Savor the Success - Business Network for women entrepreneurs

The last time I blogged here, I was caught up in a siege of superstition. I was breaking wishbones, blowing on dandelions and generally doing everything in my power to make a wish come true. I was doing this mostly because I no longer had control. I'd done all I could to convince a publisher to buy my book.


I'd built a blog with a following. I'd gotten media exposure for it. I'd written and edited my proposal a million and one times.


In the end, I just had to trust that an editor would believe what I did: that people would buy my book.


I don't do this trusting thing very well. It's something I should probably work on. I went to a Buddhist meditation class and tried to release my attachment to the "book deal." That worked for about 24 hours.


For the most part, between the time I pressed send and the day of the book auction, I was a nervous wreck.


Thankfully, the book generated a lot of interest from various publishers. I went to New York for meetings, where I was told all sorts of wonderful things. Someone compared my voice to the voice in Bridget Jones Diary. A publicist told me she could see me on Oprah. I was complimented on my courage and honesty. Nearly everyone resonated with my funeral fantasy.


I'd never felt more validated.


But after the meetings came a week and a half of waiting. Did I tell you that I don't do this trust thing very well? I kept thinking that it had all been a dream. They really didn't all like me like they said they had.


In the end, though, it wasn't just a dream. I accepted an offer from Running Press (the same publisher that did Skinny Bitch and Sneaky Chef) to publish my book in early 2011. Yes, it's quite a long way away, but it's still very exciting!


Eventually I realized that all of my wishing and wishbone breaking isn't what made it all happen. I could have not made a wish on a single dandelion. This still would have happened. It would have because I wrote a good book. I have a blog with a good following. I have connections to the media and can land myself profiles and interviews. I'm an industry insider. I have an amazing agent. All of the right pieces were in the right places.


It's a good book. When the time comes, it will sell. I will allow myself to put my trust in that.


This will probably be the last blog I put up on STS in a long time. I've reached my initial goals and have completed my initial projects. I doubted myself many times during this journey. I fell on my face many times. Many times I felt like a failure. But I kept getting up and kept trying because I never gave myself a choice to quit.


I encourage you to dare to dream. Believe in yourself. Go after that thing that you've always wanted. Trust. With enough effort, all things are possible. I really and truly believe that. Your dream is within your grasp.

Alisa Bowman offers free marriage advice and help on her blog, projecthappilyeverafter.com.