Yeah, I got another professional disappointment lately. At the same time, heard some friends and fellow writers talking about positive things on Twitter. Everything bugged me from “working on the new novel” to “the proposal was approved!” to “heading to [insert awesomesauce* Viable Clarion Heaven Workshop here]“. Then there are the award nominees, the award hopefuls (the ones who really have a chance, not the rest of us) and just people I assume are more successful than I am.**
Then I remembered I had to do some work. Then I remembered that everyone else who are celebrating all of the above are working. Probably harder than I am. And I have work to do. So I could sit here feeling bad about myself or I could get to work.
The cure for jealousy: get to work.***
* Imma make my OWN workshop and call it Awesomesauce Workshop. Those invited? Me and some potato chips. Time? Tonight.
** Dude, before you even start, I know my Kickstarter campaign was an awesome, overwhelming success, but other things happen, and disappointments still have the power to, well, disappoint.
*** I desperately want to put swear words in this post. “Get to f****** work.” But even though that’s how I often talk, that’s now how I talk on this blog. So I was good. But the sentiment is there.
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5 Responses to The Cure for Jealousy
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If it was all acceptance speeches, book launches,success balloons and streamers (the cake is a lie) for everyone that tried, what challenge would that be?
How much sweeter will your success be when you, and you will, eventually get there? Wherever there is in your head because of course it’s all relative
Keep punching or in your case shoulder throwing Mur!
I’m there with you on the jealousy. Some days it seems like everyone ELSE has good news, and I have nothing.
I’m also there with you on the Awesomesauce Workshop – now I want some potato chips. Awesomesauce Workshop tonight!
Although you seem super human, you *are* a mere (although mighty) human. I hereby give you permission to be jealous from time to time and to also feel disappointed when things don’t go as well as you’d hoped. And maybe give yourself the same break you’d give the rest of us?
Mmmm… now I want chips… what flavor?
Mur, I just have to say, you are an AMAZING writer, and many of us would kill to have the success you have so far. (seriously, who do I have to kill, I have several places to get rid of the bodies)
While you don’t have dozens of book titles on store shelves, you have highly esteemed podcasts, tons of fans who will throw money at you to get you to self publish your work, and no small measure of fame and notoriety from other writers.
Me, I think you are great, and I can’t wait for each new episode of ISBW to thrill and inspire me. You do that Mur, you. That is worth a lot. Now chin up, butt in chair, hands on keyboard aaaand GO!
I’ve become convinced that no matter how successful I am in writing or the day job, I’ll always be fixated on the next step, on wanting more. I think the line was from Daniel Gilbert’s Stumbling on Happiness: “Our brains were made for next-ing, and that’s just what they’ll do.”
I always seem to have to remind myself that the real joy is in the writing and in rereading something that I’ve polished as much as I can. I’m sure I’ll have to keep reminding myself of that for the rest of my life.