Someday Has Finally Arrived: The Legacy of the Written Word”
A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The man who never reads lives only one.” — George R.R. Martin
Happy Friday, Brew Nation!
“It’s about time!”
That was the message my friend Patty sent me recently. I know it came out of pure love, and so many of you in Brew Nation have been speaking that exact same encouragement over me.
Once you think you’re done… you’ve just begun.
A while back, I made a firm commitment to write a book, and I locked in a non-negotiable deadline: August 25, 2026.
I’ve been writing the Champions Brew every single Friday for over six years now—276 consecutive weeks without missing a beat. I’ve recorded over 225 episodes of The Uncommon Leader Podcast. But I have to be transparent with you: there is something distinctly different about holding a book in your hands. It feels “bigger.” And as I reflect on it, I realize this journey started long before I ever typed word one. 
The Books That Formed the Foundation
My love for the written word goes way back. I still remember the Bookmobile—that library on wheels—rolling through my neighborhood as a kid. Who remembers the Scholastic Book Catalogs we got in school every couple of months? I would carefully circle the books I wanted on the back order form. If you ordered more than three, you might even get a free poster! I had to ask my mom for a check, and while she encouraged me to choose science or history, I stubbornly insisted on books about sports figures!
Books have always filled my home. My shelf still holds my grandfather’s 1959 World Book Encyclopedia set that helped me with my homework in the ’70s and ’80s (oh, how much fun I had showing those thick volumes to my teenage sons and their friends!). It holds the personalized Read About Me books from 1973 that my mom ordered, featuring stories about me and my childhood friends Beth, Lisa, and Jeff. It holds books authored by my mother and my uncle, preserving our family history. 
Then came 1998. My boss handed me a copy of John C. Maxwell’s The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership. I was hooked. I still have that original copy—it’s signed by John, and it’s in pretty rough shape now, but I can still picture the exact table in my office where I sat and read it.
After that, I consumed everything Maxwell produced. I joined his monthly tape club, anxiously waiting by the mailbox each month for the cassette tape and the fill-in-the-blank mini workbook. That club evolved from tapes to CDs, and I collected them in binders the same way I collected baseball cards as a kid. Somewhere along that journey, I wrote down a big, audacious goal: I want to impact 1 million people. And I knew that writing a book was going to be part of that mission.
Philippians 4:9 and the Next Generation
John Maxwell’s very first book, Thinking for a Change, was anchored in Philippians 4:8. I’ve read over 30 of his 90+ books since 1998.
Now, my “someday” has finally arrived. Next Tuesday, August 25th, I am officially publishing my first book: 8 Common Practices of Uncommon Leaders.
Just like John’s first book, mine is anchored in a foundational verse that changed my life—Philippians 4:9:
“Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me, put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.”
We live in a world of digital noise, e-readers, and audiobooks. While technology is great, I’ll always be drawn to the physical paper version—the weight of it, the smell of the pages, dog-earing key chapters, and highlighting insights in yellow.
My prayer for this book is simple: I hope it serves as that spark for someone’s leadership journey—the book that sits on your shelf for decades, dog-eared and highlighted, bearing fruit for generations to come.
Quote of the Week
“Five years from today, you will be the same person that you are today, except for the people you meet and the books you read.” — Charlie “Tremendous” Jones
Being the Uncommon Leader means moving your vision from a quiet wish to a published reality. It is the “huddle room” of lifelong learning—the space where you choose to invest in your mind so you can serve others at a higher level. Common leaders talk about what they want to do “someday.” Uncommon Leaders set the date, do the hard work, and put their lessons into practice so others can climb higher.
Email me at coachjohngallagher@gmail.com with the subject line “UNCOMMON BOOK” to let me know how reading has shaped your leadership journey!
What You Need to Do:
Step Into the Story
As we prepare for launch day next Tuesday, here are three actionable steps to sharpen your leadership this week:
- Grab Your Copy (or Two!): Head over to 8commonpracticesbook.com to secure your copy of 8 Common Practices of Uncommon Leaders. Consider buying a second copy to read alongside a rising leader you are mentoring!
- Audit Your Reading Shelf: Look at the books you’ve read over the last 12 months. Are they challenging your self-image and expanding your leadership capacity, or are you sitting on a plateau?
- Pass the Torch: Identify one young professional or family member this week and gift them a book that profoundly impacted your own life
Growth is the only guarantee that tomorrow will get better, but you have to feed your mind with truth and discipline today. Don’t wait for “someday” to start making an impact. Pick up the book, put the principles into practice, and keep climbing.
(Note for Brew Nation: If you jump on the pre-order today, keep an eye out for a special bonus—I am working hard to make the audiobook version directly available for my loyal Friday readers!)
It’s an honor to be your trusted Friday Coffee Guy. To every single member of Brew Nation who has read these posts over the last 276 weeks: thank you. Your encouragement, comments, and accountability are a massive reason this book exists today. Let’s make next Tuesday a celebration of growth, legacy, and Kingdom impact. SHARE this post with a friend who loves a good book and click SUBSCRIBE if you’re new here. Let’s grow Brew Nation together!
Until next week—stay hungry, keep reading, and go grow champions!
