What if I told you that you could be a bestselling author in a short amount of time? You’d think I was crazy, right? You’d think, “Dang, that Laura, I don’t know what she’s sniffing, but it must be some good stuff!” Right? Right. But you’d be wrong. You don’t need a lot of money, a blog with a lot of followers, tons of hits to your website, or even a large mailing list (although all those things do help!), you just need to change your thinking.
So, what do I mean by “change your thinking” anyway? Well most of us who are authors see becoming a bestselling author as a “problem” we have to solve, or an “obstacle” we have to figure out somehow how to get over. But what if becoming a bestselling author wasn’t a problem at all, or even an obstacle. What if instead your thinking was the problem? What if instead you marketed your books, stayed positive about said books, accepted where you are right now with your books and were grateful to get to where you are now, and enjoyed where you are right now as an author. After all, it’s awesome that you wrote a book, that you got said book published, and that you’ve sold some books, right? So, why not be happy about what you’ve achieved?
They teach us from a very early age to see the world through a set of glasses that assesses our world as a set of problems to be solve, and or obstacles left to overcome. In addition, they teach you that we’ll be happy when we have this thing or that thing, (the thing being a bestselling book in your case) or when we’re retired, or when we can write from home full-time or some other supposed far off thing we think we want. But have you ever noticed when you reach the thing you think you want that maybe you’re still not happy, because there is always something else to shoot for, some other obstacle to overcome or problem to solve. This kind of thinking blocks us from the many blessings that the universe (or God, the Big Kahuna or whatever name you want to use) wants to give us, including being a bestselling author. In fact, said universe will give us whatever we want and not in six months or ten years either, but right now. We just have to decide to be happy now and to change our thinking.
So, I’ll bet you’re now thinking not only have I been smoking some of that funny stuff, but also I’m just not being realistic, right?
That’s not the way the “real world works. Or is it?
But what if I were to tell you that the reality you’re seeing is one you’ve created with all the mental scripts you’ve learned over the years. Our society and our parents teach us a number of mental scripts. Here’s one for example:
“Oh, God! It’s Monday again! I’m so tired I don’t even want to get out of bed. Now I just have to get through the week.”
Or this one, “Thank God it’s Friday!” or this one which many authors have, “I can’t be happy until I can write from home full-time and I’m a bestselling author.” Is there really anything wrong with Monday? Do you have to wait until Friday or until you’re writing from home and making big money as an author to be happy? No! These are just scripts we’ve either been taught or we’ve created ourselves based on things we’ve heard from others, or society in general. Kind of mind blowing huh? All this so-called “bad” stuff, really isn’t “bad” at all, in fact Monday’s could be your favorite day of the week if you decide they are. In fact, every day of the week could be totally awesome. All you have to do is decide it is! Same thing goes for your day job. You can continue to believe that your day job sucks, and you’ll only be happy when you’re working from home as a full-time author. Or you can decide that your day job is wonderful because hey, it helps you pay the bills, buy that new computer you wanted that has all the bells and whistles, or that new software program that will make putting together your books easier. And you can decide it’s awesome because it makes it possible for you can tell your stories without being under the pressure of worrying about where the money is going to come from to pay rent, buy food and keep your bills paid, until you are a bestselling author! In fact, everything in your life can be wonderful, fantastic and just what you want providing you decide to be happy no matter what. And yes, it is that easy because changing those scripts in your head is the key.
So, how can you use this knowledge to become a bestselling author? How can you change those mental scripts? It’s easier than you may think, here are a few ideas to get you started:
1. As soon as you wake up, say to yourself or out loud, “It’s going to be an awesome day today and I’m going to sell a kajillions books today!” By doing this you set the intention that you are going to sell books today, and a lot of them, and it’s going to be wonderful. You’re in essence telling the universe, God, or whatever word you want to use that this is what you want, and this is what is going to happen. Keep in mind that you don’t have to do anything to deserve being a bestselling author, you don’t have to wait years, you don’t have rewrite all your books over and over again because the universe wants you to have what you want and what you want is to be a bestselling author. By setting your intention to sell a lot of books and to be a bestselling author, you are “creating a reality where you are a bestselling author.” Oh, and you’re setting the intention that you’re going to have a great day and that you’ll be happy today as well, very important to keep from blocking the connection between you and the universe.
2. During the day, give thanks. It goes like this, “Thank you universe, god, (or whomever divinity is for you) for allowing me to sell a kajillion books today, and to become a bestselling author.” Repeat this every time you think about it during the day. Say thank you for what you want as though it has already happened and you have already received it. Plus, feel it, imagine how you grateful you’ll feel when you sell a kajillion books and allow that feeling to suffuse you from the top of your head to the tips of your toes.
3. Anytime you look into a mirror say to yourself, “Hey, bestselling author, congratulations on selling a kajillion books today! That is so awesome!”
And guess what? This is the just the beginning! You can use these principles in every facet of your life, not just to become a bestselling author.
Want to learn more about how to use these principles in all areas of your life? Read E-squared, E-cubed or Thank and Grow Rich by Pam Grout without whom this article could not have been written. Thanks Pam!