And by roller coaster, I unfortunately do not mean the ones you ride!
This is one area where I greatly envy men - they are so even-keeled when it comes to emotions. It's tougher for women to maintain consistency. Add the fact that I am half Sanguine and half Melancholy, the two emotional personalities, and the challenge doubles!
Friday the 13th was definitely the highlight! I received an incredible review and blurb for an upcoming book and set several speaking engagements. The big one happened quite by accident - a woman in DC who'd done some PR work for me in the past called with an opportunity to be one of only a couple exhibitors at an upcoming health event in the area. I had a question and ended up contacting the president of the organization sponsoring the event - when I mentioned my non-fiction book, she became very excited and asked if I'd be willing to speak for 15 minutes. Would I??? Now, here's the kicker - the keynote speaker is First Lady Michelle Obama!
An Ounce of Prevention Health Seminar
Yes, I'm still in shock...
That high led to a dip this morning with a lackluster review. Bummer. Okay, deep breath, water off a duck's back, it's only one person's opinion. Ten minutes later, I received notification of another review that was very, very positive. Back up again! Tomorrow morning is a big event & pre-sale at my church for my non-fiction book, and Sunday evening at 8pm is a chat through Author & Book Event Center and The Bookhouse - The Bookhouse Chatroom (Everyone here is invited to that!) So it'll likely be another day of ups & downs.
Does anyone else go through this kind of mess? I think I hit every note on the scale in just 24 hours! I guess the biggest blessing is that most of this flies by at such a fast pace, I don't have time to dwell on any of it. (Actually, I think it bothers my husband far more, as he so wants to protect me from any and all bad and knows that he just can't.)
So how do you maintain your cool while riding the roller coaster? What keeps the moments (even the positive ones) from becoming distractions?
10 comments:
Wow, Diane, sounds like your highs are way above the lows this week! Congratulations on your exciting upcoming speaking engagement! I find that spending quiet moments with God, whatever is going on in life, helps keep things in focus.
I'm with Connie - the highs far outweigh the lows in your case. This old song springs to mind:
"You've got to accentuate the positive
Eliminate the negative
And latch on to the affirmative
Don't mess with Mister In-Between
You've got to spread joy up to the maximum
Bring gloom down to the minimum
Have faith or pandemonium's
Liable to walk upon the scene"
Thanks Mike & Connie! Just read another good review for Book I, so up once more!
I just can't get distracted and remember God has a bigger goal in mind.
Remember the highs, don't think about the lows. Also, I'm sure you'll have no trouble with this one - keep too busy to be aggravated.
Morgan Mandel
http://morganmandel.blogspot.com
I think life is a series of highs and lows, but WOW what a high to be a speaker at a conference with the First Lady! I'd ride that high for a long, long time.
Jane Kennedy Sutton
http://janekennedysutton.blogspot.com/
Jane, I think sometimes we lose some of that child-like enthusiasm and forget that it's okay to jump up and down in excitement. I lose it when I am all work, work, work...
Hmmm... think there's a life lesson there!
Congratulations Diane! Overall, it was a fabulous time for you. Much more highs than lows. Way to go!
Helen
http://straightfromhel.blogspot.com
I am going to focus here on the positive side of your roller coaster. Congratulations. Those ups in the publishing world are definitely worth it!
Best,
Carolyn Howard-Johnson
Blogging at Writer's Digest 101 Best Websites pick, www.sharingwithwriters.blogspot.com
I want to hear all about your time at the Health event. How special and exciting! I keep myself on the right track by putting a humor spin on people. I think about the funny side of someone's behavior whether a personality quirk or a visual or how much they are like someone else I know. It helps. I figure if I can work on the overall rather than the one, it's a much nicer picture. Have fun and enjoy the exciting experience!
Stay centered. I learned that back when I did Zen training. The truth is in the middle. Stay focused and not distracted.
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