Have any of you ever written a book? It sounds great and wonderful. But after watching my husband go through the process. I am not sure I want to tackle that any day soon. I applaud those of you who have taken on this task.

My husband, JJ, wrote his first book this last year, “When Opportunity Knocks, 8 Surefire Ways to Take Advantage”, amid his other countless responsibilities. I am so proud of what he has accomplished. He started out with a bang of writing but with all the things that have to be taken care of when you are providing for a very large family the writing had to take a back seat. He had to write in the small pockets left over. There were times we would have a little mini staycation, meaning we used points and went to a local hotel so he could write. Those times were very productive for him. He was able to stay focused on his writing. I have to admit they weren’t so bad for me either. I love a good book but don’t get the chance to read very often, so I took those times to catch up on my reading or work on my own projects. One large project last year was graduation videos. I create a graduation video for each graduating senior and I had two last year, so that was a good time to focus on that. I will have to share my process with you sometime. We have another senior this year so I am deep into that along with everything else. 🙂

JJ has always wanted to write a book. He has had some great experiences in his life that have made into some great stories for the chapters of his book. He has had to go through some tough obstacles, but he never let those challenges take him down. His book highlights those experiences and he shows us how he overcame them but also how to help us to overcome our own challenges in able to succeed. Here is an excerpt taken from his website that sums up his book:

Throughout JJ’s life, he has dealt with many obstacles. Yet he has never allowed those obstacles to prevent him from achieving success on various levels.

For instance, during his quest to reach the NFL, many people said at 5’10” and 157 lbs, he was too small to play a big man’s game. Instead of allowing such negativity to break his focus, he used it as fuel to prove the doubters wrong, and went on to have a very successful NFL career.

JJ says, “I have met so many people over the years, who could have achieved some amazing things. Yet they allowed someone or the day-to-day challenges of life to get in the way. Therefore, they spend the rest of their life in a state of regret. In life we all have opportunities, no matter who we are, where we come from or our personal situation. The question is do we seize these opportunities and when we do, do we take advantage of them? My goal with this book is to share 8 key principles to help anyone seize their opportunities in life.”

I have had my small part in his book writing process. Besides being his cheerleader, I have been with him for most of his meetings with his mentor & editor, Dr. Will Moreland. I have also helped work with our book cover designer, Ruby James, which I have to say for me is the best part! Now I will have a part in getting the books into the hands of his readers. We just launched autographed pre-orders! It is very exciting times!

I hope all of you will check out my husbands new book, you won’t be disappointed. I think that JJ’s former Kansas City Chiefs Wide Receiver Coach Al Saunders who wrote the forward says it best:

 “This book certainly is not exclusively for the sports fan. Professional football just happened to be a passion JJ had and the National Football League the platform that was presented to realize one of his dreams. The reader will find it speaks to anyone who truly has a desire to succeed, a unique talent to develop or difficult challenge to overcome.

 Whether young or old, male or female, amateur or professional JJ’s words will motivate, inspire and challenge you to be the very best you can be in every phase of your life. He presents a plan for you to take advantage of those opportunities that can make a positive difference.” 

Here is a link if you would like to pre-order “When Opportunity Knocks, 8 Surefire Ways to Take Advantage!”

Have a fabulous week!

“There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.”
― Maya Angelou