Like many of us, Brenda James has been passionate about writing since an early age.

But like too many of us, she wasn't always sure she had "what is takes" to be an author. Will I have enough to say? Who am I to write a book?

As a leadership and career development coach, Brenda has built a business around belief. Her mission is to help others discover their purpose and reach their full potential, in whatever they choose to do.

So when it came to her own book, Believe (now published as part of The Expert Author Academy), knocking those niggling thoughts on the head, and building self-belief was a key part of the process. Here's how.

Why is believing in yourself important when it comes to reaching your full potential in any endeavour, whether it’s becoming a better leader or writing a book?‍

If writing a book was easy, everyone would do it. There will be a few moments along your writing journey that will require you to dig deep and keep going. This will be a lot easier if you have self-belief as your foundation.
Also, whether an author or a leader, you have an audience who want to believe in you. If you don’t believe in yourself, who else will?‍

What’s your Aha! moment that made you realise that you can write a book?‍

Meeting everyday people who had written a book. You don’t need to be famous.
If you believe you have "a book in you", then you are right - you do! My advice is to engage with a professional coach to ensure you structure your writing in a way that will reach your audience, and make sure you finish the project.

‍In your leadership work, clarity and confidence are the keys to developing belief. When it comes to writing, how do the same apply?

Clarity and confidence go hand in hand. When you are clear about exactly who you are writing to, and why, you are more purposeful and confident in your writing and determined to succeed. This determination will keep you going and before you know it, you have a whole book worth of words.

Can you share a moment where you felt discouraged during the writing process. How did you take back your power and bolster self-belief?

I remember one day I just felt stuck. No rhyme or reason. The previous day had been amazing. Nothing was piecing together and my writing wasn’t flowing at all. I decided to pause writing for the day. I asked myself, "what I would suggest one of my clients do?" That’s when I decided to go for a walk, and of course, while out walking, ideas flowed. I still paused for the day, but the next day was so much better!

Can you share a routine or technique to get out of the headspace when all you can hear is your inner voice saying "You can’t do this"?

My number one technique is gratitude. I sit and write down everything I’m grateful for about the thing I’m doubting. With my head full of gratitude, there is no space left for doubt.

Always trust yourself. Trust you can do this. And talk it out with the right people if you're unsure of anything.

Describe the moment you touched and held (and smelled!) your final printed book for the first time.

‍The cover was shiny and smooth and I flicked through the book as though I’d never owned a book before. I opened a few pages and read where I landed. My eyes blurred and were brimming tears as I saw my stories in a real book - my book! That might sound weird, but after all the writing and 4am starts, I think I’d lost sight of that.

What’s your top 3 tips for any authors or leaders who are having a hard time believing they can accomplish a goal?

1. Check-in on your thinking, the conversations you are having with yourself and the messages you are choosing to believe. Until you know what is going on up there in your mind, you lack the power to change it.
2. Don’t compare yourself to other authors or leaders, especially those who are further through the process than you! They’ve just written a few more words than you at this moment.
   
3. Dig deep and connect with the heart of why you want to accomplish your goal. Keep writing one word at a time, one sentence at a time, one paragraph at a time and one day at a time. When the time is right, you will have a book.
   

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‍Final words?

This writing journey has been bigger than I could ever have imagined. When I first set out, the overwhelm was stifling and made progress slow. Then I discovered Kelly Irving, my book coach.

It was Kelly’s dynamic writing structure, expert guidance and endless reassurance and encouragement that moved me from telling myself "I’ll never do this again" to "I can’t wait to write the next one."

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