Be Optimistic

It has been a little over a month since I attended the Greater Philadelphia Christian Writers Conference. All the excitement and hype are receding from the forefront of my mind as real life takes center stage.

   
My plan to start a blog has become a reality along with waiting to hear from the two editors who excitedly asked to see my novel.  I wait anxiously every day for the letter…you know the letter I mean. Will they like what I've spent the last five years of my life working on, or will it be thrown into the slosh pile?  Well, I got it, the infamous REJECTION LETTER.  So the question becomes, how do I handle this news?

Be miserable.
At first, disappointment was a comfortable option.  I could stare at my computer screen, teary eyed and depressed.  I could give the LETTER power to immobilize and devalue me while rejection skillfully played with my emotions.  I could have a full blown pity party.  After all, the LETTER came on my Birthday!  It wasn’t fair.  I worked hard.  I thought this was God’s plan for me.

Or motivate myself.
I believe God allows everything in life for a reason.  I also believe God’s plan for me is far better then the one I have in mind.  So, I have made a decision.  I have decided not to give the LETTER any authority to kill my hopes and dreams.  Does that mean I’m dancing for joy?  No way!  I’m struggling to regain momentum.  I’m deliberately swimming upstream, against the current, to take back my creative flow and bruised ego.

Whatever has to be done is always my choice.
 I need to keep rejection in perspective.  I can let it cripple my forward motion or keep moving ahead.  I have to learn not to take the letters personally.  According to other authors, these one or two sentence dismissals are part of a writer’s life.  Have I arrived at this undisturbed utopia?  Let’s get real!  However, God is teaching me that He is always working for good in our lives.  I choose to give my cares, disappointment, fear, and rejection to God.  It takes some work. I have to keep redirecting my thoughts away from the negative scenarios that bombard my mind.  I must actively keep a positive attitude and look for open doors of opportunity. Each day gets better.

Faith is full of inventions.

Now the hard part, I have to put this lesson to another test.  I have more waiting, praying, and hoping to do.  Two editors wanted to see my book.  I heard from one.  Will I worry about the next letter?  I choose to cross that bridge when the time comes.

“I cast all of my anxieties, all my worries, all my concerns, once and for all on Him, for He cares for me affectionately and cares about me watchfully.”
   1 Peter 5:7

So do a little song and dance with Shirley.....Be Optimistic

*Be miserable. Or motivate yourself. Whatever has to be done is always your choice.
Quote by Wayne Dyer