The Journey to Publishing Should I Buy This?

Should I Buy This? began with a question.

It was the kind of question many of us ask when we are standing in a store, scrolling online, or trying to justify something we already want:

Should I buy this?

At first, I was interested in the purchase itself. But the more I explored the question, the more I realized that spending decisions are rarely just about money.

We buy for comfort. We buy for convenience. We buy to express identity, create belonging, reward ourselves, solve problems, and sometimes imagine a different version of our lives.

The real question is not always whether we can afford something. It is whether the purchase deserves our money and whether it supports the life we are trying to build.

That realization became the foundation of my book.

I remained open to what the idea could become

One of the greatest lessons I learned during the publishing journey was the importance of remaining open to ideas and insights.

I did not have every chapter, tool, or outcome mapped out before I began. I started with what I had and allowed the work to reveal what it needed.

Some ideas arrived while I was writing. Others appeared through conversations, personal experiences, research, and what I was learning in my master’s program in AI in Business.

Then something wonderfully unexpected happened.

I asked ChatGPT to help me think through the question, “Should I buy this?”

Yes, literally. I asked Should I buy this? while working on Should I Buy This? 🤣

That question introduced me to an entirely different side of ChatGPT. It became a space where I could examine ideas, test language, challenge assumptions, and see connections that were not always obvious at the beginning.

I also brought insights from my master’s studies into the process. Ideas about decision support, responsible technology, business value, and human judgment began connecting with the book’s central message.

The project continued to grow.

The book became connected to the Should I Buy This? AI app. The app became connected to a decision toolkit. The toolkit became connected to a website where readers can pause, reflect, and receive a Skip, Wait, or Buy verdict before spending.

None of this was visible when I first began.

Action creates serendipity

We often speak about serendipity as though it simply arrives.

But I have learned that many serendipitous moments are created through action.

You write the first page.

You ask the question.

You research the unfamiliar idea.

You share an early version.

You remain curious when something unexpected appears.

Then one action introduces you to another possibility.

The book could not show me what it might become while it remained only an idea in my mind. I had to begin working on it. Action gave the idea somewhere to meet new information, new tools, and new insight.

Action is the pathway through which ideas enter the world.

We do not always need to know the final destination before beginning. Sometimes clarity appears because we move. The next step becomes visible after we take the one in front of us.

What this journey taught me

Publishing Should I Buy This? taught me that creating something meaningful requires both direction and openness.

Direction helps us begin.

Openness allows the work to become more than we originally imagined.

There is wisdom in having a plan, but there is also wisdom in allowing new information to improve the plan. An unexpected idea is not always a distraction. Sometimes it is the missing piece.

The book I began writing grew into an expanding platform for more conscious spending. It now includes a book, an AI-powered app, a decision toolkit, and a growing collection of reflections about money, desire, identity, and choice.

And it all began with one question, followed by one action.

If you are carrying an idea, you do not need to see its entire future today.

Give it somewhere to begin.

Write the page. Ask the question. Create the first version. Remain open.

The small moments of serendipity you encounter along the way may be waiting for your action before they can find you.

Gain Knowledge. Live Richly.