Sarah Evans at #JournChat at NBC News August 10, 2010 (Photo credit: Anthony Quintano)
Sarah Evans is the definition of overachiever - public relations trailblazer, business blogger and speaker, founder of #JournChat, chief evangelist for successful start-up Tracky, as well as a wife, and mother to a 13-month son and two "crazy" dogs. Now, she's added author to her pedigree. Despite what some people might expect from this Vanity Fair "Tweetheart," Evans didn't write yet another book about social media. She focused on the bigger picture: life.
"In the last two years I was approached about writing a few different books, mostly related to public relations and social media," Evans said. "Going through the proposal process, I realized those weren't topics I wanted to write books about--because it's already been done. I decided to wait. I would write a book about something I was passionate about."
The result of this wait is "[RE]FRAME: Little Inspirations For A Larger Purpose", released today via publisher SlimBooks. Evans describes "[RE]FRAME" as one part personal journey and another part prescriptive steps to help people reconnect to their purpose. The book is 10 years of knowledge she has gleaned from mentors, experiences and family, and the book, she says, is for "anyone with little time and big ideas."
"In the book I talk about people who want to 'change the world,'" she said. "That concept is so big that it becomes overwhelming and people get discouraged because they don't actually see that result… I wrote '[RE]FRAME' to be read in small doses so that people can digest the information and think about whether or not they want to change the way they currently do something. [RE]FRAME doesn't even mean you have to make big changes, but, perhaps, just change the way you look at something."
Changing the way one looks at something could be business or personal - this book doesn't just focus on one or the other, but on the concept of taking the fear out of trying to have it all. One of the critical foundations of having it all in both worlds is relationships, and according to Evans, they are just as important in business, where unfortunately, relationships can often be downplayed.
"This book is a culmination of 10 years experience in the workforce where I learned that 'it's nothing personal, it's just business' is a load of crap," she said. "Every organization I've worked in has its own, unique internal politics. I've watched the most successful people learn to navigate political waters and when they put relationships first they were able to accomplish more than their peers."
Beyond her stark opinions on what really works for reframing work and life, an important differentiation exists between Evans' "[RE]FRAME" and other books of its ilk. It's digestible. In a video from SlimBooks creators Kevin Madsen and Casey Bankord, they talk about how many books are half-read, fluffed up, or over-complicated to the point of losing their appeal or readability. SlimBooks such as "[RE]FRAME" are quick reads, for even the most avid learners who may not necessarily be avid readers, and "[RE]FRAME" is especially designed for those moving fast and furious through lessons and opportunities.
"It fascinates me to think that we are only limited by ourselves," Evans said. "We can achieve almost anything if we really, really want it. In the book I talk about how important it is just to 'show up' for something. The people who simply talk about doing something versus those who do ultimately win."
More about "[RE]FRAME" can be found in physical or digital form on the SlimBooks site or on Amazon.com.
