I’m going to succeed because I’m crazy enough to think that I can!

I don’t know who said that; I wish I did.  Bit it is true!  In this day and age, in this time of economic uncertainty, I’ve started my own self-publishing small press.  Slowly, but surely, I am building an author list. It will take time, being slightly crazy and having uber amounts of determination, guts and belief.

 

One of my favorite poems of all time is by Edgar Guest.  Here it is in part:

Somebody said that it couldn’t be done,

But, he with a chuckle replied

That “maybe it couldn’t,” but he would be one

Who wouldn’t say so till he’d tried.

So he buckled right in with the trace of a grin

On his face. If he worried he hid it.

He started to sing as he tackled the thing

That couldn’t be done, and he did it.

 

Another favorite of mine is:

TRIUMPH is just UMPH! added to TRY!

 

Yup, believe in that one too!

 

One of the things I’ve learned sitting behind the ‘publisher’s desk’ is that one of my most important jobs is ‘encourager.’  I hear questions like

“I want to write a book and I think I can.  Do you think I can?”

or

“I really want to get my book published, but I can’t afford it right now.”

or

“My family isn’t terribly supportive of this idea and now they have me worrying that…”

Sometimes, as a part of the ‘encourager role,’ role is listening and then imparting (or doing my best to impart) the courage part of the word.  New projects, new adventures, new businesses take that initial vision, a bucketful of guts and a whole lake of I wills swimming around with I cans. 

Today I was on the phone with an author who has a dynamite idea for a series of books, has the basic outlines in place, just doesn’t have the funding…yet.  Her family is extremely hesitant to help her out but she is not giving up. Well, she isn’t now.  She’ll keep working on the books so that when the time comes, she will be ready to go forward.  Might be a month from now or maybe two years from now. 

The point is that she isn’t giving up on the idea,  She still is working towards it tho and quite frankly, the dreams we work the hardest to accomplish are the ones we appreciate the most and get the biggest thrill out of!  I can attest to that first hand!

Another poem comes to mind, one by Danish poet, Piet Hein:

Put up in a place that is easy to see

the cryptic admonishment: TTT.

When you feel how depressingly slowly you climb;

it is well to remember that

THINGS

TAKE

TIME.

Yep they do!