Don't Dream Too Big

Don't  Dream Too Big

By Rita Emmett

Regular Guest @ SlantedK

DMK gives this two thumbs up!

DON'T DREAM TOO BIG. That's what I heard from EVERYONE (including people who loved me) when I was writing my first book, The Procrastinator's Handbook.

I didn't personally know anyone who was published and didn't have any connections, but I dreamed of selling tons of books all over the world.

Friends and not-so-friendly folk went out of their way to inform me that:

•    You are shooting too high.

•    You should not raise the bar so high.

•    Hundreds of thousands of books get published every year; don't count on yours ever being published.

•    You need a huge group of people to back you if you want to be published.

•    Even if you DO get published, don't think any of your books will sell.

This went on and on and on.

Undaunted, above my computer I hung a Snoopy poster where he sat on top of his doghouse typing and said, "It's exciting when you've written something that you know is good!"

I had notes all over my office such as:

“Rita Emmett --- Best Selling Author”

“I’m so happy my book, The Procrastinator’s Handbook, is helping people all over the world.”

“All the top TV shows want to interview me about my best selling book.”

“Ahhhhhhh - - the joy of writing a best selling book.”

When people saw them they smirked, they snickered, and then they again reminded me not to dream too big.

Also undaunted, my husband, Bruce, cleared out a shelf of our bookcase and said, "That's for all your foreign books." So now…. besides the poster and notes all over my office ….. there was this obvious, very bare, very blank shelf in our living room that EVERYONE seemed to ask about. Always smirking. Always snickering.

All the time, I kept going back to a wonderful poem by Samuel Taylor Coleridge; and every time I read it, I smiled and continued my dreaming….BIG. Here's the poem.

What if you slept ...

What if you slept

And what if

In your sleep

You dreamed

And what if

In your dream

You went to heaven

And there plucked a strange and beautiful flower

And what if

When you awoke

You had that flower in your hand

Ah, what then?

         ---- Samuel Taylor Coleridge

Each time I read it, I would say to myself:

And what if

In your dream

You went to heaven

And there your book was a huge success.

And what if

When you awoke

Your book really WAS a huge success.

Ah, what then?

And even though people snickered and smirked and tried to stomp out my dreams, I continued to dream…. and to dream big.

The End.

Whoops -- maybe I should tell you the rest of the story. The Procrastinator's Handbook sold over 100,000 copies during its first year, landed me 312 interviews in magazines, radio and TV, including one with Katie Couric, and it received an award from Digital Palm Media as the top selling non-fiction e-book of 2002. (Stephen King was the top selling fiction e-book of the year.)

As of today, it is in 32 countries and we had to start a second shelf in our bookcase for the latest two that just arrived, one from China and one from Korea.

So snicker away, all you Dream-Stompers, snicker away. If you ask me, I say "Let authors dream all they want. You just never know….."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

          Rita Emmett is a "Recovering Procrastinator", professional speaker, and author of:

•    THE PROCRASTINATOR’S HANDBOOK,

•    THE PROCRASTINATING CHILD,

•    THE CLUTTER-BUSTING HANDBOOK and

•    MANAGE YOUR TIME TO REDUCE YOUR STRESS: A Handbook for the Overworked, Overscheduled and Overwhelmed

         Rita publishes a free monthly “ANTICRASTINATION Tip Sheet” available at 

        www.RitaEmmett.com with tips and ideas to help people blast away the procrastination

        habit. 

She also loves DMK and is convinced his book will be a Best Seller.

Have a Great Day!

DMK &