good vibrations

I'm slammin' busy.

I'm so busy I haven't had time to write in my own blog, much less read anyone else's. And I feel bad. I feel as if I've neglected my readers.

But let me tell you about this weekend. Let's just say that thanks to synchronicity and the generosity of a couple, I found myself at the Abraham-Hicks Law of Attraction seminar at the Inn at Biltmore Estates in Asheville, NC this past weekend.

For starters, wowie!! Beautiful area, especially at this time of year.

For those who don't know Abraham-Hicks or Law of Attraction (LOA), I invite you to click here to go to the website and check it out. In a nutshell, LOA states that "that which is like unto itself is drawn." Put another way, when you are in vibrational harmony with your desire, you attract the object of your desire. You may have also heard the expression "what you give out comes back to you." Something like that.

Long before The Secret (and let me tell you, The Secret was no secret; rather, it was a brilliant marketing plan), there was Abraham-Hicks. And I've been practicing LOA for a long time. I could give you example after example of LOA at work in my life (and others'), but let's get to the point sooner than later. The seminar is really more of a conversation between Abraham (via Esther Hicks) and participants (or, in LOA-speak, co-creators). Those w/ questions raise their hands, and are selected at random to sit in the "hot seat," where they pose their questions in front of an eager audience.

In the days leading up to Sunday, I had formulated a question, an issue to bring to the seminar, and possibly Abraham themself (yes, I know I'm using the incorrect pronoun there, but in their vernacular, it's correct). I didn't know if I would raise my hand, for something in my gut told me that if I had, I would definitely be selected. (Did I mention that there's a video camera recording the event, as well as a microphone for audio recording as well? And that the images were projected on screen the whole time?) Quite frankly, I wasn't sure if I wanted that kind of attention.

My question, or issue, centered around the negative beliefs about self-publishing that I am still clinging to. I've shared them before, and you know them as well: the ones that say self-publishing isn't "legitimate," it's too expensive, won't bring recognition or dollars, etc. I could name them all w/ ease. But where were/are the beliefs to the contrary? Now, how LOA fits into these beliefs (and a belief is nothing more than a thought or series of thoughts repeated over time, and thoughts are vibrations of energy -- can you tell I've been drinking the kool-aid?) is that what I have been attracting has been in response to these vibrational thoughts. I mean, think about it. My book was supposed to be ready for sale back in July. I've had technical difficulty after technical difficulty. Co-incidence? Precisely. Put another way, I've been attracting delay, because I don't fully believe that what I'm doing validates me as a writer.

I can understand how some might find this to be a bunch of hooey, but I've witnessed enough events in my life to believe (there's that word again) otherwise.

I knew I had to change my thoughts (and I've been trying, even through this forum), but I wasn't sure where to start. I wanted a little help w/ that.

Well, I didn't raise my hand. But by listening to Abraham's responses to other questions, I felt more assured that I could take the initiative myself. What's more, the energy in the room was quite uplifting, although I had a dull headache for much of the day; at first, I thought it was fatigue, until I realized that the pain was emanating from the point known as the mind's eye. I then understood all too well that I was experiencing resistance -- in other words, the negative, false beliefs were fighting to stay alive.

And so, knowing that I am a co-creator of my life and all of my experiences, it's time to change my thoughts. I'll start with appreciation and positive aspects.

• For one thing, I'm a damn good writer and worthy of being published, whether it's through Lulu.com or Simon and Schuster.
• Second, irony of all ironies, aside from their books, Abraham-Hicks self-publish all their materials! In other words, who's the authority on "legitimacy," and why should I listen to them?
• Third, self-publishing is giving me the freedom to release my book my way, and I can give myself all the attention I need regarding things like promotion and distribution. I am my best client. And through all the technical difficulties and mistakes, I've learned lessons, used my excellent rhetorical and communication skills (and my former lifetime in customer service/sales hasn't hurt), and given myself an opportunity to practice what I preach about being present, and responding vs. reacting.

Not a bad start, eh?

It's high time we writers start aligning our thoughts to what we really want. We can become bestsellers, we can attract agents and publishing deals, and we can be successful self-publishers, if we so desire. We can make writing our day jobs, the one that brings home the bacon. We are worthy. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. But we need to start acting as if we're already bestsellers, as if the agent is already here, as if the check's on its way. We need to think from the end, and stop listening to the voices in our heads or in the trade magazines or sitting next to us who say it can't be done, or it's too hard, etc. And if you think I'm just babbling a bunch of b.s. or that I'm naive, then of course you're free to think so; but please don't voice that in a Comment. I'd like to use this blog as a forum to practice appreciation and building new and better thoughts/beliefs. You're welcome to join me in this; and my hope is that you'll adapt these higher-frequency beliefs for yourself and your writing/publishing intentions.

I'm so slammin' busy that I haven't attended to making the necessary adjustments for my novel, but I'm going to. I'm going to fix it, I'm going to publish and release my novel, and I'm gonna sell a shitload of books and get rave reviews and follow up w/ my next novel, and the next, and the next. (In fact, I need to get out of the future tense and into the present: It's getting done. It's on its way.) Why? Because I can, and because I am in harmony w/ a universe that supports my intentions.

I think Abraham would agree.