I had lunch last week with a business acquaintance and when I mentioned that I’d be self-publishing my book, Happiness as a Second Language, he lit up and told me he planned to do the same with his latest book.
I didn’t even know this man was a writer. Turns out, he’s already published two books and had decided that self-publishing was the way to go for the next one. And he’d done a lot of research. His advice was very good. He wants us to continue to help each other along on this journey – sharing information and ideas, and I am thrilled by that.
Here’s the interesting thing. I had never intended to talk to him about the book. Not sure why it even came up. He works in an area of the entertainment industry that I would like more access to, and could be a very helpful connection on that front, but that’s not what our lunch turned out to be about, and that’s fine.
I could have forced the conversation back to my immediate industry needs, but to what end? How does that help him, and thus, how does it help me? I’d rather we help each other towards a goal we have in common, and develop a real working relationship, and if anything on the industry side of it develops, then that will just be a bonus. And if it doesn’t, it was never going to in the first place.
Reaching your destination isn’t always about zooming into the express lane and driving straight there. Sometimes it’s about getting in a hot air balloon and seeing where it takes you. The latter isn’t always going to be better, but at least you’ll enjoy the ride.
