Never Apologize for Being Who You Are...

There's a cute kid on American Idol--seventeen-year-old Sanjaya Malakar. He's still in the running, when admittedly better singers have been voted off in his stead. Even the judges, who've seen this kind of thing happen before, are befuddled to the point of not really being able to be encouraging anymore--"you have great hair," was all Randy Jackson could come up with after Tuesday's performance. But Sanjaya's still there...standing with the other guy in the bottom two last night, hearing that he was going to stay for another week, and looking like he wanted to crawl under a rock because he shouldn't be there...

Knock it off Sanjaya!!! Something like millions of people all over this country just voted for you. You aren't having the best week ever, I get that. You're in a singing competition, and you really can't sing at the level of most of the other contestants, but you've got something people like to see enough to vote so they can see more next week. Don't you dare apologize for being who you are. Don't you dare!

Never give your power away to the instinct to beat up on yourself for the good things in your life. Trust me. Been there, still go there myself too much. Not a good place. Do you deserve your stroke of fortune??? Honestly, I'm of the mind that most of what we receive in life is along the lines of a gift. There's a whole world of good, hardworking people out there. At any given time there are those who are receiving good, and those who couldn't get their hands on the good stuff, if their lives depended on it. Seasons come and go. This is your time to shine and smile and be thrilled and make the most of it. To be grateful and feel lucky. Ruin this moment because you think you don't deserve it, and I promise you, you'll regret it once you're home and thinking back about all that's been given to you.

We all deserve every speck of good that comes into our lives. And get this... Good doesn't happen in a vacume. What's good for you can be good for all the people around you, as well as the ones you'll meet in the future who can learn from what you do now with your good fortune.

Don't waist your gift and throw away the chance to figure out what it means. People are responding to you and want you around so they can enjoy what you're doing some more... Don't let yourself feel anything but proud and honored and excited by the fact that you still have another chance to reach your fans.

And, yeah-yeah, this is one of those times when I'm talking to myself as much as I am to anyone else. You just never know in the book business. When you're up, it's always possible you'll be down tomorrow. When you're down, it's easy to believe you might never make it to whatever place you have your heart set on reaching, so you can know you've achieved one of your career goals. Another news flash coming...you can't control when or if the success comes. You can only make the most of the gifts you're given now.

So, whether I'll ever hit a big-time list or be the lead author at my publisher or become a household name, I'll stay focused on the fact that enough readers like what I'm doing, that they vote with their purchasing power to keep me around a while longer. This journey belongs as much to my readers as it does to me... I refuse to ever let myself get to the point that I can't write anymore, because I'm not sure I belong...and trust me, most writers are at one time or another are convinced they don't.

So, I've learned to write through the low points and the times when there's no self-confidence left... I keep writing and pitching new story ideas, as if I belong there beside all the other "real" writers...

And then, suddenly, it seems that I do ;o) I just sold two more books into the Atlanta Heroes series (Remember Me, which you've read a chapter of), and a third book that I'm already in love with. Going back to contract is never fun, and we're still hashing out the details. Again, never fun. But, I get to hang with you guys some more and write more books that thousands of readers will one day hold in their hands... Dear, Lord!!! That's my dream come true!!! How did that happen???

What's your dream? Have you ever told yourself that you don't deserve it... can't have it... would never belong up there with the folks who are already "winners?" Well, knock it off Sanjaya!!! Shake the doubt off right along with me and live the gifts you've been given.

Here's to a year of good stuff for all of us, and a year of the hard-work it sometimes takes to believe that good things can really be ours!

Oh, and yesterday's winner of the first lovely, green Liz Claiborne purse... thatbrunette... Send me your mailing address!!!

One more purse and a froggie to go... Leave a comment today to be in the running ;o)