Writing your story, owning your truth, and finding success, with “The Shack” author William Paul Young

One of the highest selling books of all time started out with just 15 copies printed at Office Depot. Paul Young wrote “The Shack” expecting to just give copies to his children — but the book quickly grew past even his wildest expectations. His journey to best-selling author is one that anybody can learn from, whether you’re a high-performing CEO stuck in “production” mode, or simply anybody who wants to leave an impact on the world. 

 

Paul Young is the author of “The Shack,” “Cross Roads,” “Eve,” and other books. He was born a Canadian and raised among a Stone Age tribe with his missionary parents in the highlands of what was Netherlands New Guinea (now West Papua). He suffered great loss as a child and young adult, and now enjoys the “wastefulness of grace” with his growing family in the Pacific Northwest. 

 

Tune into the full conversation for more on the backstory behind one of the most successful fiction books of all time, Paul’s definition of success (and why so many leaders fall short of that definition, even without realizing it), his top book recommendations, and a lot more.

 

Here’s a Glimpse of What You’ll Learn: 

 

• More about Paul’s background, including what led him to writing his book, “The Shack,” which is one of the best-selling fiction books ever

• Why Paul believes “every human being is a story” 

• The problem with top-performing CEOs and other leaders who are production-oriented — at a cost 

• Why humans are fundamentally community-centered — and how many have forgotten about that foundation

• What the core pieces of success actually are, according to Paul

• Why the inspiration behind The Shack’s plot and ideas was “incremental and painful”

• Why children are an expression of reality in people’s lives

• More about the story behind Paul’s “rock bottom” — and how he rebounded from that time

• The difference between forgiveness and reconciliation

• Paul’s one piece of advice to start with for anyone struggling 

• A list of some of the most impactful books from Paul’s life

 

Resources Mentioned in This Episode: 

• Paul’s website

• Contact Paul directly at PO Box 339 Brush Prairie, WA - 98606

• “The Shack: Where Tragedy Confronts Eternity” by William P. Young

• “The Little Prince” by Saint-Exupery and Antoine De

• “The Prophet” by Khalil Gibran 

• “Spiritual Evolution: How We Are Wired for Faith, Hope, and Love” by George Vaillant 

• “Across All Worlds: Jesus Inside Our Darkness” by C. Baxter Kruger 

• “Unspoken Sermons” by George MacDonald

• “Living Fearless: Exchanging the Lies of the World for the Liberating Truth of God” by Jamie Winship

• Buy a copy of “Lost at CEO: An Entrepreneur’s Guide to Strategy” by Carl J. Cox 

• 40 Strategy

• Contact 40 Strategy

• Carl J. Cox on LinkedIn