I went back and forth on whether or not to share this today
I’d planned on doing a “lessons from the best non-fiction books” post. But this came to me and I thought, if I don’t post this now, I may chicken out and never share it. It feels a little intimidating to talk about this because it’s close to my heart but I think it’s important because, if you’ve been struggling with the idea of writing a book, it might just give you the encouragement you need. It’ll also give you a bit of insight into why ghostwriting really matters to me.
I’m Liz, the writer behind Green Goose Ghostwriting. I help entrepreneurs who want to write a book to demonstrate authority in their niche and get more speaking engagements. I write their book their own voice so they can share their message, inspire others, and finally level-up their business.
If you’ve been following me, you’ll know I’m taking Jenny Shih’s business coaching course, Make It Work Online. This week’s lesson was all about fear and a success mindset.
It made me consider the fears I have around my own business ….
I don’t feel a ton of fear around the actual work. I always feel concerned with doing a good job because I’m conscious that someone has put their trust in me. But doing the work itself is where I feel most comfortable. It energizes me.
If I do have fear, it’s more around running the business. Of course, a big part of that is because I want to provide for my family. I want to have the money to take my son on adventures and do fun things together. But I realized there’s something else going on there, too. Something even deeper.
It’s important to me to be successful because I think what I do is important. And when I say that aloud, my inner devil pops up on my shoulder and says, “Ha! You’re just a writer. Your not a doctor, you don’t run a charity, you don’t contribute to society.” Whatever.
But despite not being a doctor or ending world hunger, I think what I do is important for one important reason ….
Everyone has the right to speak
Let me say it again: Everyone has the right to speak.
I don’t think we’re entitled to be heard. There are a few exceptions; a democratic government, a committed romantic relationship. But for the most part, you don’t deserve to be heard. It’s not your human right to be listened to.
But you are entitled to speak. It’s your right to say what you want to say.
You don’t have to earn this right
You don’t have to have worked in your industry for decades, or served a certain number of clients, or have a multi million-dollar business. Some of those things help with getting heard, but none of those benchmarks are required for you to have the right to say what you want to say.
You can probably tell that I’m not American (I’m English and I live in Canada), but a lot of you watching are in the States and this right, as you know, is recognized in your constitution: the constitutional right to free speech.
Even if you’re not in the States and your government doesn’t have an equivalent, it doesn’t matter. Because this is a human right.
And every human on this earth is equal. So we all have this right. We all should be able to speak when we want to.
The problem—and the beauty—of this world is that, although we’re all equal, we’re not all the same
That means some people are great at speaking what’s on their mind. They have no qualms about writing a book, saying what they want, and sharing their words with the world.
But others aren’t like that. They have that imposter syndrome, thinking, “Who am I to say this?” Or they wonder what it says about their ego if they write a book.
Some people are okay with that stuff because they know what they have to say is important and even if it wasn’t, they know they have the right to say it anyway. But they get frustrated with the actual writing. It’s not their forte. They can think it all through but writing it is just really hard.
Or they don’t have the time between earning enough to support their family, trying to serve others, taking their kids to soccer practice, making dinner, the odd Netflix date with their partner ….
If you’re not a naturally gifted writer, or are wrestling with the mindset stuff, or are busy doing important things in your life, you still have the same right to speak as everyone else.
The fact that we’re all born equal is something that I feel deeply. We all have an equal right to speak, and I don’t think it’s okay when someone doesn’t get to do that just because writing isn’t their thing, or because they’ve been busy contributing to the world, their family, in another way.
That’s why I’m drawn to ghostwriting
It sounds stupid, but it’s my little part for equality. It’s my small way of balancing the scales for people who want to share their words with the world but struggle to do it alone.
For sure there are other, bigger ways to work toward equality and I plan to step-up and do more of that. But this feels right. It feels good to help people say the things they feel in their heart but haven’t been able to get down on the page. It feels right to help people speak to a wider audience when they feel drawn to do that.
We can’t completely control whether people listen, but we can control our own actions. And we can choose to exercise our right to speak, even if it doesn’t come naturally, even if we need support from others to do it.
We have the right to speak. I hope remembering that encourages you to use your voice.
I’ll see you next time.