Creative Insecurity: Lean Into the Unknown and Unleash Your Inner Misfit

Creative Insecurity is a serial entrepreneur’s wisdom on embracing the unknown and bravely asking the question: “What am I missing?”

Is insecurity positive or negative? Answer: It’s both. While fear-based toxic insecurity can undo even the brightest leaders, your strongest position comes from leaning into creative insecurity. This is the mindset of all who run contrary to the crowd and create what has never existed before. It means getting comfortable with discomfort, propelling an off-balance state into forward motion, and mitigating risk.

James M. Sweeney is a serial entrepreneur who started multiple companies that sold for billions, changed healthcare in America, and saved countless lives. Today, he mentors startup founders and other professionals in the art of failing your way to success. In this book, he will show you how to reframe anxiety and uncertainty into excitement for new beginnings. You will also learn the timeless wisdom of holding three crucial traits in balance: vision, humility, and the no-quit gene.

Creative Insecurity is for big thinkers who are restless where they are. Do you have the vision to see over the horizon to sense what’s coming next? Do you have an insatiable drive to improve, while others accept the status quo? Do you have an unquenched creative spark? If so, then this book is for you. Actionable insights and compelling examples will help you empower your inner misfit and realize that being different is a strength.

Discover why being first is more important than being right, why you should never marry a mistake, and why you should concentrate on the most prestigious target in your field.

James M. Sweeney is a serial entrepreneur who started fourteen healthcare companies, including industry leader Caremark. He has raised two billion dollars in capital, generated more than thirty billion dollars in exit value, and his companies have saved or extended the lives of millions. Today he mentors young entrepreneurs and engages in humanitarian work. He received the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award, served on the Harvard Medical School Advisory Board, and received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Corporate Directors Forum. His alma matter, San Diego State, selected him as Alumnus of the Year in 1986.

Rhonda Lauritzen is a professional biographer and a longtime speaker at international conferences such as RootsTech, the world’s largest Family History event. She has an undergraduate degree from Weber State University and an MBA from the University of Utah. She served as CEO of her family’s business and a state college VP. Her writing journey began with her parents’ family business saga, and in 2016, she founded Evalogue.Life. Since then, Rhonda has been hired to tell the stories of families, buildings, and cities. Her previous books include A Child in Berlin and Creative Insecurity published by Post Hill Press. She believes that when you tell your story, it changes the ending.