Drew Gerber, CEO of Wasabi Publicity, shares how it’s important to know what your motivation is: why are you doing what you’re doing?

1. Motivation
I was on a call with a potential client recently, a therapist committed to
making a big difference by providing a way for patients who can’t afford her
services to get the help they need. She was considering writing a book.
Writing a book is a noble feat and having just written one, I know it can be a
daunting task.
A lot of people have a fantasy to write a book; to get their message out in the
world in black and white. I must say it’s a very rewarding feeling. But, there
were critical things that carried me along the way.
Motivation. Why are you doing what you’re doing?
One of my practices I do every day is to ask myself what’s my motivation for the
day. It’s been very insightful. I started to realize how much of what I do goes
unquestioned. Why am I doing what I’m doing? Why am I meditating? Why am I
writing this blog post?
Asking ’why’ transformed my conversation about writing a book, and it also
transformed my life. I’ve shared a lot about Heather Estay, a dear friend of
mine and my writing coach, with the community of entrepreneurs at PitchRate.com.
Not only has she written her own bestsellers, she’s coached and ghost written
for some very notable clients. The thing I love about Heather is she’s a perfect
blend of east and west: a Zen master with a whip. But in our conversations,
Heather has a way of getting me to crack the whip on myself. And it feels so
good!
When I was stuck in my book-writing processes, I would call Heather. In a matter
of seconds my whole world would shift. She always left me asking, ’Why was I
stuck at all?’
Perhaps it’s because she’s a black belt.
There were a couple of conversations with Heather that had a huge impact on me
and really shifted my perception. The first was the difference between writing
and editing. I realized that writing is a passion of mine. Editing? Not so much.
The other was a question: ’Why are you writing this book?’ When Heather asked
me, I started to give her an answer that many wannabe authors would give’ ’I
have a message. I think it would make a difference. To change the world. It’s a
great calling card. Yadda, yadda, yadda.’ She stopped me and asked, ’Not ’why
are you writing a book’’ ’Why are you writing THIS book’?’ THIS book? I’d never
thought about it like that.
When Heather began to work with me to uncover the answer to this question,
everything began to fall into place. I knew what I wanted to say, and how I
wanted to say it. This shift changed everything for me.
Later, I was having a phone conversation with a potential client, and I could
hear myself in her as she was explaining all the topics she could write about
and what she wanted to accomplish. Interestingly, there were a lot of different
ways she could achieve that objective ’ a blog, a webinar, public speaking, etc.
But she had two fundamental questions she needed to ask: WHY write a book and
WHY write the particular book she was going to write.
I am a firm believer that what generally has people not write the book they are
committed to writing and keeps them stuck are the answers to these questions.
The answers are their motivation.
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About the Author:
For 30 years, L. Drew Gerber has been inspiring those who want to change the

2. world. As the CEO of Wasabi Publicity, lauded by the likes of PR Week and Good
Morning America, he sparks “aha“ conversations that lead to personal and
business success. His PR firm is known for landing clients on Dr. Phil, Oprah,
Anderson Cooper, the Wall Street Journal, Inc., Entrepreneur, and other top
media outlets. Wasabi Publicity lives to launch conversations that make a
difference and change the world. Contact Drew at AskDrew@PublicityResults.com or
visit his blog at www.DestinationAha.com.