A good friend of mine, Julie Regan, approached me earlier this year to provide feedback on a book draft that she’d been working on with her co-collaborator and writing buddy, Jai Waters. The book, titled “More Lemon – How to transition to a life with more Zest”, is written for people who are interested in undertaking positive change and those who want to proactively manage the underpinning processes.
As a book, it sits comfortably in the realm of self-development, coaching, and positive psychology and makes me think of those famous words by Henry David Thoreau, “Things do not change; we change”.
It’s a book about taking personal responsibility and developing new narratives about self and the way we experience life and grow (or not grow, as the case may be) in the midst of change. As you can well imagine, this book seemed written for people just like me. And when I say me, I should possibly clarify that this book appeared to be written for people just like us.
Beyond reading and providing feedback on words written by someone I care about, what I enjoyed about this process was the way in which Julie and Jai invited me into their creative process. The book – or draft at that stage – became a wonderful metaphor for something beyond words on a page.
The material contained within needed to be nurtured. It needed to be supported and developed so the thoughts, ideas and exercises within it could come together and be transformed into the finished product – a book!
Now that the book has been published (insert big sigh of transformational relief) I’m sitting here at my dining room table looking at my copy penned with a message of gratitude from both Julie and Jai. Seeing the words, smelling the printed page, feeling the weight of hours of work and wonder. I know and understand that this is a significant achievement and find myself reflecting on what it means to be self-determining, to go beyond what’s comfortable or easy, to extend oneself to arrive at a more fulfilled and meaningful place.
In my work, I sit with clients who are working their way through and beyond transformative change. I witness their struggle and provide support and a sense of containment when things feel overwhelming and insurmountable. I am invited into their lives and become part of the process.
Julie and Jai’s book highlights for me the interdependent nature of community and the idea that change does not occur in isolation.
“More Lemon” provides useful concepts and tools to embrace change as a creative and positive process; it places the reader in the driver’s seat and encourages them to go beyond their aspirational self to better understand the role they play in moving forward with momentum and clarity. Julie and Jai’s collective experience in psychology, coaching, change management and transformation comes alive in this book.
The book is well written and evidence-based. I feel confident that many people would find this book a useful and engaging tool, as indeed I have. Well done, Julie and Jai – a big achievement and a useful and inspirational addition to my change management and wellness bookcase!
Taking the first step in any change process is sometimes the most difficult. Please don’t hesitate to get in touch if the above post resonates for you or if you would like to book a session or set up a treatment plan.
It’s never too late to be what you might have been ~ George Eliot
