Alfred Drum
Alfred Drum is the author of Pursuing A Successful Mindset: 22 Attributes That Every Aspiring Or Current Entrepreneur Must Master In Order To Achieve Success!
Learn more about Alfred and his path to become an author in our interview with him below.
Tell me about your journey to becoming a writer.
I have always enjoyed writing, ever since I was very young. When I was in grade school I enjoyed writing poems and short biographies, then once I got into my teenage years I began to really get into writing essays. Especially essays dealing with human psychology and religion. Part of this fascination came not only from my curious personality but also from my religious upbringing. I always struggled a bit with test taking and memorizing or solving formulas, but when it came to long projects, especially in writing, I seemed to excel.
I was always more of a creative, self-motivated thinker rather than a calculating problem solver. I believe that was why being an entrepreneur came somewhat naturally for me. As I became an adult I became quite passionate about writing more and more on the subject of religion as this became a central part of my life. I had a fascination with the way we think, thus was the reason I actually chose to purse a college major in psychology, but I fell in love with business so I did not pursue that path for very long. But I had a passion for communication spiritual and emotional ideas either in speaking with others or in writing as inspiration came to me.My involvement in church definitely added to this part of my personality.
As I started down the path of trying to excel in the world of business, I found myself learning so much about myself and others. I mastered how to interact intelligently with others and I eventually began writing down a lot of my ideas along with lessons learned along the path of figuring out how to succeed in the world of business. I love playing with words and explaining useful concepts to others, and began to really enjoy teaching others things I felt to be of great importance. One day it came to me that with everything I was learning on my journey to becoming a successful entrepreneur and the ideas that were always coming to me needed to be shared with others in a way that would truly benefit them. So I felt inspired to write my story in a way that teaches the reader how they too can achieve success mastering many of the attributes I had to master in order to succeed in business and in life.
As I began writing Pursuing a Successful Mindset, I was determined to finish and get the book published, and was able to write it in only 3 months. It didn't take long once I got started, but the ideas and concepts for the book had been building up in my mind for several years. It was just a matter of putting those ideas to paper.
What was the main inspiration behind your book?
The main inspiration behind my book was the deep desire that I always had to teach others how to live a life of fulfillment and become the best version of themselves. I struggled in a lot of areas early on in my life, especially academically, and it really affected by self-esteem for quite some time. Depression became a real problem for me in my late teens and early adulthood, and it was affecting my quality of life. I also got into the bad habit of quitting every time things got hard or uncomfortable. I knew I had to figure out how to overcome these personal struggles if I wanted to truly succeed in life and become the best version of myself. Once I stopped worrying about all of the things I couldn't do and started to truly focus in on the things I was good at or could do, that's when things started to change for me and change for the better.
I believe my journey is very relatable and I truly feel that I can use my own story to help teach others that no matter who you are or what has happened to you, a life of fulfillment and success is attainable. But change starts with the way we think and that does not happen overnight. It is a long process that can take many years, but the journey is well worth it.
What kind of research did you have to do for it?
It was mostly from several years of writing in a business journal I had been keeping for several years on lessons I was learning while building my real estate business. But I also pulled some stories and ideas from books I had read from one of my favorite authors, Robert Kiyosaki, along with other similar authors.
While writing on a particular subject, famous quotes would pop into my head. So I Googled quite a few quotes to make sure I was saying them correctly and giving credit to the source. Other than that, most of my ideas came purely from personal experience and inspiration.
What was your writing routine?
My writing routine was to close myself in my personal office, where there would be no interruptions, and pretty much stay at the computer desk, only to get up for the essentials, and not stop until I had completed an entire chapter. Each of my chapters are an attribute, so I would think about that particular attribute the day before as it pertains to my own life, so then once I began writing the ideas would start flowing into my mind, out of my mouth, and then into my typing.
For me it is very important to first speak what I want to write or type, then once I begin I read it over and over again as I continue with one sentence after another. I pretty much try to write the way I speak, just more perfected. When I am writing I am having a conversation with the reader, only I am the only one doing the talking. In the case of this book, I am taking the reader on a journey where my goal is to help them truly understand the concepts I am trying to teach.
Describe your book in one sentence.
My book is about creating a successful mindset through developing 22 attributes that, if applied, can help anyone become the best version of themselves.
Tell us about the best writing advice you’ve ever received.
To write from the heart and to never be afraid to express how you truly feel about something.
Do you have any upcoming events?
As of right now I do not have any upcoming events.
Tell us something about you that your fans may not know or something that you want to share.
I am the fifth Alfred in a family line of six Alfreds, but we all have different middle names so there are no juniors. Also, I went to a very small elementary school with only 45 students, grades K–8. There were only five of us in my eighth grade graduating class.
Why should people read your book?
I strongly feel that people should read my book because it is not just another interesting book, but rather it is a very effective teaching too and a source of inspiration for anyone looking to improve themselves and better their lives. It would be especially helpful for those who are looking to become entrepreneurs and are striving to succeed in the world of business. This is not a book that you just read once and move on, but rather it is a book that you must read multiple times as there is so much useful information in its contents and you can learn or grasp something new every time you read each chapter, depending on where you are in your life. I believe this book is a gem and that, if applied, can literally transform your life and yourself into the person you truly want to be.