I told Ousmane from the beginning that I was all in on this project…from writing the book to launching our business that offers training, consulting and motivational speaking. And now I’m starting to see what that means. As I’m rewriting the book proposal and manuscript, I’m not holding back. I’m putting all my analytical skills into structuring the proposal in a way that will help it be most successful, and I’m pouring my heart into the writing so this will be a book that really resonates with people and offers them some practical skills as well as encouragement to live better lives.

This is a big challenge. But every time I think about it, I get a nervous excitement in my chest and I feel my spirit rising up, ready to face the odds—and overcome them.

For the first time in my life, I feel like I’m in it for the joy of the work, not for the prize.