I was almost done. I knew I had to “pitch” my idea to somebody who had been there before. Someone who had successfully done it. Someone who had navigated this treacherous and unfamiliar territory. I knew just the guy.

About a year and a half ago, I decided to start writing a column for About Boulder while I diligently worked on my first book, in addition to several of my own personal blogs. As I neared completion of my book project, I starting to get excited. I knew I had put in the hours and had a very solid foundation built for my entry into the world of authorship. I was proud of my work. I was proud of my idea. More than anything, I just wanted to tell somebody about my book. At heart, I’m a salesman and I just like to sell and persuade people. I was ready to get somebody else fired up about my book project so that I could add the words “Bestselling Author” to my Linkedin profile. I knew it was time.

After all of the hard work I invested in About Boulder I scheduled a lunch with Scott Armstrong, the founder and creator. We had never met in person, but I knew he had successfully published a few books. We got together for lunch at the St. Julien in Boulder, where they have a secret recipe for the most incredible mashed potatoes on the face of the earth. I’m talking dynamite. Those things are amazing, and I’m pretty sure, they’re fat free. Doubt it. But, I digress.

I was fired up to meet Scott and more importantly at the time, pitch the idea of my book! I got super excited and started telling Scott all about my book and all of the ideas I had surrounding it. I told him about my plans for marketing and all of the sales approaches that I thought might work. I was pumped. My adrenaline was at an all-time high.  Scott listened intently and calmly told me that the book I had been working on would NOT be my first book. I was devastated. All of my hard work down the drain. The one connection I had in the world of writing wasn’t nearly as excited about my book as I had hoped. I felt the wind leaving my sails. However, Scott continued.

Scott told me about the success he had with his book, “Boston Marathon or Bust”. He told me that I needed to write ANOTHER book. NO!!!!! I had been writing my book for over a year and I was ready to be done with it. I couldn’t even fathom the idea of writing a different book while putting my hard work on the shelf for a year (or more). Scott was convincing however, and I gave in. He told me that he would become my coach to help make sure this new book was completed in 30 days.

You read that correctly and I was thinking the exact same thing you are right now. No way. No one writes a book in 30 days. That’s preposterous.

But, it’s not.

Scott asked me probably the best sales question I’ve ever been asked. I especially appreciated it, because like I said earlier, I’m a salesman. In fact, we all are in some respect. What Scott asked me, changed my life forever. He asked me if I was “interested” in becoming an author, or if I was “committed” to becoming an author.

My answer to this question was extremely important. My answer drastically changed the following 10 months of my life.

I had to really muster up some courage but finally, I looked Scott right in the eye and said, “Scott, I’m absolutely, 100% committed to becoming an author.”

The next year had tons of challenges. Setback, after setback, after heartbreaking setback, but the one man who was ALWAYS in my corner, pushing me, encouraging me with his infectious enthusiasm, was Scott Armstrong.

I still vividly remember calling Scott and telling him that I needed to “take a break” from my column with About Boulder. At the time, I was having all sorts of frustrations with the construction of my website and I just didn’t have the time to write a blog every week. What I received from Scott was praise and encouragement. Scott was in my corner. He told me to focus 100% of my efforts on getting my book launched.

As painful as it was to put my About Boulder column on hold, it was a great decision. On February 22^nd, 2016 I launched my first book. It’s been a life-changing experience. I still, to this day, can’t believe it’s actually finished. I could have never done it without the help of Scott, or as I call him, Coach Armstrong.

Scott challenged me every day. He held me accountable. He reminded me that I had committed to becoming an author. He forced words onto the page, especially on the days that I didn’t feel like it. But, that’s what a great coach does. They connect you with your reason WHY. They help you fight through the tough days.

I truly believe that EVERYBODY can write a book. It’s really not that difficult. All it takes is a little bit of commitment each day. Start small. Do something productive every day and the absolute best advice I can give you, is to hire a coach! Seriously. It makes all the difference in the world.

Scott rocks. He is an amazing man and an amazing coach. I really can’t thank him enough. He deserves most of the credit for my book. Scott always quotes Zig Ziglar, saying, “you can get whatever you want out of life, if you help enough people get what they want.” Scott lives this motto and I will continue to strive every day, to do the same.

When you have a minute, check out the book that Scott helped me create – www.relentlessforwardmomentum.com.

P.S. My Monday morning motivation column will resume from this point forward. Thanks for all of the overwhelming support I’ve had to this point. I’m excited and FIRED UP to be back!

This one’s for Scott!

Matthew Harris