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How to Become the Author of Your Story with Michelle Prince

From the moment we're born to the moment we die, we experience so many things. These experiences build who we are and who we become. Together, our experiences, passions, and talents create a story that’s unique from everyone and anyone we know.

Some may find their purpose and passions early on, while some may take time to get where they need to be. But life isn't a competition or a race. As long as you stay true to your unique and authentic self, you can fulfill the purpose our Creator has given you.

In this episode, we learn everything about writing and sharing a story with author and self-publishing expert Michelle Prince. She teaches us how to become an author of a story that’s authentic to you. Hopefully, after tuning in to our conversation, you'll be able to identify which of your passions, talents, and experiences are worth sharing with the world.

If you have trouble finding what it means to be you and knowing how to become the author of your story, listen to this episode.

3 Reasons to Listen:

Learn how to translate your passions and experiences into something motivating and helpful for other people.
Understand what it means to be authentic and how to be likable while maintaining authenticity.
Be inspired to become the author of your story.

Resources

Subscribe to our website to get resources from our guests and updates on our latest giveaways and episodes.
Seek Go Create Episode: Mitzi Perdue on Lessons from Family Businesses and Legacies
Seek Go Create Episode: Iron Man, Real Estate, Golf | Q&A with Mark “MJ” Jackson
The Call to Mastery with Jordan Raynor
The Secret of My Success
See You At The Top by Zig Ziglar
Master of One: Find and Focus on the Work You Were Created to Do by Jordan Raynor
The Power of Authority by Michelle Prince
Winning in Life Now by Michelle Prince
Other books and courses by Michelle Prince
Performance Publishing Group, Michelle’s publishing company
Book Bound Workshop
Connect with Michelle: Website | Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn | Youtube
Episode Details

About Michelle

Michelle Prince is a life coach, motivational speaker, best-selling author, and self-publishing expert. Inspired and endorsed by Zig Ziglar, Michelle is passionate about helping other people share their very own stories to inspire other people. She is a Ziglar Certified speaker/trainer and Ziglar brand ambassador.

Michelle is the founder and CEO of Performance Publishing Group. This company dedicates itself to making a difference one story at a time. She is also the founder of Book Bound Workshop, where she helps people get their stories written, published, and marketed.

As a speaker, coach, and author, Michelle uses her authenticity to connect and inspire people towards personal development. She continuously motivates people to become published authors.

If you want to learn more about or from her, you can reach out to her through her website. You can also connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube.

Episode Highlights

[06:09] Michelle’s History and Experience with Zig Ziglar

Zig Ziglar is one of Michelle’s greatest inspirations and mentors. He is a beacon of hope for many people, and he helps people become their best selves.
Michelle first met him at 18 years old in a seminar that changed her life. She then knew she wanted to work for him.
Michelle was a good and positive girl but with a slightly tipped-off attitude towards her parents. She didn't know anything about passion and personal development before meeting Zig Ziglar.
Although she wanted a speaker job initially, she landed a sales job with Ziglar. It was all about buying books, cassette tapes, and knowing they're selling good things to people.

[13:02] Michelle's Journey to Sharing Her Story

Michelle never had a competitive spirit, but she was drawn to leadership positions.
She was working with Zig Ziglar when she went to a Women of Faith conference, looked at people speaking on stage, and was amazed. She then figured out speaking might be her gift.
Michelle made a lot of mistakes in the process.
She also doubted herself, but everyone does. Sometimes, we need doubts to humble ourselves, so not having doubts or fears can be dangerous.
Stopping and redirecting your path may be hard but a necessary thing to do.

[21:15] Authenticity and the Struggle of Coming Up with Your Own Story

You may feel the need to imitate other people’s tactics because they’re doing things better and for longer.
But you only need to draw inspiration from people. You can do this by finding people with a message you can resonate with and the values you can live with.
Authenticity doesn't mean just being vulnerable or sharing your life story. It's figuring out who you are and what you stand for.
There isn’t a lot of authenticity nowadays, especially online. So, people now crave it; they are attracted to those who are real and to who they can relate to.

[23:35] “Authenticity doesn't mean that you're just vulnerable, and you share every detail of your life. But it’s just figuring out who you are, what do you stand for, and putting your stake in the ground so that you will attract other people who are like you.” - Click Here to Tweet This

[31:04] Michelle's Message to Women

Michelle feels very blessed to be a woman. Now, women have more opportunities than they had in the 80s.
Be driven to figure out what you want, who you are, and what you want to do early on.
We are here for a reason and that's to share ourselves with other people. The sooner you can discover your purpose, the more people you can influence.
It's okay to have a different opinion. Just approach things with grace and speak up.
Be who you are and love who you are early on.

[33:05] “You don't have to be anybody other than who you are. And there should be no fear, no shame in that, and just to own it and be proud of that. But more importantly, just figure out the ‘Why you're here.’ Because especially as believers we are here for a reason; we are here for a purpose.” - Click Here to Tweet This

[36:30] The Effects of Being a People-Pleaser

The desire to serve and make people happy is good, but not if at the expense of yourself.
You may want to be liked, and so you'll adapt to the environment and lose authenticity. This is the negative part of being a people-pleaser.
Michelle used to be a people-pleaser, but she has since changed her perspective. She still wants to be liked, but she's become proud of who she is without changing too much about herself.
People-pleasing is good when you're inspiring others, but you should never do it at the expense of changing yourself. Be at peace and have faith in who you are.

[40:37] The Power of Authority

You have the expertise; you just need to let people know of this expertise by writing or talking about it.
Use all the things you've learned and experienced to leverage yourself while helping and inspiring other people.
Writing a book can be the way to leave an impact.
Michelle has a series of questions to help people leverage their expertise, realize their impact, and share their story. Listen to the podcast for more details on this.
There are now new methods and platforms to share your stories, expertise, and talents. It can be through podcasts or social media.

[47:08] Changing Your Authority Scale

You have something you’re good at or passionate about; you need to go out there and share it with the world.
Michelle's friend wrote a book about adopting a child. The next thing she knew, the biggest adoption agency has invited her to speak and has distributed her book to a large audience.

[49:54] "It's not about the book. It's not about what it makes or what it sells for. It's more like, ‘I get a phone call from someone who read my book; I don't even know them. They said my story changed their life.’ I mean, things like that happen all the time. And there's just so much power in it." - Click Here to Tweet This

[52:26] On Writing and Publishing

When writing novels, the process is pretty much the same. But you have to have an ultimate goal and a concrete plan.
Michelle shares that she likes to help people find their core story or who God made them to be.
Hybrid and self-publishing can help you publish a book sooner. It can get you widespread acclaim and success, but it will be a more complex process.
Ultimately, the type of publishing route you choose will depend on what your goal is.

[52:48] "The process isn't hard. The hardest part is figuring out what your story is, and figuring out what it is that you could put into a book." - Click Here to Tweet This

[01:01:33] How to Become the Author of Your Story

Grab a piece of paper and draw a T. On the left-hand side, list down the things you’re passionate about. On the right, list down your experiences.
Once you have the list, look for an intersection between the two.
As you learn how to become an author of your story, you will realize who you really are: a combination of passion and experiences.
Michelle resonates the most with the word ‘create.’ It’s not just about creating, but also knowing and trusting that The Greatest Creator built you the way that you are.

[01:03:55] "The best book for you to write is the intersection between your passions and your experiences." - Click Here to Tweet This

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To growing and becoming all we are created to be,

Tim