Yes, you should write a book. Here are 6 Reasons Why It Should Be Now.

The most obvious reason you should write a book is because it's your story. Not mine. Not your sister's. Not your brother's. Yours. Who is best to tell it? You, of course.

We'll call that #1. The story you tell about yourself should be the story you want the world to hear. Not the story I want the world to hear about you. Not the story your brother would tell. Not the story your partner would tell.

The story from your pen, in your words, about you and your success, is best told by you. It's your story. I often call it the "once upon a time" story because we all hold fairy tales dear to our hearts and using the format of a fairy tale to create the flow of your story can be helpful.

You have a fairy princess (you), a villian (the wicked witch - or whomever it was who said you couldn't do what you did do), a land full of beautiful trees and flowers but also fraught with pits and dungeons (you know them, they were all those 'things' that stood in your way), and you have a fairy godmother (your mentor - maybe more than one).

There is your outline. Tell the story. It's waiting to be heard.

For reason number two, let’s talk about what writing a book does for you. Not merely the way it immediately gives you credibility and respect, which it does - people love an author! - but the way it helps build community.

Who do you want in your community? Which people? Not all people. Don't throw the doors so wide open the big bad wolf gets in, too! Be selective. Your book and the story it tells will attract like-minded folk who want to hear more from you. Hear more advice. More insight. More stories.

In doing so, in writing the book and building that community, you now have a platform to conduct webinars, workshops, and masterminds. Built off of your book.

In number three, we want to talk about that platform I just mentioned. It's a place to extend your messaging by becoming a public speaker. Most clients I work with want to do just that - they want to be a more prominent public speaker.

That can mean doing more podcasts, being part of online summits, offering your message to networking groups, all the way to becoming a key-note at an in-person event where your book will be the one thing everyone at the event clamors to take home.

Truth is - event planners love authors! Authors give them concrete messaging and storytelling to share - the better to attract more attendees. Your book is your 'in' to more and better speaking engagements.

Going a step further for number 4, let's talk about legacy. In a recent blog post about why now is the best time to write that book, I wrote about the power of your book to leave a legacy behind.

Let's just define legacy, shall we? Dictionary.com tells us:

Legacy: noun: anything handed down from the past, as from an ancestor or predecessor.

Once written, your book becomes your past. It's the story of how you got where you are, and how you hope your insights can lead others to achieve the same success, without all the trials and tribulations.

But it's more than that, isn't it? It's your gift to your family, friends, colleagues, and all the entrepreneurs out there who are, or will be down the road, struggling to become the same success you've become. What better gift can you give to the world of business than to write the book of you?

Once written, your book becomes your past and helps form the legacy you will leave the world. It's the story of how you got where you are, and how you hope your insights can lead others to achieve the same success, without all the trials and tribulations.

Number five - the reason no one thinks of. Write your book this year, now, because ... no one else will. Few people will in fact write the book they've always wanted to write. Few people will reach that title: 'author of' by completing the book they've told me, over and over again, that they want to write. Don't be one of them.

The act of completing a book, of becoming a published author, is both joyous for the writer and for the reader. Too often, readers dream of becoming authors, but allow those dreams to die when this or that interferes - they gather their excuses like pieces of fruit to display on their dining room table.

Here's why I couldn't do it, they say. As outlined in my recent book, 13 Excuses NOT to Write Your Book, I have heard them all. Including the "I'm focused on Chapter One" excuse which means...the book is languishing in never-never land because you cannot get past chapter one.

Be the one who does finish her book. The the one everyone else looks up to with awe.

The very last reason (number six) you should write a book, today, this year, as soon as possible, is because you've wanted to write a book ever since I met you!

I realize I don't know all of you. I know some who are reading, but not all. Still, I know you. I know that if I asked, "Have you ever wanted to write a book?" you would say yes. And if I asked why you haven't, you'd cite one of the many reasons mentioned here or in my excuses book.

I know in your heart your book is waiting to be born.

I know you have the experience and knowledge to write it.

I know it's been on your to-do list for many years.

Why not pursue it now? Why not make 2020 the year you stand up and be counted among the outstanding writers who went on to publish their book so they could be introduced across the web and the world as "the author of."

And here are the six reasons all lined up for a quick reminder:

1.      It’s your story. You are the best person to tell it.

2.      A book builds community. Peer learning and connecting.

3.      A book is a platform to grow speaking opportunities. Everyone loves an author!

4.      Your book leaves a legacy - not just about you, but about the life you lived and the time you lived it in.

5.      People keep saying they want to write a book, but few of them follow through. Be one of the ones who does it and succeeds at becoming an author.

6.      Write it now because it’s been on your to-do list for such a long time!

Don’t be like the person in the James Joyce quote below. Full of excuses not to do something you know you want to do.