Tomorrow my alter ego, Maggie Clare, is releasing a new book. Release day is always exciting, but also a little bittersweet and somewhat underwhelming. It would seem that all the hard work of writing, editing, and promoting will come to fruition on this one day, but that’s not how it works.
A good bit happens during the pre-release phase, and there will still plenty of work to do in the days following. That’s just the nature of the publishing beast. I’ve learned to celebrate this one moment for sure. After all, it’s a milestone. But, I’ve also learned to lower my expectations for the day itself.
Expectations are tricky. They imply that there is a satisfactory outcome or an unsatisfactory one, when we really don’t have much control over outcome.
When the kids were little, the amount of chaos around the house was pretty significant. For both Ray and I, two obsessive compulsive neat freaks, this was a challenge. But we weren’t the only people living in the house, and to expect four little ones to maintain an order that met our expectations was completely unreasonable. A friend suggested we simply lower those expectations. When we did, our lives became a lot less stressful.
I had all kinds of plans for 2020 with regard to book sales, travel, panels and signings. Despite the ground work and preparation, none of it came to fruition. No one predicted that a global pandemic would derail everything! While this year has been challenging on so many levels, I actually adapted my work plans pretty quickly. In this creative space, I’ve become adept at focusing on those things I can control, and letting go of everything else.
So, I don’t really have expectations for tomorrow, other than to appreciate I accomplished something, and I took another step forward on my chosen career path. Without expectations, I am free to enjoy whatever the results.
“My expectations were reduced to zero when I was 21. Everything since then has been a bonus.” -Stephen Hawking
In case you are interested, click here for Maggie Clare’s Tactical Solutions International romantic suspense series. And don’t worry, if this is not your jam, I’m working on a gritty urban fantasy novel featuring a vigilante lady assassin who kills bad guys in their sleep!