The new year rolled in with fireworks and champagne popping. Resolutions, goals, selling of souls were thrown out to the universe with quiet desperation. Despite the high percentage of drop outs from this bunch by the first quarter of the year, we undergo the experience without fail at the beginning of each year.
My Publishing Resolutions.
My resolutions, for the most part, begin as wishes. The other day I caught myself wishing for so many things. I wished that I could write faster. I wished that I had more time to write. I wished that I had a quiet place in my house to write. I wished that I was fabulously wealthy, so that I could hire nanny, housekeeper, chauffeur, and whatever personnel I needed so that I could write my gazzilion novels. And on and on it went, until I wished that I had a house in the Hamptons , especially dedicated to escape for writing. Okay, that last one came from the movie — Something’s Gotta Give .
My wish list is impressively huge, but a waste of time. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy making my wishes. Yet, if I do nothing with them, they become the breeding ground for envy, frustration, and emotional baggage. To avoid being unpleasant company, I had to quit playing a wishing tree and refocus my energy on what works for me ?
Dreaming.
Dare to dream!
I perform high level dreaming or, if you prefer the professional term, visioning. I don’t have a degree or professional certification to discuss visioning, so I will stick to using my term ? dreaming, along with my home-bred experience.
I have not dreamed about my writing and career since 2002 when I got published. Leading up to that moment, I wrote everyday, stayed focused, and didn’t edit my work to death. I must give credit toward my spiritual practice and meditative process. My daily ritual made me stronger to handle the doubts, the physical aspect of sitting for an hour or more to write, and actually mailing the manuscript.
Each morning and evening, when I could afford some quiet time, I followed a dream sequence that featured me writing the novel, finishing it, and sending it to the NY publisher. I even pictured the publisher reading and setting it aside because the story touched her. Then I imagined the call and what I would say. This wasn’t a lengthy procedure that had me staring into space for an hour. It lasted about fifteen minutes.
It is similar to what I’ve taught my daughter to do before and during a gymnastics meet. Think about executing the skill successfully, think about how your body moves to complete the skill, think about how you would land at the end.
Failure Is Not the End.
This doesn’t mean that she may not take a fall or land incorrectly, but she realizes that if her frame of mind isn’t positive from the beginning, then her fears are powerful enough to control her body and its actions. Negative thinking will result in negative action.
Once I had accomplished my goal to be published, I stopped the ritual of dreaming. I got wrapped up in the deadlines, learning the business, and the multitude of things that go along with such a career. In other words, I got comfortable with status. I handed over my destiny to others, to my environment. Instead of falling into the wishing well, I am taking back control. In addition to getting off my duff to write, I am returning to what worked for me ? the Mind, Body, and Soul connection.
As I step into the New Year, I look forward to dreaming through to my next accomplishment. What will be your dream?
