Any time we realize that something is not working or that changes need to be made, we find ourselves at a crossroads. After a lot of experimentation, we thought we had a good handle on things, but suddenly, we recognized where things went off track. Now that we see it, we cannot keep going in the same direction. Changes need to be made, but where do we begin?
After plenty of time spent processing our feelings, we set out to devise a plan, only to realize we might be lost. We’ve spent time reflecting, seeking God, and asking others for input. We may have ideas, but we feel a bit unsure of ourselves. So what do we do?
I have learned that sometimes clarity starts to show up as we take action. You may begin working on something and quickly realize it’s not quite right. So you tweak something, see what works, tweak it again until the path forward shows itself. Step by step and moment by moment, God leads you in the right direction.
So how do we begin?
In my post titled, “How to Respond When Things Aren’t Working”, I mentioned asking questions—lots of questions. In my case, I realized how my content was not producing the results I desired. This restricted my creativity and kept me on a never-ending content creation hamster wheel. Ultimately, it kept me from working towards publishing books and creating courses.
From the beginning, I knew I wanted to be in the mental health field for the long haul. This wasn’t something I did just to sell books or courses. God called me to use my gifts and experience to help others. If I had any chance to stay in this, I would need to change how I was operating.
I Began with a Few Simple Questions.
What changes will help me reach my goal?
What changes will allow me to continue serving the Overflow Community?
My goal is to publish books and, eventually, courses that accompany these books. If I never have the time to write, how can I expect to publish any books? My content schedule for the Overflow Community kept me going nonstop. I found myself exhausted on a regular basis.
I was giving, giving, giving until I had nothing left to give. I continually worked to implement self-care and rest, thinking that if I took better care of myself, I would have the endurance I needed. What I saw was that I kept coming up tired.
I thought what I was doing was the right thing. I was serving my audience with the best of intentions. I was innovating and working to implement the support I needed. I built an incredible team of volunteers to help with the needs of a community, but it still wasn’t enough.
“There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death.”
Proverbs 14:12 NIV
What Changes Will Help Me Reach My Goal?
To publish books, I need to spend time writing. That’s prety simple, right?! If I spend 98% of my energy creating content for and operating the community, how do I honestly believe I can bring my best to my writing? I tried altering my schedule, where I would write in the evening after my family went to bed. It SEEMED perfect because I am a night owl.
It was exciting because I love the focus and peace the nighttime brings me. I would get sucked into whatever I was working on, and this would have me working until the early morning hours. I reasoned that I could simply sleep a little later in the mornings. This largely seemed to work because of my flexible schedule.
What I discovered was that I was always tired. I would get between six to seven hours of sleep many nights, but I was still exhausted. This led me to have a consistently higher baseline anxiety level (BAL) than I would like. I kept this up for a while until I couldn’t anymore.
This led me to ask another question.
What Changes Will Allow Me to Continue Serving the Overflow Community?
This is the big question that will shape what I do next. As a community builder, it was time for me to figure out what parts of the community programming provided the value members sought. Something to note is the community is in its alpha stage. That means it is super early in the startup stage. Growing the community has been one giant leap of faith, experimenting and following God into the unknown to figure out how to best love and serve the members.
Practically, at least right now, it doesn’t generate revenue. Every year, my family invests money to keep the community operating. I cannot hire a community manager or other staff to help. So, a team of volunteers pitch in to help where they can.
As I narrowed down what my new realization meant, it led me to more questions. How can I free up as much time as possible each week without compromising the quality of the community? Seeing how much time the custom content required, I knew this was the part I needed to change. Can I source content from other places that will produce the same type of engagement without the same personal investment?
I have experimented using content from the Open Network by Life.Church. Life.Church so generously makes all of its content available for free on its website. I have utilized their content a few times to allow myself time off for rest and recovery. Could I continue this long-term while providing members the same or better value?
Did the Changes Work?
I have seen that members of Overflow are just as engaged as when I was producing everything on my own. What’s better is that I now have time to write or create content that helps me to achieve my goals. I still have a lot to learn, and I am sure there will be many changes, but this has opened up opportunities that weren’t possible before.
What’s Next?
I won’t go into all the details now, but I have been trying to publish my first book for years. Soon after discovering the Substack platform, I felt led to publish my book in a serial, Netflix style, much like many others have done. I plan on publishing a section or chapter at a time to allow readers to follow along and provide feedback. After all chapters are published on Substack, I will publish a physical book, an ebook, and an audiobook.
How Does This Fit Into Your Goals?
I aim to publish my first book on Substack by the end of 2024. Subscribers will receive a behind-the-scenes, writing in public experience of what it takes to write and publish a book via Substack. I hope to publish audio and video to go along with the written portion of the book.
What Can Readers Expect?
I plan on sharing a mix of the book publishing journey through free and paid tiers on Substack. I am working on pricing, benefits, and the schedule. If you’re interested in following along, I encourage you to Subscribe to my free tier now so you won’t miss out on the details as they are announced.
Why Should Readers Subscribe?
I want to reward subscribers by providing content that is not found when purchasing a book from Amazon. This will be an up-close and personal look into my journey. They will see vulnerability and an honest take on this process. I have never been a writer to act like I have everything together. I believe transparency and vulnerability are a rare treat.
Why Does this Matter?
While I have learned a lot from nineteen years of facing mental health challenges, the last thing I want to do is to present my story as if God suddenly healed me and everything is now perfect. That may be someone else’s story, but it’s not mine. I have learned lots of practical lessons navigating my faith while facing brain health issues. I have also seen what God does when you step out in faith to serve someone else.
A few years ago, I asked God, “What do you want to accomplish through my pain and circumstances?”
You see, I spent a lot of time praying for God to wave his hand or speak the words and restore the life I once knew. I was praying for “normal.” I had read a mountain of books and stories of other followers of Jesus who were miraculously healed or quickly recovered from bouts with poor mental health. While I was often encouraged by these stories, I felt like they presented an incomplete picture.
No matter how much I searched, I couldn’t find raw, honest, and brave followers of Jesus whose lives were permanently changed. People who often struggle, yet still ask God daily to use their stories for the Kingdom of God. People who, by faith, believe that God’s grace is all they need. People who get up daily to serve others, offering the hope, love, and grace that only comes from Jesus.
This is my story, and I invite you to come along.