I woke up on the morning of December 3rd ready to go.
I had been waiting for this day for three years.
I had talked about it everywhere.
On newsletters, podcasts, videos.
For months.
Ten minutes before the 10 am launch, I got to the Yes House.
The team shot confetti in the air.
“Happy launch day!” they yelled. I hugged each of them and couldn’t stop smiling.
Finally the clock struck 10, the Yes Theory video went up, and the book was officially released to the world.
We hugged some more, filmed videos, posted them on Instagram.
I plopped down on the bean bag, closed my eyes and took it all in.
Aaaaahhhh. Phew. It all worked out.
And then, about thirty minutes in, I checked the Amazon link on my phone.
Under both the Paperback and Hardcover it said: Temporarily Out Of Stock.
Huh?
What the f…
I ran outside, got on calls with Amazon and my publisher.
They explained it was a glitch and there was nothing they could do. That I would just have to wait.
I got lightheaded.
Oh no.
This was my shot. The day where the most people would come to the website at once. And I freaking blew it.
I could barely speak to the team. I got in my car and rushed home as a panic set in.
Back at my place I called two friends who settled me down and told me it wasn’t as bad as I was making it out to be. That this was a marathon not a sprint. They insisted I take it easy.
I followed their advice, turned off my phone, and got in a warm bath.
The next morning the book was available again on Amazon.
But still, there was this frustration within me that I had botched it.
That I would never get that chance again.
And then I opened an email from Diana, a 29-year-old woman from Germany, who had just finished the book:
Dear Matt,
I had preordered your book, got it on the 2nd of December and couldn’t wait for the next day and my long train ride. I finished it in 3 hours. I couldn’t put it down. I smiled at the book and the strangers around me, who smiled back. I had goosebumps and I shed a few tears. It didn’t bug me that I couldn’t find a seat for an hour and had to stand. And it didn’t bug me that we had to change trains and they threw us out in the cold. While I waited for the next train, the book in my hand, I started sharing my chocolate and cookies with the people around me and they shared their smiles and happiness with me. And while all of that was happening, I felt deeply inspired.
When I read it, I felt this spark ignite within me, that I haven’t felt in a long time. You’ve inspired me, to honor my desires. So I’ve made a plan: I will travel to Ireland and Italy in the upcoming year and see what feels more like home. After picking a place, I will stay there for a couple of weeks. And if it still feels like home, I’m ready to take the next step. I’m still scared shitless of moving away by myself, not knowing anyone in those countries. But there is this feeling of shift and change that my whole body feels and needs. And for the first time - thanks to you - I am ready to embrace and honor it.
In that moment, reading that email, the mistake from the day before washed away.
Diana reminded me what the point of the book was.
To shake something within the reader.
To show them what it what it really took to build Yes Theory.
To give them permission to ask themselves what they want.
To provide them with that extra push to go for it. To fall backwards into the unknown.
She also reminded me why I love books.
Because the right ones at the right time will wake you up.
Because the good ones are timeless.
And if you strike a chord with a reader, you’ve done your job.
So many authors have done that for me—shaken me out of a long slumber.
What an honor it is to have done the same for someone else.
Love,
Matt
PS - Talk To Strangers is now available everywhere—and definitely not out of stock :)
PPS - If you ordered it already, I adore you.
PPPS – If you’ve read it and have 30 seconds to write a review here, that would mean the world. (Reviews are truly life changing and it truly takes 30 seconds).
Ok, love you again.
Bye.