What's Keeping You From Success?

By Merrily Mann

For six months solid, every night before going to bed, I would kneel down at my bed and pray, "Please let me win the lottery--please let me win." I would beg, plead, cajole . . . asking for the same thing. Finally, I heard God speak. He said in a soft whisper . . . "Buy a lottery ticket."

Oh . . . buy a ticket?

Well . . . . how many of you are begging . . . pleading . . . . to be published, but just can't get that manuscript in a mailer and sent out? Oh . . . you mean the editor has to read it before they send me money?

Okay I'm pulling the tongue from my cheek now. Fear of rejection or fear of failure can keep you from doing a multitude of things. It's easier to stay in your little comfort zone. It's safer to keep your head hung low and play it safe as the years pass by. We certainly don't want to tell anyone we've failed. Especially when everyone from Aunt Betty to the UPS man knows you're writing a novel.

Fear of failure does more to paralyze hope and kill ambition than any other negative emotion inthe human experience.

But wait! It is impossible to succeed without failing! Failure is an indispensable prerequisite for success. The greatest failures in history have been the greatest successes.

In the same year that Babe Ruth became the home run king of baseball, he also struck out more than any other player did.

Success is a numbers game. There's a direct relationship between the number of things you attempt and your probability of succeeding. Even if you were the worst player in baseball, if you swung with all your heart at every pitch that came over the plate, you would eventually get a hit . . . and if you kept swinging . . . you would finally get a home run.

The important thing is to swing with all your might and keep swinging and not worry about striking out occasionally.

You must decide in advance to take every set back as a spur, knowing that you are getting closer and closer to success with every experience.

I'm up to bat. Stand back . . . I'm swinging . . .

Merrily Mann has been President for San Antonio Romance Authors. She is involved in the publishing industry by being a publicist for authors worldwide. As Account Executive forPower Promotions, she specializes in book and author promotion. Merrily also has launched her own business, Promotions Unlimited, in which she specializes in Web hosting and design, and Internet marketing.

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