The importance of reading for pleasure

Last night I settled onto the couch, with the cat nestled happily on my chest, and started reading Sarah Jio’s latest novel, Blackberry Winter. I love the structure of Sarah Jio’s novels because of the dual narrative; each book juxtaposing present day with vivid memories of the past. I can’t think of another author with a greater talent for world building. Sarah’s descriptions of Seattle and Bainbridge Island are so engrossing, you can practically smell the saltiness of Puget Sound. But more than anything else, I love reading for pleasure because it reminds me why I write.

Since returning to full-time work, my blog (in addition to my household chores) has seriously suffered. There are takeout boxes littering the floor of my apartment and chopsticks glued to the coffee table in the living room, the remnants of last night’s coconut curry beef udon lingering in the air. I haven’t deep cleaned in over a month (shhh). I can’t even bring myself to look at the stack of bills sitting next to me, some envelopes haphazardly torn open, others glaring at me as if they contain anthrax.

I don’t know how authors hold down jobs, care for their children and still manage to pump out a word count in the quiet hours before dawn, or after everyone else has gone to sleep. In the past three years, the period when I completed my two novels, I never worked more than 30 hours a week. Writing in the afternoon wasn’t my biggest challenge. Getting my novels out there was.

Both of my books are still sitting in folders on my desktop. Each novel has been polished and revised too many times to count (though the second is in a closer state of “readiness” than the first). What’s preventing me from querying another agent? From submitting to a small press? From going on Smashwords, CreateSpace, Lulu, or any other self-publishing site and hitting “upload” ?

Part of me feels that it won’t be possible to simultaneously hold down a job, plan a wedding and publish a book. But another part of me wonders if maybe that’s not the problem. Maybe after two novels, I still haven’t written my best work, and I don’t want anyone to read my writing until I do. After finishing Blackberry Winter this morning, I asked myself if I could do better.

Have I yet reached my personal best? I don’t know. I don’t think so.

Now I have ideas swirling around in my mind for a third book. A book with more layers to it than my previous women’s fiction. The wooden floors beneath me can stay covered in cat hair for a few more hours. What I need to do now is to write those ideas down.

So to my friends in the blogosphere: don’t stop reading, don’t stop writing, and don’t forget who you are. Yes, YOU, the only person capable of telling your story.

Love,

Meredith

8 Comments
by Meredith Jaeger on September 29, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in 9-5 job, Book reading, chick lit, creativity, inspiration, literary agents
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Posted by Meredith Jaeger on September 29, 2012

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Remembering the art of expression

Wow, a lot has changed since my last post. Not only is the format of WordPress totally different (where have I been?) but I’ve made a life transition as well. For the first time in 3 years, I am returning to full-time work. I know, I know- I touted the benefits of solopreneurship and letting go of a life that looks good on paper. But the thing is, sometimes it’s necessary to find balance between our work personae and the creative fire we all have inside us.

With so much time on my hands at home, I found my desire to write waning instead of sparking into a flame. Now that I’m at a San Francisco startup with interesting young people, inspiration is all around me. From the gritty urban streets of SOMA with rambling homeless and honking delivery trucks, to the chanting hippie screen printers above the warehouse, my world has expanded with ideas. The only problem? I get home around 7pm to a whining cat, a hungry man, and a sink full of dirty dishes.

But today my coworker sent me an article in Psychology Today on George Carlin’s last interview. Intrigued, I clicked on it, not sure what to expect. What I found were inspiring words of wisdom for anyone who wants to follow their own path, and to express themselves authentically. George says, “A 20-year-old has a limited amount of data they’ve experienced, either seeing or listening to the world. At 70 it’s a much richer storage area, the matrix inside is more textured, and has more contours to it.”

I liked this idea of being 30-years-old and having a richer data set than I had ten years prior (even though I was out exploring more of the world back then.) George explains more in depth:

“Now at this age, I have a network of knowledge and data and observations and feelings and values and evaluations I have in me that do things automatically. And then when I sit down to consciously write, that’s when I bring the craftsmanship. That’s when I pull everything together and say, how I can best express that? And then as you write, you find more, ’cause the mind is looking for further connections. And these things just flow into your head and you write them. And the writing is the really wonderful part. A lot of this is discovery. A lot of things are lying around waiting to be discovered and that’s our job is to just notice them and bring them to life.”

I guess what I’m trying to say is that I too have my observations and feelings and values, which have led me to my life choices. Whether I’m tired from working late or feeling sorry for myself because the universe shit on my gratitude journal it’s not an excuse to ignore my blog or my novel. Instead each experience should feed the part of my brain that stores data to be incorporated into my writing.

It’s going to be harder now to stay focused, I know that much. But I hope every flapping pigeon’s wing, dirty sidewalk and ghostly whistle of the BART train stays hidden somewhere in my subconscious, waiting to be discovered and brought to life.

4 Comments
by Meredith Jaeger on August 31, 2012  •  Permalink
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Posted by Meredith Jaeger on August 31, 2012

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A message from the universe?

My cat has had diarrhea for the past two days (lovely, I know) and has smeared his ass all over my gratitude journal. I’ve been trying not to read too deeply into this. If it were a message from the universe, a fair interpretation would be: “Dude, I am cosmically shitting on you.”

True, times have been tough. My fiancé is injured right now from training Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and we both hope it’s not too serious. I’ve been going a little stir crazy from being at home all day freelancing and I miss the social interaction I used to have. Now my only companion is a cat who ( I know grammatically animals are “that” but he has a personality!) doesn’t appreciate the fact that I’m chasing him around with earth-friendly cat wipes, trying to clean his butt. He doesn’t care that they’re good for the planet–he wants to sit on the couch before I can catch him. Which he already succeeded in doing, by the way. Who wants to watch TV at my house? What? No one?

I think I’ve been wallowing too much recently in all of the things that have gone wrong, or could go wrong in the future. (We writers love to wallow in our misery like Honey Boo Boo splashing around in a giant puddle of mud. You betta redneck-ognize!). I haven’t blogged in a few weeks because I’ve felt so uninspired. Right now this might be one of my lamer blog posts, but at least it’s honest.

Sometimes the universe doesn’t give you what you want when you want it. Sometimes life is frustrating and confusing. Sometimes everything feels overwhelming.

Remember back to high school when every issue ( earlier curfew than your friends, a crush not liking you back) was blown so out of proportion that it felt like the end of the world? My emotions have been like that lately: a teenage drama queen’s roller-coaster ride. But I’m an adult now, and better equipped to deal with difficult situations. Yes the problems are bigger and sometimes everything still feels like it sucks. But I didn’t throw out my shit-stained gratitude journal. That would’ve been too sad and symbolic. Instead I tore off the cover and vowed to keep writing down what I’m grateful for.

Today I’m grateful to my friends, family and very patient fiancé for accepting me as I am: an imperfect human being with all my crazy thoughts. ( True story: on a camping trip last weekend I was voted a 7 on the crazy scale. 7! Obviously this was met with disagreement from me, and also from one lovely girl who works at Planned Parenthood and  has witnessed all kinds of crazy.)

So to my fellow crazies out there,

If you think you’re doing everything wrong and the universe hates you, this just isn’t true. Your cat still loves you because he doesn’t judge. Go clean him up and give him a good cuddle.

13 Comments
by Meredith Jaeger on August 16, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Freelance writing, rejection
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Posted by Meredith Jaeger on August 16, 2012

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Going for Gold: What the Olympics have taught me about writing

For the past few days I’ve been glued to my television, watching in awe as Olympic athletes from around the world perform perfectly synchronized dives, swim like maniacs, and fly from the uneven bars as if their bodies weigh nothing at all. I get choked up easily (one of my overly-sensitive Cancer traits) and it warmed my heart to see the smiles on the faces of the USA women’s gymnastics team when they won gold. They’re so young and cute, and yet they work incredibly  hard, performing amazing feats that I could never be brave enough to try. A lot of these girls sacrifice the chance to be normal teenagers, in order to pursue their goals with 100% focus.

As writers, we’re always reading about ways to improve our craft: take classes, get in a critique group, read more books, write everyday. But are any of us as dedicated to our writing as these Olympic athletes are to their sports? We try. Many writers juggle their passion for fiction or self-help or memoir with full-time jobs and raising children. Unlike Olympians, no one wakes us up at 4am to train (fueling us with pots and pots of coffee!), and pushes us to spend 10 hours a day, every day, in front of our computers, pounding out the best prose we can.

In writing life, who are the coaches? Are they our literary agents, forcing us to do our best? What about those of us writers who don’t have an agent? In that case, friends, family and spouses–anyone who encourages us not to give up–are they our coaches?

And what about the medal system?

For those of us seeking traditional publication, a book deal with a major house is like winning gold. I know it would be for me. That elation, like the expression on Missy Franklin’s face after completing the 100-meter backstroke-I imagine getting published by St. Martin’s or Simon & Schuster would feel like that.

But what of silver then, or bronze? Is it the literary equivalent getting published by a smaller house? A writer friend has been encouraging me to give up the agent search and to consider small presses. Since parting ways with his own agent, he’s signed three book deals and feels like his career is finally taking off. I think he has a very good point, and I’m tempted to submit to some lesser-known independent presses.

But I’m worried that without the fancy book cover and the rounds and rounds of agent and editor supervised revisions, I won’t feel the same sense of satisfaction upon publication. In an age when you can throw anything online and call it a novel, how do you know when your good enough is good enough? And shouldn’t we all strive to be great? Being traditionally published gives you the seal of approval that your writing is fantastic (though many will argue the opinions of gatekeepers mean nothing- hello Twilight!) Plus, traditionally published authors get to stand atop a podium (usually at a book reading) and say to everybody, “Look at what I did!”

Not to say that all successful traditionally published writers are terrible preachy people, bragging of their successes. Many are humble and quite nice. Some will even talk to you on Twitter! (Though I must say, a certain very tan, very blonde, very famous writer on tour right now has been getting on my nerves with her annoying Facebook posts!)

I guess no matter how we publish-traditional, indie, self-pub, small press-what matters is that we feel like we’ve won the gold. Writing, like any skill, requires hard work, patience and lots of practice.  If the effort has been put in, then the reward is seeing readers connect with our stories. The fame, the money and feeling like we’ve finally made it are all good things- but not the main thing.

So just like Jordyn Wieber, I’m going to toughen up. Maybe my victory won’t happen in the original way that I envisioned it, but with a little more teamwork, it will happen.

 

3 Comments
by Meredith Jaeger on August 1, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in inspiration, measuring success, setting goals, writing a novel
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Posted by Meredith Jaeger on August 1, 2012

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Changing direction: is a dream career worth the sacrifice?

I think one of the hardest parts of turning thirty for me has been letting go of the idea that I should already be established in my career. I read a wedding blog thread about the benefits of getting married in your thirties, and all the comments included the words, “financial stability.”  Thirty-something friends continue telling me that the best part of being in your thirties is knowing who you are, and having money. I have a good head on my shoulders…but money? Not so much. I’m not running around racking up credit card debt because I need a new pair of Jimmy Choos or a Brazilian wax (how did Carrie Bradshaw survive on her writer’s salary, exactly?). But even with frugal spending (Payless Shoe Source! Woot! Woot!), I can’t help but feel like I’ve missed a major milestone.

I’m still working towards the career I want.

And despite what society says, I don’t know if this is unusual. While some of my peers went to law school in their mid-twenties and have successfully worked their way up the corporate ladder, not everyone discovers their chosen path so early. Thankfully I have other close friends who are in the same boat as I am. One is contemplating a career  in the restaurant industry while another is deciding if business school is for her. This is a major departure from our original jobs in administration.

The problem with working in administration is that it’s safe. It might not a pay a lot, but it does pay for groceries, PG&E, gas, and the occasional splurge, like a really nice haircut.  Now that I have a wedding to plan for, the full-time jobs on Craigslist are starting to look mighty tempting. I feel torn. I’m getting some really good opportunities to branch out in a new direction-to gain experience editing in addition to my freelance writing. But piecing together jobs in an effort to become successfully self-employed is scary. Now that I’m faced with the real-life scenario of needing to save money, should I continue chasing a dream career?

I don’t know. I used to be an administrator by day and a writer by night. Now I’m trying to fuse my work with my passion so that my “real” career is a little more related to my dream career of being an author. Except I can’t decide what’s more important: doing the work I love or having the money to buy the things I love? Some lucky (hardworking) people can achieve both. But when I look at women like Marie Forleo and Gala Darling I don’t know if I have what it takes to become my own brand. Do I even want to be a brand? We writers are shy types, and the idea of the whole world watching videos of me talking is a little terrifying. Not to mention, I’d have to do my hair and makeup everyday.

This isn’t to say I won’t ever try a vlog. One of these days I might work up the guts to do it. But that means anyone can view it. Anyone! Ex-boyfriends, stalkers, my mother’s neighbors…and I don’t want to embarrass myself.  But that fear of embarrassment? Yeah, that’s society talking, telling me it’s embarrassing that I’m thirty-years-old and I don’t have a mega-successful website and a book deal, and a career to be jealous of.

While I may not have those things, I have something else: courage. Because whether you see me flourish as an entrepreneur or say “yes” to a traditional 9-5 job (hopefully in publishing) instead, I gave something new a try. My twenties were for traveling and building a career in international education. My thirties are something different. Something I haven’t figured out yet. And that’s okay.

6 Comments
by Meredith Jaeger on July 18, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in 9-5 job, Freelance writing, measuring success, turning 30
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Posted by Meredith Jaeger on July 18, 2012

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Turning 30: Am I an Adult Yet?

Today is my 30th birthday. Unlike birthdays of years past, this one feels different.  No more throwing back shots of tequila and saying, “Oh my god, I’m soooo old,” (knowing that at twenty-five, I wasn’t old at all). On this marker of a new decade I can’t help but look back at my twenties with a mixture of nostalgia and relief. My days of being single, packing my bags and starting a new life abroad (Netherlands,Czech Republic, Australia…why not?) are long gone. I miss soaking up the sun on Bondi Beach and not caring if I’d ever have a “real” job. Whatever paid the bills was fine with me: data entry, teaching English, pouring wine and selling cheese dressed up in a dirndl.

Side note: The dirndl the company shipped to me didn’t fit. Luckily, I’m proud of my Swiss-German heritage and already had one of my own!

I remember nights of dancing in underground techno clubs until dawn, my vision blurry from drinking fiery glasses of absinthe, and teetering home on high heels through Prague’s winding cobblestone streets. My skin was gloriously tanned and my skirts were too short ( to show off my once-upon-a-time tan legs). I felt so alive. I’d just graduated from college and I thought my twenties would stretch on forever. Lying on the banks of the Vltava, my MP3 player(no iPod back then) pumping Euro-pop, I didn’t have a care in the world.

Now after removing two abnormal moles (and developing a fear of wrinkles) my skin is no longer bronzed and I worry a lot more than I used to. Words like family, marriage and career have become a part of my adult vocabulary. These are no longer far-away things I can simply laugh off. For special occasions (by the power of Nero and alcohol!) I can still summon my energy for a crazy night of dancing.  But lounging on the couch in my sweatpants, watching Bizarre Foods with my fiancé,  is now the weekend norm.

And you know what? I wouldn’t trade it for anything. My nights of feeling young and pretty in high-heels and sparkly makeup were followed by viciously hungover and depressed mornings. Sleeping on the floor of a train station in Germany- because I couldn’t afford a hotel- wasn’t exactly a glamorous. Still, I miss traveling- a lot. In the years I’ve dedicated to writing, I haven’t taken a vacation. As I watch friends and family jet to Europe and Asia (with their hard-earned money, mind you) I wonder if I’ve done it all wrong.

I guess what I’ve learned is that even by thirty,  you can’t have it all. But as women, we feel like we should. There’s this pressure we put on ourselves: we need to have a loving husband, a great career, money to fly to Paris on a romantic vacation, and possibly a pair of well-behaved kids to boot. When we haven’t reached the expectations that we set so high, we feel like big, fat failures.

Life isn’t a romantic comedy. An agent probably won’t call me up today to say, “Happy birthday, I’m in love with your book!” (If that happens, I will die of shock). But I did get something else in my inbox: my wedding contract. Now that makes me feel simultaneously giddy and terrified. In one year, the dimple-faced cutie I met at community college will become my husband.

But I still buy clothes from the Junior’s department, drink beer, like pink girlie things and Hello Kitty. So I’m not the most mature thirty-year-old you’ll ever meet. And I’m not a famous author…yet. But I’m proud of the relationships I have with my friends and family. Both my mom and sister wrote me multicolored emails in all caps today to remind me that they like me, career accomplishments or not.

So if you’re a lady turning thirty-I think you are awesome. Be happy with what you do have instead of focusing on what you don’t. You might not get carded anymore, but that doesn’t matter. You’ve got a whole new decade to grow as a person and make mistakes…hopefully no longer  involving sleazy guys and too much tequila.

 

 

8 Comments
by Meredith Jaeger on July 5, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in inspiration, turning 30
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Posted by Meredith Jaeger on July 5, 2012

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Life ain’t a track meet, it’s a marathon

Today I bring you a nugget of  wisdom from Ice Cube and “You Can Do It, ” party anthem of ’99-the year I was a junior in high school. For all the peppy blogs out there (including mine) screaming at everyone to be who they are and to follow their dreams, well guess what no one tells you? It’s really fucking hard.

Right now I want to take my good-girl author persona and give her a slap. Waiting sucks, rejection sucks and the fact that it’s taboo to blog about it sucks. Too bad, I’m doing it anyway. Whatever happened to refreshing honesty? Here are my words of truth:

1. Going to the gym only makes you feel better while you’re on the treadmill. Then you go back to checking your email every 2 seconds.

2. Having been through the query process once does not make it any easier.

3. Your significant other will not understand how rejection feels, no matter how many analogies you come up with.

4. Clinging to the desire for traditional publication while self-publishing fanatics are everywhere kinda makes you feel like a freak who believes in unicorns

5. The ice cream will not help.

6. Looking for new comments (clues!) on QueryTracker will not help

7. Thoughts of giving up and finding a mindless 9-5 job enter your head

8. You apply for said 9-5 job and promptly get rejected

9. You start to freak out about the state of the economy

10. You want to tear down your vision boards and burn them (what would Oprah say?!)

But you don’t start a dumpster fire. You breathe. You remind yourself of how far you’ve come (and how terrifying it is looking at the jobs posted on Craigslist). If accomplishing a creative goal was as simple as a track meet, we’d all be past the finish line. So this is my marathon. Maybe I’m still training for it. Hell, I don’t even know if I’m running it yet. I think I am, but what if I’m only on mile 6, with twenty more to go. The only thing that keeps me going are the people cheering from the sidelines-people like you. Because I know when I see your faces (or your lovely avatars in cyberspace) I won’t stop writing. I will continue querying. And if some blessed fairy god-agent hasn’t ruled me out as a psychopath after reading this post, then maybe I will be one of the lucky ones.

 

 

7 Comments
by Meredith Jaeger on June 27, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in 9-5 job, inspiration, literary agents, rejection, setting goals, writing a novel
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Posted by Meredith Jaeger on June 27, 2012

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When you don’t feel like blogging…

Hi everyone,

Today I’m having one of those days. I’m staring at the empty white space in WordPress and wondering what on earth to talk about (along with trying to remember what adjectives are cumulative and if they need commas or not. Damn grammar class!) Usually when I feel stumped like this I read other blogs, or re-read old posts of mine to see what was happening in my life at this time last year. As it turns out, I was still revising The Trouble with Twenty-Two in June 2011. So at least progress has been made. Because as sad as it was to set that novel aside, it feels great to have finished Last Call for Olivia Bailey and to know it’s a better book than the first.

Have you ever re-read a manuscript that was set aside for nearly a year? I finally did it. Well, I read a few chapters.  I used to think it was  too painful to open the Word document because I’d worked so hard on my novel. How had it all come to nothing? But when I finally clicked on that file and started scrolling through the words, I smiled. This time I recognized the awkward voice and the third-person pov that didn’t really work. I still think I have good descriptions and storytelling abilities (See? I couldn’t remove myself completely and act as an objective observer) but the book was bigger than I could manage. There was just too much going on.

It was as though I had to take every experience in my life, each funny story and each observation, and put it into that manuscript. And then fictionalize it. This time around, I started with a theme that interested me. Turning 30. Because that’s about to happen in a few weeks…and then I’ll really have something to blog about! But the theme was enough. It got me excited about writing again, when I felt like totally giving up. Though it took some time to get the ball rolling, I slowly produced a second manuscript. I don’t feel the same tugging-at-my-heart-strings intense joy (requests!) and devastating sadness (rejection??!) while querying this novel, but I think it’s because I’ve wised up. Instead I feel a sense of calm. I’ve learned from my past mistakes and I believe my patience will pay off.

So if this rambling non-post has a message: write what you want. Agents want to read a well-written story that grabs their interest. Start with your own interests and don’t worry about whether or not YA Paranormal is still going to be hot next year. Hopefully you’ll find an agent whose interests match your own. And when that happens? It’s magic. Because someone is as excited about your work as you are. Write for you. Then learn to write well. Take a crazy grammar class if you want to, and read lots of books on craft. But don’t stop writing. Even when you don’t feel like blogging, there’s still another post in you. You can do it!

 

6 Comments
by Meredith Jaeger on June 20, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in inspiration, literary agents, writing a novel
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Posted by Meredith Jaeger on June 20, 2012

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Challenge Yourself

Boredom is a tricky feeling. It isn’t as unpleasant as depression or anger, so it quietly permeates your being until your motivation is sucked away. Many people are bored in their jobs, their routines and with life in general, but not uncomfortable enough to do anything differently. “Why make a change?” they ask, “when everything is fine just the way it is?”

Because your life can be better than the status quo. How? By taking on new challenges, embracing hopes (and the fears that go along with them) and pushing harder. Recently, I decided to earn my Professional Certificate in Editing through UC Berkeley Extension. I wanted something that would improve my own writing and which could help me in my career further down the road. But what I didn’t know was that this first course (out of four) is really hard! My class, “Grammar, Mechanics and Usage for Editors,” is more intense than any of the training I did to become certified to teach English as a second language. And the material is bone dry.

How is it that I never heard of correlative conjunctions, object compliments, predicate adjectives and prepositional phrases before?  My memories of learning German grammar in college are hazy, and honestly, I think English grammar is even more confusing. But no matter how boring this class can be, and how challenging the concepts are, I’m glad that I’m doing this. Already I’m looking at my writing with a critical eye. I realized I needed to use the adverb differently instead of the adjective different in my first paragraph, because the verb “do” was being modified. (Okay, I’ll stop before your eyes glaze over).

The point is, pushing your boundaries is a good thing. I reluctantly signed up for a pole-dancing fitness class a few months ago, and that’s been even more challenging than learning grammar! My feet get bruised, my arms shake as I try to support my entire body weight for more than a few seconds, and I usually feel ridiculous. Will I ever glide around effortlessly, wearing 5 inch stripper stilettos and oozing sex appeal? Probably not. I don’t think I’m meant to conquer the pole. But that’s okay, because I’ve succeeded in performing a few moves and I’ve tried something I never thought I would.

So whether your challenge is small, like improving your tennis serve, or big like completing a marathon in under 3 hours or becoming fluent in Japanese- go for it! It feels better to be working hard at something than sitting home channel surfing (or surfing the internet). Living life with purpose will give you a deeper appreciation for your free time. Because when you do get the chance to catch up on your favorite TV shows, you may realize you’d rather be practicing what you love instead.

2 Comments
by Meredith Jaeger on June 6, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in inspiration, measuring success, setting goals
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Posted by Meredith Jaeger on June 6, 2012

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Manifesting What You Want

I’ve written about  The Secret before and questioned whether it’s a bunch of hooey. But I have to admit, something about The Law of Attraction really appeals to me. Imagine and feel what you want to have happen in your life and it will come true! Sure that sounds  gimmicky, but what’s so wrong with positive thinking? I’ll save you the trouble of buying another *woo woo magical vibes* self-help book that you’re too embarrassed to be seen reading in public. (Isn’t that why the Kindle was invented?) Here are my favorite bits of wisdom from The Law of Attraction. Even if it doesn’t actually work, there’s no harm in applying these principles to everyday life:

1. Keep a Gratitude Journal

The Law of Attraction requires you to “vibrate on a higher frequency” (I know, but stay with me here) by keeping a daily gratitude journal. Every morning when you wake up and every night before you go to bed, mentally take note of the things in life you’re grateful for. In a notebook, write down a list of whatever comes to mind. It shouldn’t take a near-death experience to feel  truly alive. Like Katy Perry sings post divorce, “I’m Wide Awake.” You can be grateful for something as simple as the sunshine outside your window or the cup of coffee in your hands. Because being happy with what you already have will shift the focus away from longing for what you don’t.

2. See the Silver Lining

Some days, it feels nearly impossible to stay positive. But the LOA states that negative feelings bring about negative consequences. One book I read said to come from “a place of joy” when paying the bills! Um yeah, I haven’t learned how to give my money to Blue Shield without being roiled by our messed up healthcare system,  but I’m trying. Right now, the walls in my bedroom have been torn out so the mold inside them can be eradicated and my fiance and I won’t get sick from breathing it. All my bedroom furniture is in the kitchen and the apartment is in chaos. But the silver lining? Our problem is getting fixed and we’re not paying rent this month. Sweet!

3. Choose Happiness

Most of our obligations are actually choices. Don’t stay trapped in a situation that’s making you unhappy. Identify what’s not working for you and see what you can change. Hate your job? Leave it. In an unhealthy relationship? End it. Fear of the unknown isn’t a comfortable feeling, but it’s part of life. And when you choose to make a change, you regain control. It feels better to say that you “choose” to do something than you “have to” do it. For instance, I just spent an insane amount of money getting another crown done. But instead of cursing my genetics and wishing for someone else’s teeth (or a plane ticket to Europe instead of a gold grill like Lil Wayne), I thought, “I choose to keep my smile healthy.”

4. Acknowledge The Closeness of the Match

The Law of Attraction says that while we put our desires out into the universe, we have to be very specific about what we ask for. Things don’t always manifest themselves in the ways that we expect them to. Part of what you want might come true and when it does, acknowledge the closeness of the match. You’re that much closer to getting what you really want. For years, I’ve had a  vision board up on my wall with images of the life I want to live. It has phrases like “freedom” and “the art of reinvention.” But the most loaded word was “novelist.” The other day, I realized it was time to make a new vision board. Why? Because everything came true.  I have freedom now that I’ve reinvented myself from an administrator to a freelance writer. And I am a novelist. I’ve completed two novels. That’s more than most people can say when they’re “still thinking about” writing one.

So my next board? It will definitely have the word “Published” on there in bold. And maybe I’m crazy for thinking that following some Martha Beck exercise will make my dreams come true. But I don’t care. Manifesting what you want is only a matter of believing in yourself. And someone’s got to do it. That person might as well be you.

 

20 Comments
by Meredith Jaeger on May 30, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Freelance writing, inspiration, the law of attraction
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Posted by Meredith Jaeger on May 30, 2012

http://thetroublewithtwentytwo.wordpress.com/2012/05/30/manifesting-what-you-want/

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