I'm Unbalanced

Yeah, yeah. “Tell us something we don’t know, Evangeline.”

Joking aside, I realized this past week that I’m a glass half empty type of person even though, if you asked me, I’d tell you the opposite.

But when it comes to my writing goals, I buy into the “Don’t get your hopes up and then you won’t be disappointed” philosophy. But the truth is, that mindset never saved me from the sting of disappointment. Neither was it ever particularly necessary. Sure I’ve received rejections and setbacks, but none of them came with devastating words like, “You have cheese for brains,” “Don’t quit your day job,” or “Please don’t ever write again, not even grocery lists.”

We tell our kids the somewhat misleading platitude, “You can achieve your dreams.” But somewhere along the road to adulthood that becomes, “Don’t get your hopes up.” What is wrong with us that we have to go with an all or nothing approach? In writing, in dreaming, in life—balance is key. Notice I did not include eating chocolate on that list.

The next time you’re facing what you perceive as a crucial meeting, phone call, or proposal, save yourself some sweat and lay off the extreme self-talk. I know I need to take my own advice and stop making death sentences out of rejection letters.

Now, I think I’ll go do some positive verbal exercises while listening to When You Wish Upon a Star.

Evangeline is a nice person.

Evangeline is a good writer.

Other people like Evangeline.

Other people like to read Evangeline’s work.

Right now, someone is reading Evangeline’s words and thinking, “Evangeline is a nice person. Evangeline is a good writer. Evangeline has cheese for brains.”

WAIT! How’d that get in there?