Ral was on The Doctor of Digital podcast—she really enjoyed the conversation. Episode link: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-do-i-unlock-the-secrets-to-effortless-business/id1545085984?i=1000670434870 Ral is looking to connect with entrepreneurs and business owners seeking more freedom and leadership in their business. Introductions to people interested in actionable strategies for scaling effectively would be most helpful. Find out more on her website: https://www.ralwest.com/ Most people don’t fail to write because of discipline. They fail because they haven’t clarified what the book is for. If you’re a leader sensing a book behind your work—but unsure how to begin—my newsletter is where that clarity starts. https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/the-literary-cpr-playbook-7343709688632381440 Join Ral in the BOSS Entrepreneurial Mastermind Program now: https://boss.ralwest.com

https://open.substack.com/pub/micksmith/p/my-story-of-adaptation-purpose-and?r=e00v8&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true Appreciate the conversation, Steve. One idea I keep seeing with entrepreneurs: They think a book is the output of their thinking. Mick, The Doctor of Digital, Smith is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. It’s not. A well-positioned book is an operating system:•: • It clarifies authority• It compresses experience into leverage• It opens doors long before you walk through them Most books fail not because the ideas are weak, but because the author treats writing as expression instead of strategy. On the podcast, we talked about storytelling, legacy, and transformation—but underneath all of it is a harder truth: If your idea can’t survive structure, it won’t survive the market. Curious for others reading this:👉 If you did write the book you’ve been carrying, what would you want it to change—for you or your business? #EntrepreneurMindset #AuthorityBuilding #BusinessGrowth PS: Your idea matters more than you think. The real question is whether you’re ready to give it a structure strong enough to carry you forward.

If an idea can’t survive the system, the system will quietly erase it. Most leaders don’t struggle because they lack insight. They struggle because their thinking is forced through structures that neutralize it. You’re encouraged to: • Be original—but not disruptive • Show leadership—but stay aligned • Speak clearly—but avoid challenging the frame So ideas get translated. Softened. Made “acceptable.” By the time they reach the page, the boardroom, or the public, they no longer do anything. This is not a writing problem. It’s the same structural problem Andrea Boragno names inside organizations: control replacing judgment, metrics replacing meaning, safety replacing truth. And it shows up brutally in authorship. Most serious book ideas don’t fail because the author isn’t smart. They fail because the idea was never given a structure strong enough to survive contact with institutions, markets, or power. A serious book is not self-expression. It’s an act of strategic clarity. That’s what The Literary CPR Playbook is about. Not “how to write.” But how to: • Name the real contradiction • Build a framework that can carry it • Position an idea so it can move in the real world If you’ve ever felt articulate in private but generic in public— If your thinking keeps getting refined until it no longer threatens anything— That’s not a motivation issue. It’s structural. And structure is solvable. 📖 Subscribe to The Literary CPR Playbook A LinkedIn Newsletter for leaders who want their ideas to act, not just exist. 👉 https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/the-literary-cpr-playbook-7343709688632381440

🎄 Why Christmas music hits us so deeply 🎶 From “Jingle Bell Rock” to “Please Come Home for Christmas”, these songs aren’t just festive — they’re emotional time machines. They remind us of:• Family• Loss• Faith• Joy• Hope That’s why Ray Charles, Bing Crosby, and Nat King Cole still matter. They sang to the heart, not the moment. Great music — like great books — connects across generations. https://open.substack.com/pub/micksmith/p/what-songs-celebrate-christmas?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web Subscribe to my LI newsletter: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/the-literary-cpr-playbook-7343709688632381440 👉 If you’ve been thinking about writing a book rooted in meaning, memory, or legacy, my exclusive book coaching business helps turn that idea into something real.