How it all began – after I’d been messing around for ages (!)…
From: edgar@rodehack.de <edgar@rodehack.de>
Sent: Tuesday, 24 November 2020 18:38
To:
Subject: Minor request.
Dear all,
you guys are doing well, I hope? Apologies for rushing you with a request right away: Today I would like to ask you for a small favor.
For a long time, I have been playing with the idea of starting a writing project. Whether blog or book is not yet decided (probably first blog). Now I’m looking for inspiration.
You know me and what I do well. Do you spontaneously think of an important question / an important topic that you would like to see me address or answer in such a project? Something like: “I’ve been wanting to ask Edgar that for a long time…”. Small, medium, or huge – I’ll take anything.
Gladly spontaneous. Gladly first thoughts. But of course, you can also go into more detail, if you like. Everything that gives me a push is welcome.
And if you’re not up for it, we’ll still be friends. OK? 
In any case: thank you very much in advance!
Warm regards,
Edgar
That was the mail
… that I sent to some friends and well-meaning clients at the end of 2020. For a long time, even years, to be honest, I had been thinking of writing a book. The above electronic request for help was a preliminary result of the increasingly tenacious and agonizing desire to write and publish.
Interestingly, the idea of writing a book had been with me for a long time, but I never really got started, despite many musings and attempts. Something was always: too little for a book, too much research, too trivial, too difficult, too easy, too little time, too much time…
I just couldn’t get into doing
At least not into writing. Instead, I thought of all sorts of things I could do, even HAD to do, before I could start writing: Looking for topics, analyzing target audiences, attending writing coaching sessions, learning how to REALLY write, READING books about writing, etc.
In a phase of frustration
…in which I wanted to show myself (once again) that I was serious, but this time for real, I thus composed the above query. And it turned out that this was that spark that lit the fuse…
At the same time, I felt uneasy
because to write and send such a mail meant to admit to myself and also to the recipients that I didn’t really know how to approach my project. Besides, I was asking for help. And that of all people, who normally turned to ME for advice and help.
This all developed into a good, beautiful process
Because without exception ALL people whom I had asked for advice, helped HAPPY with distinctly POSITIVE and CONSTRUCTIVE tips. These I will take up here also by and by and show. After all, I had asked, among other things, which topics and questions they are interested in and would like to see me work on or answer. And the answers I would not like to withhold you of course.
Although not yet a book.
And maybe never a book. But at least a blog already. And a podcast. But most of all: a focused writing routine for me. And a reading routine for you guys.
Win-Win. Good stuff.
My Take Away
My Take Away- It doesn’t cost anything to ask? Heck, no. But it doesn’t cost much. Namely, only the overcoming of letting yourself be helped.
- Letting yourself be helped is great. And helpful (*wink wink*)
- Committing to your most important projects, desires, and plans and working on them step by step without taking on too much, is just plain fun.
- Especially if you do not overburden yourself with it. It just makes sense to start, tackle and also build up larger projects in smaller steps. Every day in a little something. For example, just blogging or podcasting instead of immediately times to try to lift the big project (UFF!).