TRANSCRIPT

The previous videos covered the first two parts of the Unstoppable Author Framework, health and heart. This video jumps into the third part … harmony.

Now, you already know how difficult it is to get published. No matter if you have your why, no matter how committed you are, no matter how good you are at overcoming excuses and focusing on your writing, the rejections still come in. And when they come in it's depressing, it's frustrating, they can diminish your self-worth and they can even make you feel like giving up.

I've read plenty of Tweets from struggling writers who are at the end of their rope and feel like it's not even worth trying.

Those are real and understandable feelings, and that is where the third part of the framework comes into play. Harmony helps you move forward despite the rejections by focusing on your mindset. This part of the framework unlike the others requires just one step. And that step is Meditation.

So I encourage you to add meditation to your morning routine. By practicing meditation, you’ll be so much better equipped to deal with the inevitable rejections. You’ll of course feel disappointed when those rejections come in, but meditation helps you let go of those feelings. So instead of going down the spiral of “I’ll never get published” or “I’m a terrible writer,” meditation allows you just to let go of those feelings.

Growing up in California, we called this “going with the flow.” But as you move forward on your publication journey, rejections are just a natural and unavoidable part of the process. So go with the flow. Rather than getting emotionally involved with each rejection, just acknowledge it, let it go and move on to what you can control ... and that of course is writing and sending out queries.

So for me personally for meditation, I like using the Headspace app. I find the direction it provides to be super useful in helping me let go of the disappointment, worry, stress or just whatever emotion comes up. But use whatever works for you. Like exercise and fostering your relationships, meditation doesn’t have to take long. Spend 5 or 10 minutes each morning.

And kind of a related part to meditation is detachment. It's another mindset tactic to help you let go of your feelings and to keep going in your pursuit of becoming a published picture book author. You can’t force getting published. But that doesn’t mean to give up or not keep going after what you want. It means to simply let go of the end result and focus on what you can control. And like I said before, that's writing, querying ... learning. These small steps will add up overtime and lead to big results.

And here’s one more tip … Daily meditation, combined with daily exercise and daily connection to your loved ones, helps you to feel good physically, mentally and emotionally.

They also have a powerful side benefit of building your confidence. When you set goals and accomplish them, no matter how small, no matter if it's just five minutes a day meditating, you become even more inspired to continue moving forward towards your goal of become a published picture book author.

So that is step 3, meditation.

Thanks for watching. If you got any value out of this video, please like it, subscribe to my channel and share the video with other aspiring picture book authors.