Finally! Your dream of becoming a published author has come true! You’ve worked hard, probably years, to reach this point. You want to share your excitement with anyone who’ll listen. Most people should be happy for you, but sometimes responses can be unexpected:
“Oh. I’ve never heard of that (magazine/publisher/imprint).”
“That’s nice that you write children’s books. I only buy Caldecott winners.”
Most people probably won’t be that blunt; but, still, some you thought would be thrilled for you will offer a polite but tepid response and take no further interest in your doings. But isn’t this typical? In most of life, people you thought didn’t care come out for you waving pom poms, while others you thought would be wildly interested disappear when something extraordinary happens.
Good news brings glad tidings about who’s on your team.
Consider the words Lenny Kravitz sings in Eleutheria: “My life is perfect because I accept it as it is.”
Don’t give any energy to hate. Learn from well-meaning and justified criticism. Revel but remain humble in earned praise, for it is fleeting.
