November 9, 2025 • 7 mins
For two years, I wrote everything except the book. Blog posts. LinkedIn articles. Even grocery lists with more enthusiasm than usual. But the book? I couldn't open the file. "Who are you to write about this?" That voice kept me stuck for two years. In this episode, I share the raw, honest story of why I almost didn't write "The GATE Way" — and what finally changed everything. In this episode, you'll hear:
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/be-better-bit-by-bit--4216679/support.
Thanks for listening!
If this episode helped you, I'd love to stay connected.
About me: I'm a CA ranker (AIR 48), ultra-marathon runner, and author with 20 years of work experience. I believe in getting better bit by bit—through daily journaling, honest reflection, and small actions.
Here's how we can work together:
📱 Download UPLY - Our app for daily growth and mindfulness
📚 Read my books & journals - Available on Amazon (search my name - Nishith Goyal)
🌐 Visit bebetterbitbybit.com - Free resources, blog posts, and more
🎯 Join my workshops - I teach journaling, mental wellness, and the GATE concept
One bit at a time, we all get better.
See you in the next episode!
- The voice of doubt that paralysed me for two years
- How I mastered "productive procrastination" (research, desk organising, app hunting)
- The morning run that changed everything
- Why was I waiting for permission that would never come
- The difference between academic expertise and lived experience
- How I finally opened that draft file and started writing
- You have something to share, but feel unqualified
- Imposter syndrome is keeping you stuck
- You're waiting to feel "ready enough" to start
- You have a project in your draft folder collecting dust
- You need permission to share your story (here it is)
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/be-better-bit-by-bit--4216679/support.
Thanks for listening!
If this episode helped you, I'd love to stay connected.
About me: I'm a CA ranker (AIR 48), ultra-marathon runner, and author with 20 years of work experience. I believe in getting better bit by bit—through daily journaling, honest reflection, and small actions.
Here's how we can work together:
📱 Download UPLY - Our app for daily growth and mindfulness
📚 Read my books & journals - Available on Amazon (search my name - Nishith Goyal)
🌐 Visit bebetterbitbybit.com - Free resources, blog posts, and more
🎯 Join my workshops - I teach journaling, mental wellness, and the GATE concept
One bit at a time, we all get better.
See you in the next episode!
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
For two years I wrote everything except the book. Blog
posts on medium, responses to reader questions, journal entries that
filled notebook after notebook, LinkedIn articles, even grocery lists with
more enthusiasm than usual. But the book, the one sitting
in a file called the Gateway Book draft on my laptop.
(00:24):
I couldn't bring myself to open it. And today I
want to tell you why. Because if you've ever had
something inside you that you wanted to share but kept
finding reasons not to, this story is for you. Every
time I considered writing, the same thought would surface. Who
(00:45):
are you to write about this? I'd look at my credentials.
Chartered accountant with an All India rank of forty eight,
twenty years leading teams, managing complex projects, advising organizations, multiple
marathons and ultra marathons, completed, a growing audience of readers
(01:05):
who connect with my ideas about sustainable growth.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
On paper, it looked respectable, but that voice was persistent.
Speaker 1 (01:14):
There are real experts out there, It would whisper people
with psychology degrees, authors who've written best sellers, researchers with
decades of academic experience. What makes you think anyone wants
to hear from an accountant who runs and writes about
small habits.
Speaker 2 (01:32):
The doubt was paralyzing.
Speaker 1 (01:35):
I became a master of what I now call a
productive procrastination, and instead of writing the book, I'd reorganize
my desk. I need the right environment to write, I'd
tell myself. Instead of drafting chapters, I'd research the perfect
writing app. If I just find the right tool, the
(01:56):
words will flow. Instead of sharing my framework, I'd read
more books about productivity and habit formation. I need to
make sure I'm not missing anything important.
Speaker 2 (02:09):
All of these activities felt useful.
Speaker 1 (02:13):
They had the appearance of progress, but they were elaborate
ways of avoiding the real work. I was waiting to
feel qualified enough, smart enough, credentialed enough. I was waiting
for someone to give me permission to share what I'd learned.
The breakthrough came during a run, as many of my
insights do. I was about three kilometers into my usual
(02:37):
route when a simple realization hit me. The Gate framework
didn't come from textbooks. It didn't emerge from academic research
or expert interviews. It came from my own struggles, from
those mornings when I lazed up my running shoes but
had no idea what I was training for. From journal
(02:57):
pages filled with frustration about showing up consistently but not
growing from years of trying different productivity systems that looked
good on paper but felt empty in practice. The framework
emerged from being human in an imperfect world, trying to
get a little better each day. That morning, I understood
(03:19):
something crucial about expertise. There's academic expertise, the kind that
comes from a studying theories, conducting research, and understanding complex systems.
Speaker 2 (03:32):
This is valuable and necessary.
Speaker 1 (03:35):
But there's another kind of expertise, the kind that comes
from walking a path, stumbling, getting back up, and finding
what actually works in real life. The Gate framework belonged
to the second category. That it wasn't born in a
research lab or lecture hall. It was born in the
(03:57):
messy reality of trying to build a meaningful life while
managing work deadlines, family responsibilities, and the simple challenge of
showing up for yourself every day. My experience as a
chartered accountant taught me about systems and consistency. My running
(04:18):
taught me about embracing slow progress. My writing taught me
about starting before you feel ready. This combination of experiences professional, physical,
creative gave me a unique perspective on sustainable growth. I
remembered my own advice about action. You don't need to
(04:38):
feel ready, you need to feel willing. So that evening
I opened the file, I wrote one paragraph, then another.
I didn't worry about whether it was good enough or
whether I was qualified enough. I just focused on capturing
what I'd learned. Within a week, I was writing daily again.
(04:59):
The book began to take shape, not as an academic treatise,
but as a conversation with someone who might be struggling
with the same questions I'd faced. Writing this book taught
me something important about authority and expertise. Sometimes the most
valuable insights come not from people who have studied a
(05:23):
subject extensively, but from people who.
Speaker 2 (05:26):
Have lived it deeply.
Speaker 1 (05:28):
The reader who's struggling to build consistent habits doesn't need
another theory about behavior change. They need to hear from
someone who has phased the same challenges and found a
way through. The professional who feels overwhelmed by productivity advice
doesn't need more complex systems. They need simple, practical approaches
(05:53):
in that work in the real world. The gateway is
now available to readers. The book exists now because I
finally understood that my experience mattered, not because it was
perfect or complete, but because it was real.
Speaker 2 (06:08):
If you've ever.
Speaker 1 (06:09):
Hesitated to share something you've learned, whether it's a skill,
an insight, or a story, because you don't feel expert enough,
I hope this encourages you. Your experience matters, your perspective
is valuable. The world needs what you've learned, not because
you're the world's leading authority, but because you're human and
(06:31):
you've figured something out.
Speaker 2 (06:33):
That's enough. It's more than enough.
Speaker 1 (06:36):
Sometimes it's exactly what someone else needs to hear.
Speaker 2 (06:39):
So here's my question for you. What's sitting in your
draft folder?
Speaker 1 (06:44):
What have you been waiting to share because you don't
feel qualified enough. Maybe today you don't need more credentials.
Maybe you just need to be willing one bit at
a time. Thanks for listening. Let's be better bit by
bit eight
For two years I wrote everything except the book. Blog
posts on medium, responses to reader questions, journal entries that
filled notebook after notebook, LinkedIn articles, even grocery lists with
more enthusiasm than usual. But the book, the one sitting
in a file called the Gateway Book draft on my laptop.
(00:24):
I couldn't bring myself to open it. And today I
want to tell you why. Because if you've ever had
something inside you that you wanted to share but kept
finding reasons not to, this story is for you. Every
time I considered writing, the same thought would surface. Who
(00:45):
are you to write about this? I'd look at my credentials.
Chartered accountant with an All India rank of forty eight,
twenty years leading teams, managing complex projects, advising organizations, multiple
marathons and ultra marathons, completed, a growing audience of readers
(01:05):
who connect with my ideas about sustainable growth.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
On paper, it looked respectable, but that voice was persistent.
Speaker 1 (01:14):
There are real experts out there, It would whisper people
with psychology degrees, authors who've written best sellers, researchers with
decades of academic experience. What makes you think anyone wants
to hear from an accountant who runs and writes about
small habits.
Speaker 2 (01:32):
The doubt was paralyzing.
Speaker 1 (01:35):
I became a master of what I now call a
productive procrastination, and instead of writing the book, I'd reorganize
my desk. I need the right environment to write, I'd
tell myself. Instead of drafting chapters, I'd research the perfect
writing app. If I just find the right tool, the
(01:56):
words will flow. Instead of sharing my framework, I'd read
more books about productivity and habit formation. I need to
make sure I'm not missing anything important.
Speaker 2 (02:09):
All of these activities felt useful.
Speaker 1 (02:13):
They had the appearance of progress, but they were elaborate
ways of avoiding the real work. I was waiting to
feel qualified enough, smart enough, credentialed enough. I was waiting
for someone to give me permission to share what I'd learned.
The breakthrough came during a run, as many of my
insights do. I was about three kilometers into my usual
(02:37):
route when a simple realization hit me. The Gate framework
didn't come from textbooks. It didn't emerge from academic research
or expert interviews. It came from my own struggles, from
those mornings when I lazed up my running shoes but
had no idea what I was training for. From journal
(02:57):
pages filled with frustration about showing up consistently but not
growing from years of trying different productivity systems that looked
good on paper but felt empty in practice. The framework
emerged from being human in an imperfect world, trying to
get a little better each day. That morning, I understood
(03:19):
something crucial about expertise. There's academic expertise, the kind that
comes from a studying theories, conducting research, and understanding complex systems.
Speaker 2 (03:32):
This is valuable and necessary.
Speaker 1 (03:35):
But there's another kind of expertise, the kind that comes
from walking a path, stumbling, getting back up, and finding
what actually works in real life. The Gate framework belonged
to the second category. That it wasn't born in a
research lab or lecture hall. It was born in the
(03:57):
messy reality of trying to build a meaningful life while
managing work deadlines, family responsibilities, and the simple challenge of
showing up for yourself every day. My experience as a
chartered accountant taught me about systems and consistency. My running
(04:18):
taught me about embracing slow progress. My writing taught me
about starting before you feel ready. This combination of experiences professional, physical,
creative gave me a unique perspective on sustainable growth. I
remembered my own advice about action. You don't need to
(04:38):
feel ready, you need to feel willing. So that evening
I opened the file, I wrote one paragraph, then another.
I didn't worry about whether it was good enough or
whether I was qualified enough. I just focused on capturing
what I'd learned. Within a week, I was writing daily again.
(04:59):
The book began to take shape, not as an academic treatise,
but as a conversation with someone who might be struggling
with the same questions I'd faced. Writing this book taught
me something important about authority and expertise. Sometimes the most
valuable insights come not from people who have studied a
(05:23):
subject extensively, but from people who.
Speaker 2 (05:26):
Have lived it deeply.
Speaker 1 (05:28):
The reader who's struggling to build consistent habits doesn't need
another theory about behavior change. They need to hear from
someone who has phased the same challenges and found a
way through. The professional who feels overwhelmed by productivity advice
doesn't need more complex systems. They need simple, practical approaches
(05:53):
in that work in the real world. The gateway is
now available to readers. The book exists now because I
finally understood that my experience mattered, not because it was
perfect or complete, but because it was real.
Speaker 2 (06:08):
If you've ever.
Speaker 1 (06:09):
Hesitated to share something you've learned, whether it's a skill,
an insight, or a story, because you don't feel expert enough,
I hope this encourages you. Your experience matters, your perspective
is valuable. The world needs what you've learned, not because
you're the world's leading authority, but because you're human and
(06:31):
you've figured something out.
Speaker 2 (06:33):
That's enough. It's more than enough.
Speaker 1 (06:36):
Sometimes it's exactly what someone else needs to hear.
Speaker 2 (06:39):
So here's my question for you. What's sitting in your
draft folder?
Speaker 1 (06:44):
What have you been waiting to share because you don't
feel qualified enough. Maybe today you don't need more credentials.
Maybe you just need to be willing one bit at
a time. Thanks for listening. Let's be better bit by
bit eight
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