“If there’s a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it”
– Toni Morrisson
Writing my first book Break Free has been a fun, emotional, and life-changing journey. This journey has a special place in my heart and because it is so close to me, I would love to share this journey with you all.
First of all, why is Break Free a must-read? This book does not focus on just one element, it is not your regular self-help book. In fact, this book focuses on your 360, it focuses on you, your family, your friends, and it also focuses on the community you live in. I am an engineer and I like to look at things from a practical and logical perspective, so in this book, I will provide you with some practical tools you can use to declutter your life immediately by developing some amazing rituals.
Now, often people ask me, why rituals and why not habits?
That is because according to me rituals are something that you never break, it becomes ingrained in your life, on the other hand, habits are something you can step out of.
These rituals will help you focus on four essential elements you need to declutter, the mind, the body, the people, and the material world. This book will take you on a journey to become the great individual that you are, and face the world head-on with a new perspective on life.
Now, with shelves in libraries and bookstores full of self-help books you may ask why is there a need for Break Free?
Well, over the years, and over centuries, there has been an abundance of violence around us, whether it is between countries or people or even violence between man and nature. But, all this aside, the worst sort of violence I have seen is the violence once faced within themselves.
This sort of violence eats you up from the inside, it is a reason that according to WHO 1 in 5 people these days suffer from mental health issues, and Break Free will take you on a journey to end this violence. Break Free will help you declutter your mind, body, people around you, and the material world to an extent that all that violence you face inside will vanish.
How did it all begin?
This one day I was standing at a bar and a very dear friend of mine walks up to me and says, “Saahil I think you should share your story with the world, whatever you have shared so far with me has impacted my life in a very positive way and I think it will benefit other people too.”
That was the light bulb moment for me, and that’s where my journey for Break Free started. Have you ever heard that, whatever happens, happens for a reason; I have truly come to believe this. Because after that moment, things kept falling into place. First, there were some amazing speaking opportunities, which led me to Right Selection, a speaking agency, which led me to Moustafa, who runs a publishing agency, and then Break Free came into the picture. Then I met Tanvi who helped me with my branding. I met so many amazing people who helped me in my journey and are now a part of my tribe.
I believe that you cannot do anything alone. The journey of Break Free was supported by many people who held my hand through this journey. My friends, my family, my book coach, my editor, and my branding expert all led me to complete Break Free seamlessly. In fact, my parents and in-laws gave me a birthday gift which helped me finance this book. So, you see even though the content is mine there is a lot of support in the form of amazing structure, design, money which was just as crucial as the content. This taught me a lot of gratitude towards my amazing team who stood by me and made me accomplish this today, which once seemed like a pipe dream.
Was I really ready for this commitment and vulnerability?
Once I started writing this book I realized that this was a massive commitment.
The sort of commitment that made me think “Woah! This would take me days, weeks, and even months to complete. Just like when I scale mountains and see the peak far, far away, and think to myself this is a huge mountain to scale, the same thought came to me when I was writing this book. So, how did I keep up with this commitment and not give up?
I started to say no to things that weren’t so important at the time. I had to say no to some of my social media posts, I had to say no to the socializing that I was doing and I even had to say no to some of my hobbies and interests. This was so that I could say yes to completing this book. Now, don’t think that I was giving up on all those things. I was just hitting the pause button for some time so that I could complete my book on time and introduce it to the world. Thanks to this exercise of saying no, I was able to complete this book in 6 months.
Now, often when you write a book by sharing your personal experiences you become vulnerable. You may get a lot of love and positivity your way but you could also get a lot of criticism. I had to prepare myself for both. Because by sharing my experiences and thoughts that were dear to me I thought I could change many lives and influence many people.
That’s why I wrote this book and decided to be vulnerable because even if I have influenced one life, I have served my purpose.
You can be vulnerable too, don’t let the critics hold you back. You can let go and be the amazing person that you are. Because guess what? It’s so much easier being the best version of yourself than the second-rate version of somebody else.
I look forward to hearing about your story on how you found the courage to do what is right and be the amazing person that you are.