How many of you are just like me? You are constantly attempting to catch up all the time. You have a list of things to do that you wish you did not have to do, a list of things you know you have to do–some of which are good and some bad, a list of things you’ve always wanted to do, and things you know you like but rarely, if ever, get to. Not to mention, you feel tired, are drinking coffee to stay alert and when you hear someone say they’re bored you nearly have a heart attack.
What we busily become is not necessarily who we really are. My confession is that I am a creative writer, who rarely, rarely, rarely, barely ever writes. I could probably be a radio show host, a comedy improv actor with enough work, but what do I do? I help writers. I help promote writers. I think about writing a fair amount and sometimes scribble out a paragraph that I think I’ll someday turn into a book. I also listen to those I’m enabling to be writers frequently tell me they need me to do more, it’s not easy to listen to.
One of the hardest things to do as a publisher, who was once (and still wishes to be) an author is listen to authors whine, complain, and get in their own ways as authors. To steal another line, I ask, “Where it written that your publisher is going to be a miracle worker?” I’m only as good as my authors. My biggest fear is choosing an author’s book and then having them do nothing to help sell their book.
But I digress. We are all so busy, we all want to see our words, or books, our thoughts become part of a larger audience and in some ways we are all our own worst enemies because we are convinced that all of this can, and should, happen and rather quickly so we race on to Facebook, Tumbler, Twitter, our webpages, create pages as if lightning bolts planting free electricity. It reminds me of when people used to get a business card printed and suddenly thought they were “official.”
If we would all slow down and focus on the few essential things we really want and focus on slowing our minds slow down (myself included) we would be happier. I once wrote, “life is too short to go fast” I still agree. Think of your written words as dreams you want to come true. Think of your publisher as someone who will try their best to help your dreams come true, but only with your help. Over time we’ll get it all right.