A lesson for me...

First of all, congrats to Amanda Hocking - a self-made self-published author whose bidding war with publishers just pushed her past the $2M mark. Amazing!

Now. For all of you struggling to get your FIRST book published, breath in and out with me.

Ommmmmmm.

Ommmmmmm.

I don't know about you, but my first reaction to such news is "WHAT?!?! That's SO UNFAIR!"

Well, actually, it is, and it in NO WAY means we won't get our chance. See, here's what's happening:

The mind, having read or heard such news, immediately rifles through it's past experiences (usually in the form of rejection letters) and interprets the event we've just read/heard into something that we can now prepare ourselves for: More rejection.

The mind is in survival mode most of the time. When it's not working out math equations and the like. And as such, the first thing the mind does it put a break on any optimistic thoughts when such an event occurs. "WHOA THERE big fella! Don't be thinkin' that'll happen to you. Because it hasn't yet, and all you've gotten is rejection. So let's just presume that it ain't gonna happen. If it does, fine, but if it doesn't, than at least we won't be all disappointed."

That's the way the mind works. And that thought about your work, your chances, etc. etc. manifests itself into an emotion (let's call it jealousy). And all of this happens in a blink. If you control your thoughts, you control your emotions. Trust me.

Now, if you're AWARE that this is happening, it becomes easier and easier to smack your mind shut. "There's NOTHING in the world right now to indicate that that can't happen to me. Not even the millions of rejection letters I got." Or, if it has been a MILLION rejection letters, you could think "That could happen to me, but I've been rejected a million times. I need to approach this differently. That'll help!"

Neither of which cries defeat or hopelessness. They cry out perseverance, and tenaciousness. They cry out strength.

And we ALL have strength.

For more, check out my page on Facebook - HERE. From there I'll hook you up with the group The Strength to Stand Up - Memoirs of the Unemployed. It's a spot for us to vent our frustrations, and to become aware not only of what our mind is doing, but of what possibilities exist for us as human beings, if we only let them.

Check it out and let me know what you think.

Remember, be aware of your inner thoughts, and you'll find that they can definitely respond to you instead of the other way around.