By Julie Benezet:
It began with, “WHERE is the book?” The question came from well-meaning friends and colleagues during the several years I spent not writing said book. Eventually I ran out of excuses and ground out The Journey of Not Knowing: How 21st Century Leaders Can Chart a Course Where There Is None. When it finally exited my head and landed in the hands of readers, it all felt worthwhile. Endeavoring to create a good read that does some good has proven to be highly fulfilling.
Then came, “WHERE is the WORKBOOK?” After reading the Journey, people told me they wanted to dive deeper into its core principles of moving toward rather than away from the scariness of the unknown to create positive change. That works for me. Sooooo, there went the spring and summer of 2018 while I worked to produce, roll of drums, The Journal of Not Knowing: Charting Your Own Course.
“So,” you ask, “What is this journal thing?”
The Journal leads you on a mission of self-discovery to confront the scariness of change to reach something better. Combining thought-provoking questions, exercises, and several other tools, you can work alone or with others to delve into your relationship with risk, experience with discomfort, and the dreams you want to realize for your organization or personal life. For more on the content, see: Journal of Not Knowing Contents.
Change is about discomfort, courage, and having an impact. It is also about meaning. Having spent the past two decades watching the impact of our hyperconnected, unpredictable world, never have I seen people more in need of finding a focal point, something to anchor them while they thread through the twists and turns of constant change toward something better. For more background on the intent of the book, see: The Journal of Not Knowing Introduction.
Do I have to have read the Journey book first?
While it would be great if you did, the Journal does not assume you have cracked the spine of the Journey book. Time these days is precious, and for those who want to go straight to work on their own journeys of not knowing, the workbook contains all the information they will need. The Journal also includes examples of lessons from others who have successfully embarked on their own journeys, study aids to nudge better thinking, checklists, and personal strategies for solving sticky situations.
If you would like to know more about how the Journal works, take a look at “How to Use This Journal.” Getting Started: How to Use This Journal. Based on material from many years of Journey of Not Knowing programs and inspirations from that experience, I hope readers find working through the Journal brings as much enjoyment as it gave me when writing it. More important, I hope it galvanizes the changes they want to make!
Also New! The Journey of Not Knowing Adds Discussion Questions.
Speaking of The Journey of Not Knowing book, released simultaneously with the Journal is a new edition of the Journey that includes discussion questions related to the book content. They are intended to provide an opportunity for both groups and individuals to explore how the Journey principles might be relevant to their own organizational and personal situations.
Expressing Deep Gratitude:
No major undertaking takes place without the help of others. For the Journal book, I had the benefit of the invaluable talent of my editor and book Sherpa, Gail Kearns and her To Press & Beyond team, the creativity of the BookDesigners, and the design and technical savvy of Kathy Moran. I also received priceless feedback from nine training and development industry peer reviewers who brought to the table an average of over 30 years of experience with building better humans. Their names appear in the Journal Acknowledgements. To all of these people, I am deeply grateful and thank them from the bottom of my heart.
The Launch Request:
With another book finished, I am (much) older and wiser about the book industry. My mission remains the same: to create good reads that do some good. The way that books get noticed and read these days is through their searchability on the web via book distribution sites, Google, media coverage and most importantly, social media. If you are willing, it would mean a lot if you would…
- Buy the book, for yourself and/or others. If you like it, please post a review (20 words would do) on Amazon, Goodreads, Barnes & Noble, or wherever else you think it makes sense.
- Share this post, tweet, and talk about the book on social networks.
Feel free to use the handy buttons at the bottom of this post to buy or share.
Thank you, all!
