When asked about his motivations behind writing and publishing his own book, serial entrepreneur, international speaker and 4-time bestselling author Wilbert Wynnberg had this to share: “I’ve always wanted to write my own book after reading the all-time classics of personal development books like Rich Dad Poor Dad, Start With Why, and How to Win Friends and Influence People. After reading all those books, I told myself that one day I would turn my life experiences into a book to motivate people, and share my knowledge and strategies for people to improve their businesses, incomes and lives. I’m grateful for how books have impacted and changed my life, and I want to be able to inspire others through my own words.”
Unfortunately, most people prefer to idolize others and underestimate their own potential. “We always feel like our stories aren’t good enough to share with people. Because we’re not famous authors like Robert Kiyosaki, Simon Sinek or Tony Robbins, we feel like there isn’t anything impactful in our lives worth sharing. So I’ve always wanted to write but didn’t have the courage to, because of my fear of rejection and criticism. It was only after I survived my second (32nd solo jump) skydiving crash in Lodi, California that I decided to challenge my limiting beliefs and all the naysayers to pursue my dreams,” said Wynnberg.
To recount his story: after his crash, he checked himself into the hospital. He was bruised, cut and bleeding all over from head to toe. However, both the doctor and himself were amazed that he survived the ordeal without even a fracture. “Overall I count myself very lucky. After I was discharged from the hospital, I returned to the skydiving center. I remember there was a BBQ party going on. When I came back, everyone was cheering for me,” Wynnberg recalls. “There were 70 skydivers from more than 30 different countries. Some of them congratulated me for surviving the crash, and the honest ones outrightly told me that they weren’t expecting me to make it out alive.”
He understood why they had said that, because the place where he had crashed was the same place that two other less fortunate skydivers lost their lives. Wynnberg considered it a miracle that he did not end up being the third.
That night, after the BBQ party had ended and everyone, including Wynnberg, returned to rest, the painkillers started wearing off and the pain slowly started acting up. Flashbacks of his crash kept replaying vividly in his mind as he struggled to drift off into sleep.
“It was so close. That could have been the end of my life. I then asked myself — what if I had died earlier? Instantly, I knew I wasn’t asking the right question as everyone has to die at some point in their life. I reworded my question and asked myself again — if I had died earlier, would I have died a happy, accomplished man?” Wynnberg said.
He knew without hesitation that the answer was no, and he then asked himself why not. His answer to that question was straightforward. There was one thing which he had always wanted to do, but had always put off due to procrastination and his fear of rejection.
“I asked myself, why was I only motivated to start working on my book after I had survived a near-death experience? Why not before the crash? If I had died earlier on, would the fear of rejection, judgement, and criticism from all the naysayers even have mattered at all? It was a very straight no,” said Wynnberg.
He remained in California for another two weeks to recuperate from his injuries. After that, he returned to Singapore and spent the next 4 months writing his first book called Think Act Prosper. He told himself that regardless of what people might say, even if no one wanted to read his book, he would still write it, as he did not want to regret not accomplishing what he had wanted to do, just because of his fear of criticism and all the “what-ifs”. Little did he know that the book would go on to exceed his expectations, becoming a bestseller with more than 5,000 copies sold in more than 20 countries within the first two weeks.
Fast forward three years to today, and not only has Think Act Prosper evolved into an annual business conference, it has grown to include a monthly digital business magazine. Since then, Think Act Prosper has featured Key Opinion Leaders such as Brian Tracy, Kerri Kasem, Les Brown, Margie Warrell, Evan Carmichael, Tim Storey and many more.
When asked what is one nugget of wisdom he would share with people about finding success in life, Wynnberg said, “The key to succeeding in life is all about progression, getting started, even if it’s one tiny step at a time. Because with each step, you are building up your momentum for greater things. Be patient with yourself. With proper planning and execution, you can achieve anything you want. Life isn’t about not making mistakes, because without mistakes, we will never learn and grow. Instead, life is all about not REPEATING those mistakes.”
You may reach Wilbert Wynnberg via his LinkedIn or Instagram.
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