire. When someone writes a good book they allow their audience to taste the rewards of time well spent and depth found through experience. At the end of the day I’ll be happy knowing I used the gifts I was given to their fullest.