Today I attended a one-day seminar hosted by Jack Canfield (“Chicken Soup for the Soul,” “The Success Principles”). It was my first time ever attending a self-help/success seminar. It was an amazing transformative experience! I attended the seminar while on the cusp of the release of my second novel, “Vampocalypse,” and was looking to gain inspiration to push myself to sell as many books as possible, as well as to strengthen my relationships with my children, and force myself out of my comfort zone by attending functions (like this seminar) alone, thereby meeting new people and forging new relationships (if only for a day).
I learned a lot today. Now, I am not going to rehash everything I experienced today, but there are a few items I do want to share.
Inspiration. Yes, I got the inspiration I was seeking. And then some! For the last several weeks I have had a goal in mind in regard to how many books I want to sell by this time next year. My number: 15,000. That’s how many copies of “Vampocalypse” I will sell over the next 12 months (I have told this to myself every day; it is an affirmation that I have taped to my bathroom mirror and over my computer at my job; this number is not negotiable, it is not a “goal” but rather a soon-to-be reality). But one of the exercises during the seminar today focused on what is known as a “Breakthrough Goal.” A Breakthrough Goal is a goal that “would quantum leap your professional success.” It “is big enough so that in the process of achieving it, you become someone worth becoming.” I came up with a doozy:
My Breakthrough Goal is to sell 100,000 copies of my books by October 3, 2018.
Yes, that’s five zeroes in that number. During the seminar I came into such inspiration, such power, and such vision that I shed the limiting belief of simply selling 15,000 copies of “Vampocalypse.” So I am upping the ante. I am creating my new reality now. And I have already begun to craft my action plan to make this soon-to-be reality real. My second novel is due to be published soon. In the meantime I have begun to cull notes for my next book (a self-help book chronicling my journey from a depressed divorcee to a fountain of good feelings and positivity in nearly all aspects of my life). I’m hoping to have this written by the end of 2017 (with release in early 2018). I also have plans to release three sci-fi/fantasy novels in 2018: a revised version of “Starphoenix” (my first novel), its sequel “Starphoenix: Legacy,” and the second book in the “Vampocalypse” series “Vampocalypse: Volume 2.”
In my mind all these books are already written. In my mind these books are already released. And in my mind I have sold a combined 100,000 copies.
Delusions of grandeur? As I posited in a recent poem I wrote: “You can keep the delusions, I’ll keep the grandeur!”
A bit more on inspiration. While, yes, I was inspired today, I was told by two different fellow seminar attendees that I inspired them! One great thing about this seminar (or any similar interactive seminar) is that you are able to interact with strangers. You get to know them and learn something about each other. On two separate occasions today I inspired others without even intending to do so.
The first was a 40-something woman who is going through a divorce. During a break I shared with her, in short, my story of how I had gone through a divorce that was set in motion a little over three years ago, and how I had gone through a two-year period of being down and out, depressed, uninspired, and sad, all of which led me to keep more to myself more often than not, being afraid to go out and try and meet others, and being wary of new experiences. I also shared with her how over approximately the last 10 months or so I’ve drastically turned that around and that now I exude positivity, I am not afraid of stepping out of my comfort zone, and how happy I am pretty much all the time! The woman seemed really down (on the subject of her divorce and subsequent self-worth) and said to me that she hopes to someday be able to be as positive about life as I am. Later in the day we had the opportunity to speak again and I told her that her positivity will come! I promised her it would! I gave her a hug and told her that not only will it happen but that it already is her reality, it just hasn’t occurred yet! She was so happy and told me how inspiring I was for her. The feeling that gave me was remarkable. And I hadn’t even set out expecting myself to feel good about it. How amazing!
The second time I was told that I was inspiring was after the seminar while I was waiting in line to meet Jack Canfield. The sixty-something woman in line behind me in line and I started talking and the subject of my being a writer and published author came up. I shared with her my accomplishments and what my plans are for a 2018 publishing schedule and sales goal. The woman shared with how she used to be a painter and art photographer but that she had not done either for several years. Then during our conversation she told me that my story and enthusiasm inspired her to where she wanted to take up her art and photography again! This was such a huge compliment! Again, I had not set out to have any discernible impact but I ended up doing so. This was so incredible to me.
My being inspired in turn inspired others which ended up inspiring me! WHAT! Knowing that I had inspired these two people affirmed that what I have been doing with my life is not only right, but right on track for my overall destiny. The feeling I got from this was priceless.
My positivity was infectious. I am so blessed to have the attitude I now have and to be able to share that with others! And that positivity is so strong that there was an interactive exercise during the seminar today that I struggled with. There was a point where we needed to share with a partner “I can’t” and “I won’t” statements. We had to formulate “I can’t” statements (statements that utilize negative feelings about ourselves, that are limiting, and that need to be eliminated from our lives in order for us to be the best people we can be) and “I won’t” statements (similar to “I can’t” statements, where we tell ourselves things we won’t do to better ourselves despite what we think we do). The kicker about this exercise: I struggled to come up with any of these types of statements! I ended up sharing with my partner that I have worked so hard to be positive these last several months that I’ve virtually eliminated these types of thoughts and statements from my lexicon! I found this to be crazy, while at the same time energizing and liberating. It was eye-opening in that it made me fully realize how far I’ve come in recent months. Which in turn inspired me even more. Crazy!
I could go on and on about all the little epiphanies that flashed through my mind today. But some of those I am keeping to myself, and others I may write about in future blogs as I continue to share my journey with you all.
If you made it to the bottom of this write-up (my first blog), thank you! I hope you enjoyed it and maybe, just maybe, found it inspiring.
Author E.S.Brown 