A Matter of Perspective

I have sold eight copies of my first ever e-book!

Yep. I am excited. I posted the book on Kindle on January 2 and on Friday I sold my eighth one!

Excited yes, but...

A long while back I wrote about buts and how our BIG BUTS often stall us on our journeys.

Why wouldn’t I be excited, you might be asking?

Simple.

I am doubting that my e-book has any value. Sure, seven people other than me spent the whopping .99 cents (USD) plus tax (if applicable). But does that mean that those other five people saw any value in the book?

That is my self doubting, internal critic nipping at my heels trying to make me feel unworthy. The little ankle biter is good at what critics do—they criticize. They attempt to tear down what we build.

I thought, well, I will look to see if anyone has reviewed the book. No one had at that point.

That is almost worse than seeing a bad review.

My ultra negative critic is whispering that the book was so awful that the folks who bought it are figuring out how to get their money back rather than “wasting their time” writing a review.

WOW!

I realize that I sure do allow that nasty critic to say some really awful things about me!

So I am setting another SMART goal...

Goal: Beating up and kicking out the Internal Critic!

Specific: Putting an end to negative thinking. When a negative thought comes into mind, vanquish it!

Measurable: Document more and more days without negative comments.

Achievable: Definitely and right soon!

Relevant: If I don’t kick this freeloader out, then I will be forever at the mercy of one who is not looking out for my best interests!

Time-Bound: This one is a bit harder because I want to say immediately, but I am not certain that it can be done that quickly. I will give myself one month to see progress.

About that big but...

Is my big but going to stop me from pushing the publish button for my next e-book?

No way! In fact, I pushed the button last night and published my second e-book. The first one is 17 pages long. This one is 48 pages.

That BIG BUT has not prevented me from putting those books together and continuing to do so.

It has not stopped me from working on my business websites.

I think the big but has been bothering me because this is something new and new things are scary. Aren’t they?

What about you?

Do you let something hold you back? Do you have an internal or even an external critic? Are you your own worst enemy?

Do you feel led to do something, but let that BIG BUT hold you back? Do you let that nagging little voice of doubt blind you to the fact that you are worthy and have value?

Let’s slay that monster!

In fact, here is a sword that I was given last week. My first book was the #1 New Release in its category!

It doesn’t get much better than that.

As of this writing, I also have one five-star (out of five) review!

I think 2021 is looking a lot brighter!