The Waiting Game

There's a lot of waiting in the writing/publishing business. A LOT of waiting. Sometimes it's waiting for the story idea to come or waiting for the character to show you what happens next. Sometimes it's waiting to hear back from critique partners or agents or editors. Always, it seems, we're waiting. And I guess life is like that too, or it can be if you tend to look at things that way. In my experience, waiting can go one of two ways -- it can be tortuous, or it can be mellow. Tortuous tends to happen when we get wrapped up in fear and worry about how things might go. And the mellow version comes around when we relax and trust that whatever happens, it'll be for the best in the long run. This can be super hard to hold onto, but it does make for a saner life. Today's five is all about finding the mellow wait.

1. Imagine it  all turning out the way you hope for, or even better. See it happening, feel the thrill, sense the delight. Play it over for yourself again and again. Even if you're waiting for an idea to come -- imagine it arriving. (This idea comes from the book The Secret.)

2. Treat yourself the way you would if the thing you're waiting for was already here/real//happening. Are you holding off on feeling like _____________ (a real writer, a success, a rock star) until it shows up for you? Try reversing it. Act as if. (This is Wayne Dyer's idea. I love his book The Power of Intention.) Go ahead and be the rock star, the success, the writer, the whatever. Let reality catch up.

3. Open to allowing -- allowing for the possibility that everything you desire can be yours. Doubt is such a ferocious beast. It can suck all the hope right out of us. I imagine it as this nasty green monster chained beside me, dripping his slobber, gnashing his teeth, slapping his big, ugly tail. He feeds on a little refrain that goes "not good enough, not good enough, not good enough." All I have to do to defeat him is to starve him. All I have to do to starve him is drop that one little not/knot in the chain that ties him to me and feed myself instead -- "good enough, good enough, good enough."

4. Love your creations -- your stories, your characters, your poems or songs or business or whatever it is you're creating. Don't wait around for someone to tell you they're good. Love them regardless of what anyone else thinks. That's not to say you shouldn't be open to revising your work or your plans or whatever. Revision is part of the business and part of life. But love the essence of what you create. It's like how loving our children gives them a stronger start in the world than if we sent them out there without that base. Send your creations out into the world knowing they're loved

5. And finally, when seeking the mellow wait, remember, don't get attached to a time frame. It helps to move on and start something new while you're waiting to hear, so all your attention isn't tied into waiting. It's the old watched pot adage. Give it a little space and before you know it, your pot will be bubbling.

Wishing you brief and mellow waits

Posted by Cheryl at 10/22/2010 9:21 AM
Categories: friday five; life; writing; dreaming
Tags: friday five; life; writing; dreaming
 

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