LETTING GO OF THE FRUSTRATION

by Shirley M. Carolan

Today, I learned, or became aware of once again, the importance of letting go of situations, people, and things that I can’t control, especially computers and software when they decide to act up.

To keep my sanity, I realized the most important thing was not to be right but to be happy in the moment and let go of the struggle. Life just was not meant to be a struggle. It was meant to be enjoyed. I needed to regain my perspective, balance and priorities.

It may be that I will never conquer my new computer with Windows Vista and Microsoft Word 2007. Or, at the very least, perhaps I will gain just enough knowledge of them both to get on with my writing. I certainly don’t remember having the problems learning Windows XP that I’m having with Windows Vista.

There were other dynamics at work too. I had struggled for three days editing and rewriting a book proposal that was needed “yesterday” but which could not satisfy my marketing guru and confidante. Each time I submitted a rewrite she returned it with her version of what she felt was appropriate. After 4 days I gave up trying to please her.

It’s O.K. I reasoned, better to keep my sanity and energy moving in a positive direction than getting my nose out of joint because things weren’t going my way!! The need to be right was over ruled by the need to stay centered and balanced. As long as I knew I had given it my best shot that’s all I think I needed to accept to be at peace. Let the marketing guru have her way and get on with my life.

There are other, probably equally important, lessons for me to learn from these past four days than getting or doing things my way. I certainly can’t get back the time I spent trying to get things done “perfectly,” or rewriting and rewriting to please the marketing guru. And, it occurred to me that if the book struck the fancy of the publisher, that may not be the end of the deal. It’s possible their editor(s) will want me to change some words, or chapters in the book. I had better be prepared, I told myself, to acquiesce and not make things harder for myself. My passion for words and the careful way I use them to express myself and my work may have to take a back seat in this zany world of book publishing. H’m?

Shirley M. Carolan
artistwithaflair@att.net
Phone/Fax: 760-732-0332
www.shirleycarolan.com
http://smcarolan.blogspot.com
http://angelscross.blogspot.com