I've always thought myself as someone who has an open mind. A person who is willing within reason to try new things. I'm not talking about doing anything that would harm myself or others, I'm talking about experiencing something new that I normally wouldn't do.
But as sit here thinking about going out there and selling my books this summer, I think about all the times I was reluctant to do something in the past but after I did it — I loved it.
I remember in high school when my best friend insisted I go with her on a field trip to the Chanhassen Dinner Theater. We saw the play, "Fiddler on the Roof" and I enjoyed it so much I retuned with my parents to see another play.
One time I had traveled with my husband and our two children to the state of Washington. Both my daughter and son had studied Mount St. Helens and wanted to check out the area close to and around the volcano. I thought who cares about an old volcano but I went anyway knowing they really wanted to go on the tour. It turned out to be one of the most awesome things I've ever seen. Even as a writer, it's hard to put into words. The sheer force of what Mother Nature can do is amazing. The eruption took away any and all land marks that had been formerly used to identify the area's entire GPS location. Lakes, towns and mountain sides were suddenly gone without a trace.
I wasn't sure about the play or Mount St. Helens, but I tried to approach them with a good attitude and ’lo and behold I really enjoyed myself. I admit there have been times when I've tried something and didn't enjoy it at all. Needless to say, I won't be doing them again.
But I ask myself why am I sometimes apprehensive towards new ideas? Giving it some thought I've come up with three main reasons.
1.The fear of the unknown. Will I hate it? Will there be something unpleasant to deal with? Will my expectations be met?
2. A physical activity. Am I physically able to do it?
3.The fear of failure. Will I fail to do what I set out to do? Will I look foolish to others?
I believe the fear of looking foolish is the biggest reason why most of us avoid trying something new. I remind myself that as long as we are alive, we'll always be exposed new things and experiences and if we don't try something different once in a while — life can and will get boring. Of course with anything new there are new challenges that go along with them.
So now that I've addressed my concerns about selling my books at trade shows, I see my anxiety as silly and unwarranted. I think my books tell a good story so I do believe them to be a sellable product. And I really do enjoy getting out and meeting new people. Of course someone will have to twist my arm to make me talk about my love for writing. Yeah, right! Wish me luck as I take off down a new trail!
Revenge in a Heartbeat (A Modern History Romance) https://www.amazon.com/dp/1734084227
Heartbeat of Desire (A Modern History Romance) https://www.amazon.com/dp/1734084219
Ryley (A Christmas Romance) https://www.amazon.com/dp/1734084200
If you would like to be notified in an email about the release dates of my books go to: https://donnalovitz.com/contact/
I promise not to give your email address to others and I won't email you to death.