I’m often asked, “What is your process for writing? With all of your activities, how do you find the time? What is your writing discipline?” I must admit to having neither the time to write nor a writing discipline. For me, there are several essential ingredients for creating the conditions for a book to emerge: 1.) a publisher who believes in me (“So, when are you going to write another book?”; and the dreaded, “Here is your manuscript deadline.”); 2.) a collaborator in the form of a talented editor; 3.) spiritual teachers and friends; 4.) colleagues and community; and 5.) a supportive family.
1. Publisher: Thank you, New World Library — especially Jason Gardner, Marc Allen, Monique Muhlenkamp, and Munro Magruder — for your support and encouragement. And to Stephanie Tade, my agent.
2. Collaborator: My appreciation to Jeff Campbell, editor extraordinaire. Jeff helped shape this book in its early stages, and he helped birth it at every stage. And to Jennifer Futernick, for inserting a little extra poetry and love, just when it needed it.
3. Spiritual teachers and friends: Thank you to my core spiritual teachers and several dharma supporters: Michael Wenger and Norman Fischer; Vickie Austin, Chris Fortin, Bruce Fortin, Steve Weintraub, Steve Stucky, Peter van der Sterre, Rick Levine, Ken Sawyer, Marc Alexander, Meg Alexander, ARobin Orden, and Steve Gross.
4. Community: Many thanks to my amazing partners at Google’s Search Inside Yourself (SIY) program (and now SIYLI), Chade-Meng Tan, Philippe Goldin, Mirabai Bush, and Yvonne Ginsberg, and all the Googlers who have attended and helped shape the SIY program.
Thanks to Peter Strugatz, Katie Wood, Roger Housden, and Barbara Disco for reading chapters, and for the encouragement from my core Wednesday night sitting group who listened to me read many drafts: David Maxwell, Dharna Obermeir, Nadine Gay, David Stoebel, and Florian Brody. And to the memory of my dear friend Carole Harris.
Here, I also must name a few of many from the Social Venture Network community: Deborah Nelson, Erin Roach, Aaron Lamstein, David Leventhal, Elliot Hoffman, Jay Harris, and Judi Cohen.
Also, I owe a debt to a few of my many coaching and leadership friends — Jackie McGrath, Simon Turkalj, Ken Schatz, Lucinda Rhys, and Linda Curtis — and to my coaching clients.
5. Family: With gratitude to my son, Jason, and daughter, Carol, for their light and love, and to my wife, Lee, not only for reading every word of the manuscript but most of all for helping me to know myself and forget myself.