The Purpose of IWSG is to share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!
To join IWSG visit Ninja Captain Alex J. Cavanaugh here.
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Yes, this is another of those IWSG posts on how positive thinking is the key to writing happiness and fulfillment, so brace yourself.
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A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity;
an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.
~WINSTON CHURCHILL
Optimist:
someone who figures that taking a step backward after
taking a step forward is not a disaster, it’s a cha-cha.
~ ROBERT BRAULT
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Testing your level of optimism:
Answer A or B to the following:
A. There’s very little possibility of writing a book that sells in this market.
B. Of course it’s possible to write a book that sells.
A. Chances are slim my cold query is going to attract an agent.
B. My book is fabulous, my query awesome, eventually the stars will align and I will get THE CALL.
A. Why bother to self-market? It’s swimming upstream against the current.
B. Building a readership takes time. If I’m willing to learn and work, I can make it happen.
ALL six of the above answers are valid. The difference is that the A responses embody negative self talk, focusing on why we can’t do something—inevitably talking ourselves into failure, frustration, and unhappiness.
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One final test question.
In the photo below, is the glass:
A. half empty?
B. half full?
You get the idea…
Steve Jurvetson/flickrcc
So, are you an A looking to become a B? Here are a few suggestions:
- BE GRATEFUL – think and you’ll fine reasons.
- Focus on positive alternatives.
- Surround yourself with positive people.
- Think of yourself as a positive person, act accordingly. Create your own reality.
- Stop the negative self talk. Even if your heart tells you A, repeat B as if it were your mantra.
- Focus on the end of your journey. Failures are opportunities to learn and grow along the way. Ending in failure is a choice not a condition.
- Have patience. Work hard.
- Share in other writers’ good news and be INSPIRED.
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If all else fails? remember the immortal words of HERM ALBRIGHT (1876 – 1944):
A positive attitude may not solve all your problems,
but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort.
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What are your suggestions for staying positive?
I find chocolate helps. Other tips?
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VR BARKOWSKI 
Honey that glass is totally half empty, or the cat would be seriously wetting his whiskers!! Really, how can you not see that?
I’m glass-half-empty girl, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have a sense of humor, or can’t see the forest for the trees. Sometimes, its easier to “ask the next probing question” if you think the worst, but hope for the best. As a social worker, people are always telling me to first see the best in people; but when I do that, I forget to ask some character defining questions. Hey, I love it when people prove their best intentions even before I ask them to.
But, I do surround myself with positive thinkers, just to keep myself balanced. Nevermind my answers to the test questions . .
I’m glass half-empty, too, Donna. That’s why I do so many of these positive thinking posts. I’m a strong believer in “think the worst, hope for the best.” I don’t believe it’s possible to be cynical with any other mindset, and cynicism is a survival skill I am not entirely willing to give up.
Loved this, V.R.
Thanks, Denise. 🙂
I just fill up the glass or let the cat drink it until it is empty, then no issue. haha I think there needs to be a balance, you can be happy go lucky all the time, but that doesn’t mean there will be any results to being pessimistic
Ha! As if Orlin would put up with drinking out of a glass!
I love this. That cat is thinking, “Damn, my head won’t fit. Now I have to knock the glass over and make a mess. But it’s worth it . . . as soon as I get my head out of here.”
I’m a B girl, but I nearly always have a plan for what to do if A happens.
You are a wise woman, Carol. If I could switch from A to B, that’s how I’d like to do it.
I’m a pathological optimist. Always have been. That doesn’t mean I’m never disappointed or kicked in the teeth by tragedies, but I don’t waste time worrying about all the terrible things that might happen. For me, it’s a matter of making a conscious decision to approach life that-a-way. Hope for the best, and then deal with the rest.
So true, Susan. Worrying never does anyone any good. Not that I don’t worry. I do, but it has never paid off.
The glass is not half-empty. It is not half-full. It’s just too darn big! Ask the cat. 🙂 William James, the father of American psychology, said the attitude with which we start a project is the single most important aspect of it succeeding or not.
I’m neither A or B. I’m just a “enjoy the journey” kind of guy! Loved this post and the photo. Mark Twain would have loved Herm. Roland
This is the first time a photo ever inspired a post, but I couldn’t resist the kitten. I hope after the pic was taken, s/he received a nice big BOWL of water.
I guess I haven’t been very optimistic lately, which can be seen in my newest IWSG post, but I will take your advice into account and try to be more optimistic. 🙂
Your post was great, Chrys. Our work is part of us. It’s hard enough to let go, but when we’re disappointed in the results, it makes it that much worse. There’s so little of the publishing process we can control, it’s really is a challenge.
I like to take the geeky-nerd POV. The glass is full! 50% water 50% air. I really need to get one of those t-shirts too!
Excellent thinking outside the glass, Holly! Or, I guess that’s inside the glass, isn’t it? 🙂
The glass is half-cat!
Funny. I thought I was more negative. But I seem to feel more positive by your quiz. I guess the way to stay positive is to recognize negative thoughts as what they are and try to let them go.
True, sometimes we don’t recognize we’re thinking negatively and that’s when it gets a foothold.
It IS half-cat. I really love the picture!
I’m not sure those are my only two choices. I’m a Nike girl. Just Do It! I’m not even sure I set goals. I just write and keep writing and don’t worry about where it takes me. No one wanted to publish me, so I did it myself and never looked back. I guess I was too old to need validation. You can psychologize the point to death and accomplish nothing. Are we writing for everyone else or do we please ourselves? If it’s the latter, than stop with the angst and write. Is what you’re writing good? Are you pleased? Then send it out if that’s what you want. And keep sending it. So you might not be the next best thing in the literary world. Or maybe you will be. All I know is negativity doesn’t get you where you want to go. It only holds you back.
then stop, not than stop. Edit, edit, edit.
Beautifully said, Polly. I think we all want to believe we have a certain amount of talent, and because of it we’re in someway special. Fact is, there is an endless pool of talented (and not-so-talented) writers. In the end, it’s tenacity that inevitably wins the race, and tenacity and negativity don’t work well together. Sure, there are a few rare exceptions, but just because someone wins the lottery doesn’t mean I can play the same numbers and win too.