Meet John Howell

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful John Howell. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with John below.

John, so great to have you with us and we want to jump right into a really important question. In recent years, it’s become so clear that we’re living through a time where so many folks are lacking self-confidence and self-esteem. So, we’d love to hear about your journey and how you developed your self-confidence and self-esteem.

My dad died when I was ten years old, and my mom was devastated. My older sister was a teen and had other things on her mind. It became clear that if I were to reach my dreams, I would have to take my future into my own hands. I got a paper route and started making my own money. I studied hard to continue achieving grades that met my expectations. I became an Eagle Scout when I was thirteen, which meant I had to wait until I was fourteen to receive the award.
All in all, this self-directed path sent me down the road where the only thing that separated me from failure was my confidence and self-esteem. I lost count of the well-meaning people who tried to convince me that what I had chosen to do would be impossible. In each instance, they were surprised that the impossible was doable. I worked three jobs throughout my college career. I landed a premium job with a major consumer package company and then worked for twenty-five years in various positions to become the chief executive.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

Since I retired from organized commerce, I have been writing novels. They are all fiction and vary slightly in genre. Some are pure thrillers; others have similar action and adventure with a little paranormal, spiritual, or time travel thrown in. I have published eight so far and have plans for a few more. In addition, I write a blog that is published six days a week. What excites me about writing is creating personalities and situations that are solely my own. I share them with my readers, but they are and will always be products of my creative energy.
I am launching the third book in the Eternal Road series in February. The main characters, Sam and James, are dragged into another strange assignment when a couple of souls on The Eternal Road drop off the radar. Archangel Michael gives them specific orders to resolve the issue and get Billy Ray Chitwood, the national race car champion, and Dale Earnhardt, his guide, back on the task of finding Billy’s Eternal Home.
Finally, meeting up with Billy Ray and Dale, the foursome finds themselves in the future where World War III has devastated the country. The team discovers the cause of the start of the war and vows to mitigate that circumstance and save the world from devastation. They encounter their old nemesis, Lucifer, who has in mind trading preventing the war in exchange for Sam accepting his offer to be his queen.
Since Lucifer’s offer is a non-starter, Sam and James must overcome Lucifer’s interference and work to change the course of history, or humankind is doomed.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

The three most impactful areas of knowledge in my journey are as follows:
1. The development of excellent listening skills. Most people do not know how to listen to others. During conversations, it became apparent to me that listening to the person doing the talking yields benefits that might be missed by paying less attention to what is being said. Playing back what a person has just said is a powerful tool everyone can use in many situations.
2. The ability to recognize the wants and needs of others. In almost every one-on-one interaction, figuring out what the other person wants or needs is the key to working through how to satisfy those items to produce a mutually beneficial relationship. This applies to business, writing, and interpersonal relationships
3. Being able to sustain a focus on what is important over time. This focus is what makes the difference in accomplishing life goals. Without focus, distractions divert attention away from what is most important in life.
My advice to those beginning their journey is to establish a regular habit of writing down the ten things they want to accomplish in life. As each is accomplished, a new one should take its place. I also recommend keeping this piece of paper in a wallet or purse so that it is close and can be reviewed often. It is surprising that by doing so, the three areas of knowledge that I discussed will occupy a prominent place in the mind, which will lead to continuous improvement in each

Okay, so before we go, is there anyone you’d like to shoutout for the role they’ve played in helping you develop the essential skills or overcome challenges along the way?

No one individual has been more helpful in overcoming challenges than others. Throughout my life, many people have provided me with guidance and incentives to work through any challenges. Most of these have been prior bosses who made it a mission to be guides rather than taskmasters. Yes, there were the taskmasters, but in their way, they helped me move past what could be considered insurmountable obstacles. One of the keys of being able to utilize the help offered is to be able to recognize the help and take advantage of it. In my years as a manager of people, I would try to identify those ready to accept help as distinct from those who felt they knew it all. Those were the ones I spent my management time developing.

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Image Credits

Covers by Roseanna White Designs. Coverphotos by rangizz, via Shutterstock.com and John LLoyd

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