I saw this on a friend's facebook wall: Worrying is like praying for what you don't want. I have no idea who first said it, but it's really true.
I've been thinking about this a lot recently. There's a lot of stuff out there that we can worry about. What if I never get an agent? What if I never sell a book? What if nobody else likes my writing? What if? What if? What if? And that's just the beginning. From what I understand, the fears and worries don't quit just because you pass one stage for the next. (I don't know this from personal experience in the publishing industry, but it sure happens in other places. Dating to marriage to motherhood, anyone?)
The thing is, if we only focus on what we're worried about, how can we ever focus on what we actually do want? So instead of saying, "What if I never get an agent?" we should be saying "I want an agent." Take every worry, every fear and turn it into something you want instead. It's amazing how much difference that can make.
What are you worried about? What do you want instead?
6 comments:
I tend not to focus on worrying about things. I tend to focus on how to get them done. :)
Great post!!!!
They call that the "Law of Attraction"- you attract whatever you put your energy into, so if you put energy into worrying about the bad, you will attract the bad. If you put your energy into reaching for the good, you will attract the good! The power of positive thinking! :-)
The worry never ends, no matter where you are in life. So it's best to take each day one step at a time and just do the best you can. I belong in a group of writer friends where we're all at different levels in our writing career. One's working through galley edits, one just landed a book deal, one's on submission to publishers, I just landed an agent, and several are either querying or working on their WIPs. And let me just tell you, we all worry. It helps to be in the group because then we can see how landing an agent isn't the end of your worries, or even having a publication date looming close. And I bet that once you have your book published, you enter a new kind of worry: What if no one likes it? What if readers give me negative reviews? What if I can't write another book good enough to be picked up by a publisher?
So, just breathe. One step at a time. :)
Praying for what you don't want...I never heard it put like that! Well, that's a good deterrent for worrying for sure.
Oh my, that is so true. I’ve read lots of stuff about this. When you think about something so much, it often times comes to pass, at least in part. ‘Cause subconsciously you think that IS what you want, so you automatically respond to it…
~Aidyl
Wow, these are true words of wisdom right here! This is really relevant to me as a writer, because I tend to be a worry wart. And worrying about things like "What if readers don't like my work?" ends up hindering me from actually writing. So this is definitely something I need to work on myself.
Love your blog, Kayeleen! I'm following you now :) Looking forward to keeping up with your adventures.
~Wendy Lu
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