by James L. Rubart, @jameslrubart
Back in the mid-90s, I worked at a company with an extremely religious atmosphere. Not in a good way. In a judgmental way. A critical way. In a use-God-talk-to-force-you-to-do-what-we want-you-to-do way.
(Yes, you’re right, great material for a novel.)
One day a colleague and I pitched a potential client in northern Washington. We had thrown in our clubs as we knew the client was a golfer and business and golf often mix well.
On the 10th tee, the office manager called me.
“Where are you? What are you doing right now? Is Brad with you? One of your clients called. You should call her back. Now. Do you golfing is the best use of your time? Does Brad think it’s the best use of his time?”
After I hung up and relayed the call to Brad, he said, “Why does she have to do that? Why is she always doing this to everyone?”
Then he mentioned a number of the grating things she’d done over the past few months.
“I have good news for you, Brad.”
“What?”
“In five years, you’re not going to remember any of those things she did. You’re going to remember our friendship and the time we had on the course today. The business stuff will fade away. But this time together? I don’t think so.”
(I was right.)
New Year, New Intentions
Think back on 2018. What are your highlight moments? The ones you treasure? I’m guessing they’re not about business. They’re about people. Friendships. Times shared that will linger in your mind for ages.
So as you go into 2019, I encourage you to pursue your writing with everything inside. But be sure to do the same with your relationships. And be intentional.
Even if you’re not a goal setter, do these seven things for me:
- Jot down the names of three friends you haven’t been in contact with for far too long
- Jot down three names of friends you want to see/talk to more often in 2019
- Jot down three names that you want to thank for the impact they’ve made on your life
- Print out this list
- Paste it where you can see it on a daily basis
- Take action; be intentional
- At the end of 2019, tell me what happened
Oh, one more step. The little stuff, the frustrating stuff from 2018? It’s eventually going to blow away like the mind-dust it is, so why not let it go now?
What if You Woke up One Morning and the Darkest Parts of Yourself Were Gone?
Toren Daniels vanished eight months back, and his wife and kids have moved on—with more than a little relief. Toren was a good man but carried a raging temper that often exploded without warning. So when he shows up on their doorstep out of the blue, they’re shocked to see him alive. But more shocked to see he’s changed. Radically.
His anger is gone. He’s oddly patient. Kind. Fun. The man he always wanted to be. Toren has no clue where he’s been but knows he’s been utterly transformed. He focuses on three things: Finding out where he’s been. Finding out how it happened. And winning back his family.
But then shards of his old self start to rise from deep inside—like the man kicked out of the NFL for his fury—and Toren must face the supreme battle of his life.
In this fresh take on the classic Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, James L. Rubart explores the war between the good and evil within each of us—and one man’s only chance to overcome the greatest divide of the soul.
James L. Rubart is 28 years old, but lives trapped inside an older man’s body. He thinks he’s still young enough to water ski and dirt bike with his two grown sons, and loves to send readers on journeys they’ll remember months after they finish his stories. He’s the best-selling, Christy BOOK of the YEAR, CAROL, INSPY and RT Book Reviews award winning author of nine novels, a speaker, branding expert, co-host of the Novel Marketing podcast, and co-founder of the Rubart Writing Academy. He lives with his amazing wife on a small lake in Washington. More at jamesLrubart.com