Childhood trauma and poverty can have a lasting impact on your personality. It takes away your self-esteem and stops you from moving forward in life. The distressing past keeps haunting you and distracts you from life’s realities. In short, it is a vicious cycle that you may have to live through till you reach your grave.
“Broken Shackles” by Bill Herndon is one inspirational book that tells you otherwise. It gives you the message that even if you grow up in difficult circumstances, you can turn your life around if you are dedicated enough to seal the opportunities.
“Broken Shackles” is Bill Herndon’s own life journey that explores how he overcame the challenges and was able to achieve emotional and financial well-being. So, let’s explore how Herndon managed to turn around his life and what motivational messages the book carries.
About the Author
The book “Broken Shackles” is a fascinating piece written by Bill Herndon. He is a renowned name in the media industry because of his achievements as a director and producer. But Herndon is a man of many talents. He is a known name in the entertainment and media industry, renowned for his work as a producer and director. His journey in the entertainment world has span over 18 years, as an awarding winning content creator. He has worked with Atlantic Records, Warner Music Group, VH1, and Big Fish Productions, and winning awards for docu-series; “Sisters of the Game”, “America’s Next Big Franchise”, the films “Life to Live”, and “Count Down”. Creating compelling and commercially viable content is his forte, but his work in the social media space goes beyond that. Herndon has also contributed significantly to talent development by working with creators to create authentic niche content for today’s ever changing social media landscape.
Bill also entered the entrepreneurial sphere with several projects, Neon Lion Productions and SFI Enterprises. Besides, he also continues to do development work with actors, music artists and musicians. Now, Bill Herndon is beginning his journey as a writer with his book “Broken Shackles.” It shares his own journey and how he made a name for himself in the entertainment world. It will be the first book in a series of three, and the other two parts will cover more life lessons from his life story.
Author’s Motivation for Writing the Book?
Most people know the author because of his achievements in the entertainment industry, and they are unaware of the struggles behind it. Bill Herndon says that the main purpose of writing this book was to give the message of resilience, purpose, and dedication to the readers.
Apart from that, the author believes that writing this book helped him introspect and reflect on his life. It helped him to continue to charge forward with purpose. Although Bill always wanted to enter the literary space, the idea of writing the book popped into his mind during COVID-19 and lockdown days, when he had plenty of time for inward evaluation.
The introspection inspired Bill Herndon to document his struggles so he could inspire and encourage others to take charge of their lives. The book revolves around the painful childhood memories of the author and how he worked around them. It talks about his struggles in the foster care environment and the void because of his parent’s absence.
From both emotional and intellectual perspectives, “Broken Shackles” is a brilliant read. It pushes you to have a tenacious mindset that keeps reminding you about your life goals. It inspires you to always strive for better and make the challenges work for you. Moreover, the book tells you that life is a beautiful balance between pain and healing, and one should always be hopeful for a better future.
Lessons on Dealing with Trauma
The book is a fascinating tale of overcoming generational trauma, and coming from a person who has lived through it makes the book more authentic. Bill Herndon was born into a low-income family, and both his parents could not support him and his siblings financially or emotionally.
His father was a passionate musician; however he was often handcuffed by his own childhood traumas and drug addict, and his mother who also bored the weight of her childhood trauma and at times had to choose prostitution just to survive. Due to this, he spent most of his childhood with foster care families, where he was emotionally abused. Despite all of this, he was able to change his life around by focusing on what was about to come.
Living with Acknowledgement
According to the book, when we are facing any difficulty in life, most of us have thoughts like “Why is this happening to me?” It leads us to blame God, our destiny, our parents, and our own selves, and this thinking never allows us to move forward. But if you really want to make a difference in your life, you have to accept the life realities.
It is a difficult journey that starts with the acknowledgment of the current situation. This will allow you to think of the life ahead and what you can do to change your future. It is a mindset shift that empowers you by reiterating that your choices can actually make a difference in your life. With this mindset, you can set goals for yourself and work on them.
Staying Non-Stagnant
The book “Broken Shackles” also gives you the message of staying non-stagnant. It says no matter how comfortable or difficult the life circumstances are, you must not accept the status quo. Because once you get comfortable in a situation, you will not have to drive to do better. It means you will remain stuck in a situation until life forces a painful change.
Instead, you should be in charge of your life and make prompt decisions. Bill Herndon never accepted that the troubling life events were the end of his life. From childhood till now, he continued taking risks and improving the living standards for himself and his siblings.
The non-stagnant approach also helped him professionally, as he was able to reinvent himself quite often. He wears many hats in the media industry which is because of his determination to change the status quo. After every five years, Herndon tries to do something new, which is why he is recognized as a songwriter, actor, producer, entrepreneur, and now an author.
Where Can You Find the Book?
The book “Broken Shackles” by Bill Herndon is published on various platforms. You can easily find the book in paperback and hardback on the Amazon Store. Besides, its Kindle version is also available on the platform. In addition to that, you can get the book from Barnes and Noble’s bookstore. Besides, the author has also promised an audio version of the book, which is likely to be released on Audible.
