How one article helped me quit my job, buy a sailboat, and move to paradise

• Amy Morin is a psychotherapist, licensed clinical social worker, author, and mental strength coach.
• After struggling to deal with the deaths of her mother and husband within three years of each other, Morin published an article titled "13 Things Mentally Strong People Don't Do."
• Although Morin had written it as a self-reminder to avoid unhealthy mental habits, the article almost immediately went viral as thousands of people related to her advice.
• A year later, Morin was inspired to expand the piece into a book and build up her own business of mental strength coaching, paid speaking gigs, and freelance writing.
• She moved to the Florida Keys to live on a sailboat, a childhood dream of her second husband — and they've been there for four years.

I hit the refresh button. Ten thousand people had read my article in the last few seconds. I hit refresh again, and the number jumped by another 10,000.

It had only been a few days, and almost 50 million people had read my work.

It was 2013, and I'd just published a 600-word article titled, "13 Things Mentally Strong People Don't Do."

My inbox was overflowing. Everyone from MTV in Finland to CNN in Mexico wanted to interview the therapist who had written the "viral article." Reporters wanted to know, "How did you master everything on this list?"

I did a few interviews and said something generic like, "I'm a therapist and I just know these things."

But I had a secret. I hadn't mastered the list. In fact, I struggled with every item on the list. That was why I wrote it. Those 600 words were actually a letter to myself.

I had written the letter just a few days earlier during one of the darkest days of my life. I had just gotten word my father-in-law's cancer was terminal. And I was in rough shape.

I'd already spent an entire decade grieving. My mother passed away when I was 23. When I was 26, my husband died. My heart wasn't just broken — it was crushed into a million tiny pieces.

It had taken years to heal my emotional wounds and build a new life. I'd gotten remarried, moved to a new town, and got a new job. This was supposed to be my fresh start — not another decade of mourning.

I found myself asking a lot of "why me?" type questions. So I wrote myself a letter about all the things mentally strong people don't do (starting with feeling sorry for themselves). It was a reminder to myself that no matter how bad I felt, I should avoid the unhealthy habits that would drain my mental strength.

I published it online on a whim — hoping it might resonate with a couple of people. I never imagined it would go viral.

Quitting my day job

Fortunately, the article attracted the attention of a literary agent who suggested I write a book. Initially, I told her I had no business writing a book. I explained that I struggled with mental strength — I hadn't mastered it.

She was convinced that would make my book even more credible.

So I created a book proposal, and within a month, I had a book deal with HarperCollins — one of the biggest publishers on the planet. They wanted to work fast though, so my deadlines were tight.

My day job as a therapist consumed most of my time. So I worked on my book during the evenings and weekends. My days were long, and the work was tough. But I got it done.

One year after I wrote that letter to myself, my book (also titled "13 Things Mentally Strong People Don't Do") hit the shelves.

At first, I thought the hard part was over. After all, the writing was done.

But when another author said, "You know it's the 'bestsellers list,' not the 'best writers list,' right?" I realized my work was just getting started. If I wanted to make a living as a writer, I was going to need to double down on marketing.

So six months after my book launch, I took a big leap — I quit my job and left behind the security of a regular paycheck. I had no idea if I could turn my book into a business, but I wanted to try.

Adding additional revenue streams

I couldn't depend on one book for income. So I had to establish several streams of revenue.

I created an online mental strength course. I began doing paid speaking engagements. And I started writing articles for a variety of publications.

The goal was to have enough streams of income that I could handle unforeseen circumstances (like the pandemic that caused traveling to speaking engagements to come to a screeching halt).

In the five years since my book was published, I've added several more income streams from apps, additional courses, coaching, and partnerships. I've also written three more books.

Moving to a sailboat

I started building my business when I lived in Maine — where it's cold and dark much of the year.

My husband's dream was to live on a sailboat. (His bedroom was decorated with a sailboat theme at age four.) On the other hand, I had no concept of what it would be like to live on a boat. But I am always up for an adventure.

So we decided to move to a sailboat in the Florida Keys. Four years later, we're still here, and I run my business from the boat.

There are some things that make living on a boat a little more complicated. Windy days can be loud — which isn't optimal when I'm recording a podcast.

But there are some things that make boat life even easier than living on land. The simplicity of living in a small space means I have fewer decisions to make. I don't have to worry about buying more "stuff" or mowing the grass.

There are some other great perks about sailboat life too. The view is always good. I get to see dolphins, sea turtles, and manatees in the wild. And I can snorkel during the day, stare at the stars from the ocean at night, or swim at a sandbar whenever I want.

You never know how one piece of content might change your life forever. I certainly never imagined I'd be able to live and work in paradise. But it all started with a 600-word article.