It’s been nine months since the pandemic had a name. I admit, in the beginning, I was glued to the news and wanted to be up to date on all that was happening. I was writing down the number of new cases on a daily basis. I never imagined it could get so bad. I could also never imagine it would last this long. Shortly after realizing how serious this was and becoming more and more focused on it, I realized that watching the news was only making me feel worse.
I had been working on ideas for a book, so I decided to shift my attention from focusing on the pandemic to focusing on what I needed to do to write this book. I realized I would be stuck in the house for the next several months, so I decided to make the most of the time. I focused all my attention on learning what I needed to know about writing the book and also self-publishing the book. After I created the outline, I started to take daily walks to get fresh air, and while I was walking, I wore a headset attached to a digital recorder. I spoke into my headset and recorded the first draft of each chapter one day at a time. After each walk, I would come home and transcribe the audio into text.
After doing a few revisions, I hired an editor. Next, I hired a cover designer and had a book formatting company waiting in the wings. While reading about how to self-publish, I learned that it would be best to create an LLC (Limited Liability Corporation) to be the publishing company. I researched what it would take to start this business, and then took the necessary steps to create my own company, and then The Self-Help Company, LLC. was born on July 1st, 2020
Then a Book was Born!
From the time I recorded the first chapter on June 4th, to the time my book Self-Help for At-Risk Teens was published and available on September 26th, it was less than four months. This is time I had because of COVID-19. I could have done almost anything during this period of time but I feel as if I made the most of the time I had instead of dwelling on the negative side of what was going on in the world.
In addition to writing the book, during the process of writing the book, I learned about, and decided to, start my own podcast to be able to spread my message of helping young people around the world. So once the book was out of my hands and off to the editor, I began recording podcast episodes. As of today, my podcast, Self-Help for At-Risk Teens has 21 episodes and is available on almost any major podcast app or directory.
I have also created multiple websites, created multiple Alexa Skills, and have learned to do and done much more than I ever thought was possible in this short amount of time. I don’t tell you this to impress you, I say this to impress upon you, that you can do much more than you may believe is possible as well. Make a decision to learn something new and commit to it. Anything is possible. I could have easily spent the last nine months watching the news and becoming fearful of the way things are in the world, but I chose to do other things with my time and attention. I believe anyone can do the same thing.
Focus on the Positive Things in Life
The choices we make in our lives directly affect our circumstances. There are many lessons to be learned from this COVID-19 pandemic, I hope people will become more optimistic and less fearful about what is possible in their lives.
With all the time we have on our hands, it is easy to just turn on the TV and entertain ourselves. I believe our time can be spent better by educating ourselves through all of the many resources that are available to us today. This starts with reading more books, watching more educational programs, listening to empowering podcasts, and much more. With everybody being stuck at home and not being allowed into certain public places such as libraries, there are more options available to us than there has ever been before to learn from the comforts of our home. Most libraries now have digital subscriptions and ways to read digital books and listen to audiobooks on your phones and computers. A library card is an immensely powerful tool at this time in our lives.
I encourage you to use it to your advantage. Learn new things and try new things. I continue to improve myself daily and spend my time and focus my attention on becoming a better person so that I can have more to offer to the world. I encourage you to think about ways you can improve different areas of your life. Small decisions can have big results over time. You don’t have to turn off the TV completely, but just taking a little bit of time throughout your day to read educational information and inspiring information, these simple disciplines can make a big difference in how we think and feel. Moderation is the key, try to find an equal balance between entertainment and education.
As I continue to read new books and learn new things, I will continue to share the information with you. Please subscribe to this blog so you can be notified when new posts are made.
Stay safe and have a great day,
Ben Povlow
