Recently, I read an article from Ellen Britt titled The Ebook Tipping Point. Ellen mentioned that on January 27, 2011 Amazon announced that sales of Kindle ebooks overtook sales of paperback books.  This shocked me.  I was further shocked to read that Kindle ebooks had already overtaken hardcover books six months before that.

In 2005, when I was writing my first book, I looked into the ebook market.  I interviewed a number of people who had released ebooks and NONE them were making any money at it or having any real success giving them away either.  And so I decided to release my book as a hardcover.

Well… that was part of the reason.  The real reason I decided it needed to be a hardcover book was because of my ego.  I was wrapped up in my ego. I wanted my book to be a “real” book – not an ebook.  Because of the intensely personal nature of my story and my message, I had decided to self-publish my book rather than going through a traditional publisher.  I wanted to retain control over every aspect of the message.  But in 2005 there was a much finer line between self-publishing and “vanity press” publishing.  The last thing I wanted was for my book to be dismissed as a vanity-press project. Mine was going to be a “real” book and nothing says “real” like hardcover. So that’s what I did in 2005.

By the time 2008 rolled around, more books were self-published than published through traditional publishers.  The self-publishing tipping point had been reached. And now a similar tipping point has occurred with ebooks. The world has changed a lot since 2005.

I released the ebook version of What’s Your Expiry Date? back in January 2010. And now I’m considering what’s next.

I was planning to write a follow-up book.  But now my thinking has changed somewhat.  Now, I’m thinking that I will write multiple follow-up books and that each will be aimed at a specific audience (like this) and deal with a specific aspect of the follow-up conversation.  And I think they will be ebooks!

Stay tuned!!

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In 1994 I discovered the Power of Mortality™.

In 2003 I realized that this message needed to be shared with others, so I started my career as a professional motivational keynote speaker, and have had the privilege of sharing the Power of Mortality™ with thousands of people.

In 2005 I wrote my first book What’s Your Expiry Date? Embrace Mortality – Live With Vitality.

Then in 2009 I moved into what I thought of as “phase II” of my message – Choose The Life You Want.

My thought was that I’d spent long enough talking and writing about mortality and wanted to help people focus on what to do next – how to turn off the “autopilot” and start actively choosing the life they want.  I left this website alone and haven’t really done much with it at all.

But lately, I came to realize that the Power of Mortality™ will always be a critical component to what I do.  I also realized that there will always be people who need to hear the message the the Power of Mortality has to offer and that they need to hear it from me.

But most importantly, I realized that there is more work for me to do in the area of mortality.  I have more to say.

Happy New Year everyone!

(Hey, did we ever decide what we we’re calling that last decade? We had the 80′s, then the 90′s but what is the name for the decade we just finished? And what are we in now? The “teens”?)

Well, it’s a new year and the beginning of a new decade!  Why not take this opportunity to create a new life for yourself?

As I mentioned on December 1st, there are some big changes coming for me in 2010.

I have been writing and speaking about the Power of Mortality™ for six years now. As you are probably aware, my message is closely tied to my life story, and since life continues to grow and evolve, my message has evolved as well.

If the Power of Mortality™ was about waking people up to the importance of their lives, then my next step involves helping people get into action when it comes to creating their dream lives.

I am thrilled to invite you to join me at ChooseTheLifeYouWant.com as I discuss a three-step process to help people live the lives of their dreams. Lives of significance. Lives that are fearless, focused and free from regret.

Choose The Life You Want (CTLYW) simply builds on the discussion that was started with The Power of Mortality. Naturally, the concept of embracing your own mortality is one of the cornerstones of the CTLYW approach. If you haven’t already read and signed the Mortality Manifesto Pledge – do it now!

I am replacing my Mindful Moment newsletter and podcast with a weekly email newsletter called “Fearless, Focused Fridays“. The idea is to give yourself a few moments on Friday to reflect on your dreams and head into the weekend and following week with a renewed sense of purpose and clarity.

You can subscribe to receive Fearless, Focused Fridays, as well as CTLYW blog updates via email or RSS feed. And you can subscribe to get updates on other news such as the upcoming book, public workshops and weekend retreats.

As I begin this new chapter, I want to sincerely thank you for being part of my journey so far. I would be honored in you would continue with me as we both begin to choose (and live) the lives we want!

ENJOY NOW!

Isn’t it hard to believe that 2009 is rapidly drawing to a close?  December 1st already!

2009 has been a year of challenges for me.  Actually, the last two years have been challenging for me.  This is why I haven’t been very active in blogging or podcasting. To those of you who used to look forward to my regular messages – I’m sorry that I’ve been sporadic in my communications.   The good news is that I’ve learned a lot of lessons during these times.  Lessons about myself and lessons about life.  And beginning January 1st (just one month from today) I’m going to start sharing those lessons with you.

• If you found value in The Power of Mortality™, then I’m sure you’re going to love what’s next!
• If you enjoyed my first book “What’s Your Expiry Date?”, then I know you’re going to love my next book!

A new blog, a new website, a new podcast, a new book … all coming in the new year!

What’s next is the evolution of the message that started with The Power of Mortality™.  That evolution is the journey that I’ve been on for the past 24+ months.  And let me tell you… it’s quite a ride and the journey is just beginning!

I can’t wait to share it with you!  Are you up for it?

“I was stuck in this job, feeling like I was just on a treadmill of having to earn enough money so that I could afford to buy the house that was near enough to my job. It was just like this crazy cycle. On Sunday nights, me and my husband would be just grumpy and unhappy about having to go back to work. And I’d think, you know, we don’t have to do this. … I felt like I wasn’t being true to myself.”

Could that quote be from you?

It’s actually from a woman named Roz Savage who decided that she’d had enough of the “perfect life” – husband, corporate career, big house, little red sports car.  She decided to give it all up and row solo across the Atlantic.

While I don’t share her vision of rowing single-handedly across the Atlantic and Pacific oceans in a 23-foot carbon-hulled rowboat – I absolutely LOVE her resolve in deciding to choose the life she wanted.

And how did she come to this life-changing conclusion?  She wrote two obituaries for herself. (A woman after my own heart!)  The first obituary was based on a life that continued along the path of the “perfect life”.  The second was based on a life of following her dreams.

While I haven’t read her book yet – I encourage you to read this interview that Roz did with the Globe & Mail newspaper: “Goodbye husband and career, hello high seas”

This article came to my attention via a Twitter post from my friend Bill Star. Bill is the CEO of My Life List™ which is a fantastic, free online community dedicated to helping each of us to design a “life list” that really matters.

So,  back to my original question: “Could the quote at the top be from you?”  Do you feel like you aren’t being true to yourself? Here’s how to get started on choosing the life you want:

1. Download and sign my free Mortality Manifesto Pledge.

2. Like Roz, write your own obituaries. One for the life that continues with the status quo and one for the life you would love to be living.

3. Sign up with My Life List™ and start creating and designing your new life step by step. There’s a wonderful community there to support you so you won’t feel like you’re alone on the Atlantic. (Unless that’s what you want to do!  In that case – talk to Roz!)

4. Come back here and share what amazing things you’re up to!

CONNECTING

Roz Savage – Twitter: @rozsavage Blog: http://rozsavage.com/blog/

Bill Star – Twitter: @mylifelist Blog: http://mylifelistceo.blogspot.com/