Welcome to a new month, a new blog and, apparently a new and much more positive phase in my life!:-)
First, I just want to apologise - I said recently I would include a short story for adults and one for children every week. I wasn't expecting life to turn out as it has done when I said that - frankly I'm too busy! I'm not complaining though because it's a good thing and I still intend to deliver on my promise - I have a number of short stories hand written but I haven't had time to type them up.
Everyone has times in their life when they wonder whether it's worth continuing on the same path - Gilbert O'Sullivan put it nicely when he asked in his song, "Dear dream of mine, am I wasting time, thinking that you, will be my dream come true? Dear dream, I guess, if the answer is yes, what must I do, if I'm to get to you?" He goes on to say how hard he's tried yet he's still down because nothing is happening. I've always loved that song! I was listening to it recently, having just returned from holiday and one line hit home. "But like a lot of things in life when you're down, nothing comes 'round that isn't a mess." How true! At that moment I decided to change my attitude completely and see if that had any effect ...
I dug out my trusty happiness journal and, after documenting my holiday in great detail (it should have gone in a sepearte one technically but I had such a good time I put it there!) I read back through it and realised something strange. Even on the saddest, most painful, difficult days of my life there has always been a ray of sunshine somewhere! I can hear you screaming at me that I'm wrong but I can only explain what I do - the rest is up to you. More of that later.
Having read through it again I decided that a much more positive attitude was required if I was to make my dreams come true. There's no point in just sitting there, hoping a book deal will land on your lap (or whatever you particularly want), you have to get out there and actively do something about it.
People talk a lot about Cosmic Ordering. I'm not sure how to do that, to be honest, but I changed a lot of little things - for example, I refused to accept any negativity (you can't/won't do this, that or the other - the way I look at it, the word can't doesn't really exist! You won't find it in a dictionary - yes I know you will find cant but not can't before anyone writes in to tell me - because it is a contraction of two words: can and not, both of which are an attitude you can choose. Either you say you can do it or you can or will not do it - what you think has a huge bearing on the outcome), really believe in myself, start being pro-active by letting people know that I am a writer. Admittedly, I've only got one book in the shops (it's one of a series) and ghostwritten a number of other books for American companies, but that still classifies me officially as an author. I then joined Harper Collins' site Authonomy and downloaded the best book I've written, The Wishing Tree. For those who don't know about this site, the books are voted by the public and rise or fall according to their popularity - they are anonymously awarded star ratings. If you get to the top 5 a panel of editors will look at the book (and agents also frequent the boards). I started out on around the 20th July at 4975 ... 3 weeks later I'm at 1753! I wasn't expecting to rise at all - thought my ratings would fall if anything. I've read some wonderful books on that site, especially Secrets of the Forest by Neville Kent.
So how has it worked? Well I kind of hinted that it had at the beginning of the post, didn't I?! Truth is, the last few weeks has been nothing short of Amazing! So much good stuff has happened, but the highlights are:
I could go on but you get my point - everything has changed for the better and I do think it's down to the change in my attitude. I no longer feel low and that I have no talent - I know now that we can all do anything we want if we put our heart and soul into it. Sometimes it's the small things which make me happy and sometimes the big, but at the moment it's good news all the way - touch wood!
When I write in my happiness journal I take a careful note of the day - I have yet to come across a day when something good/funny/lovely didn't happen. Some days it can be dramatic (like when I passed my exam) and at other times I'm scraping the bottom of the barrel, at which times I have to write silly things that make me smile such as the sun shone, the dog that looked fierce was very friendly, or the baby who played Peekaboo with me in the bank when I'd had a stinker of a day and laughed herself silly - her laughter was infectious and everyone in the bank was smiling and laughing at her. It's important, as well, that I am happy when I receive other people's good news. I have one golden rule - absolutely nothing negative goes in that journal - I have a proper diary as well (I actually have about 4) for my everyday thoughts but this is my favourite - it's great fun to read it back, especially if you are having a bad day.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that I never have a down day, never have bad news etc, of course I do! But I have mastered the art of shrugging it off, rather than letting it affect me.
Try it for a month and I'd love to know how you all get on. Until next time ...
First, I just want to apologise - I said recently I would include a short story for adults and one for children every week. I wasn't expecting life to turn out as it has done when I said that - frankly I'm too busy! I'm not complaining though because it's a good thing and I still intend to deliver on my promise - I have a number of short stories hand written but I haven't had time to type them up.
Everyone has times in their life when they wonder whether it's worth continuing on the same path - Gilbert O'Sullivan put it nicely when he asked in his song, "Dear dream of mine, am I wasting time, thinking that you, will be my dream come true? Dear dream, I guess, if the answer is yes, what must I do, if I'm to get to you?" He goes on to say how hard he's tried yet he's still down because nothing is happening. I've always loved that song! I was listening to it recently, having just returned from holiday and one line hit home. "But like a lot of things in life when you're down, nothing comes 'round that isn't a mess." How true! At that moment I decided to change my attitude completely and see if that had any effect ...
I dug out my trusty happiness journal and, after documenting my holiday in great detail (it should have gone in a sepearte one technically but I had such a good time I put it there!) I read back through it and realised something strange. Even on the saddest, most painful, difficult days of my life there has always been a ray of sunshine somewhere! I can hear you screaming at me that I'm wrong but I can only explain what I do - the rest is up to you. More of that later.
Having read through it again I decided that a much more positive attitude was required if I was to make my dreams come true. There's no point in just sitting there, hoping a book deal will land on your lap (or whatever you particularly want), you have to get out there and actively do something about it.
People talk a lot about Cosmic Ordering. I'm not sure how to do that, to be honest, but I changed a lot of little things - for example, I refused to accept any negativity (you can't/won't do this, that or the other - the way I look at it, the word can't doesn't really exist! You won't find it in a dictionary - yes I know you will find cant but not can't before anyone writes in to tell me - because it is a contraction of two words: can and not, both of which are an attitude you can choose. Either you say you can do it or you can or will not do it - what you think has a huge bearing on the outcome), really believe in myself, start being pro-active by letting people know that I am a writer. Admittedly, I've only got one book in the shops (it's one of a series) and ghostwritten a number of other books for American companies, but that still classifies me officially as an author. I then joined Harper Collins' site Authonomy and downloaded the best book I've written, The Wishing Tree. For those who don't know about this site, the books are voted by the public and rise or fall according to their popularity - they are anonymously awarded star ratings. If you get to the top 5 a panel of editors will look at the book (and agents also frequent the boards). I started out on around the 20th July at 4975 ... 3 weeks later I'm at 1753! I wasn't expecting to rise at all - thought my ratings would fall if anything. I've read some wonderful books on that site, especially Secrets of the Forest by Neville Kent.
So how has it worked? Well I kind of hinted that it had at the beginning of the post, didn't I?! Truth is, the last few weeks has been nothing short of Amazing! So much good stuff has happened, but the highlights are:
- Paul and I are going to London on important business (more on that when I know exactly how things are going to pan out - don't want to jinx it!)
- I've been longing to meet some American friends for a while now and they are coming in two weeks;
- I'm rising nicely in the Authonomy charts - and have made some great friends;
- I have more friends than ever now, since I've had the courage to join a great group - we started off as fellow people on the course , now it is finished we are good friends who still ensure we meet up every Friday - once we get talking we forget the time. It's a great support network;
- I've had an approach from a publisher for The WIshing Tree (again, more about that when things are firmed up)
- I passed my Counselling exam and am able to move on to the higher level - that was the toughest one I've ever done so I'm very proud of myself;
- I've increased the flow of visitors to this site dramatically;
- I've been asked to write a guest blog for Bryan Cohen's creative writing site which is http://www.build-creative-writing-ideas.com if you want to have a nosey. A brilliant site for writers!
I could go on but you get my point - everything has changed for the better and I do think it's down to the change in my attitude. I no longer feel low and that I have no talent - I know now that we can all do anything we want if we put our heart and soul into it. Sometimes it's the small things which make me happy and sometimes the big, but at the moment it's good news all the way - touch wood!
When I write in my happiness journal I take a careful note of the day - I have yet to come across a day when something good/funny/lovely didn't happen. Some days it can be dramatic (like when I passed my exam) and at other times I'm scraping the bottom of the barrel, at which times I have to write silly things that make me smile such as the sun shone, the dog that looked fierce was very friendly, or the baby who played Peekaboo with me in the bank when I'd had a stinker of a day and laughed herself silly - her laughter was infectious and everyone in the bank was smiling and laughing at her. It's important, as well, that I am happy when I receive other people's good news. I have one golden rule - absolutely nothing negative goes in that journal - I have a proper diary as well (I actually have about 4) for my everyday thoughts but this is my favourite - it's great fun to read it back, especially if you are having a bad day.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that I never have a down day, never have bad news etc, of course I do! But I have mastered the art of shrugging it off, rather than letting it affect me.
Try it for a month and I'd love to know how you all get on. Until next time ...
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