Michael Hyatt, best selling author and CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishers, stated in a recent blog entry that new authors are not being published unless they have a platform from which to promote their books. I can confirm that his statement is true based on the rejection letters I’ve received. The rejection letters also noted that I was a good writer, not a great one.

I took no offense, as I was elated that they thought I was good. Flunking English several times and having friends tell me to keep my day job, gave me the right perspective to appreciate the words as a compliment. Yep, I was thrilled to hear several agents and publishers tell me that my writing was good, even though it takes great writing or a large platform to be published.

I never claimed to be a writer, just a guy with a few stories to tell – Which I came by naturally. When I was a young child and relatives visited, my dad and the men would go out back and tell stories as they sucked down their suds. I would listen to every story and paid attention to the details that drew each person in. It was then that I decided to share stories that could touch the hearts of millions.

By my junior year in high school, I shared a few stories of my own. Once in college, I found the ability to share stories through film and video. But, writing was still not a part of my life. It wasn’t until I felt a spiritual prompting in November of 2005 when I wrote my first short story.

Since that day, I’ve written numerous stories and shared them with people worldwide. None of which gave me a platform to be picked up by a publishing firm, but each one spreading like wildfire.

Just this morning I was reading a blog written by an unknown author about the “5 lessons on how to treat people.” When I got to point three, I read one of my stories that was adapted for the article. Just for the fun of it, I googled another story of mine and found it had reached millions of people. For not having a platform to reach people with a book, my stories have certainly gained traction.

It’s kind of funny being an unknown author, well, not unknown to you. The mere thought of it reminded me of a person I talked with last year. He wanted to make a clear point in a discussion, so he shared a “true” story that drove his point home. I didn’t have the heart to tell him the story wasn’t true, or that I wrote it to honor my son, mom and an old neighbor lady who won an Olympic medal during her teen years.

I simply took his point to heart and left with a smile on my face, knowing that my story made a difference in one more life.

Have you ever wondered what you shared with someone that might have made their day, helped their perspective or brought encouragement into their life?

For me, being able to touch someone’s heart, with or without getting credit for it, is one of the coolest experiences I’ve ever had. To know you made a difference, even if they didn’t know it was you. So give it a try today by sharing an encouraging word or life story with someone who crosses your path. You won’t regret it.