Member-only story
Reflections on Launching a Self-Help Book in the Middle of a Global Pandemic
The world has changed since I finished writing it, but the ideas feel more urgent than ever.
We all have to balance different aspects of who we are and what we do and how we spend our time. Sometimes, different parts of us — our responsibilities, our hobbies, our experiences, our identities, our areas of expertise — exist in different spheres. Maybe you work 9-5 to pay your bills and also have an unrelated side hustle outside of the office. Like every human being, you still have to make trade-offs in how you allocate your time and attention, but these two parts of your identity might remain pretty much distinct. Two separate worlds, neither collaborating nor colliding.
Other times, our priorities and passions seem to compete with one another. We constantly feel pulled in different directions, leaving us operating from a place of tension. That’s where I’ve found myself for much of the past two-plus years. Throughout the entire process of writing, publishing, and (so far) promoting my new book, Reframe the Day: Embracing the Craft of Life, One Day at a Time, which will be published on Tuesday, April 28th, I’ve felt a lingering sense of tension.
While this tension usually just hums quietly in the back of my mind, it’s grown louder over the past few months as I’ve tried to figure out how to publicize a book in the middle of a public health crisis. The tension isn’t new, though. I’ve felt it since I left the world of U.S. politics and started spending a lot of my free time writing.
Where does this tension come from? Pulling me in one direction is the craft of writing, an activity I love and from which I derive meaning and fulfillment. Pulling me in a different direction — or at least it feels like a different direction — are the activities I feel like I should be doing with the time and resources that I’m privileged to have. Volunteering. Campaigning for causes and candidates I believe in. Fighting the good fight. Performing some type of public service. Helping people.
When I worked in politics, I didn’t really feel the nagging pull of these “shoulds” because some element of service was built into my day-to-day experience. It wasn’t…
