Thinking Bigger
I’ve been doing a lot of thinking lately. Dangerous, right? Thinking leads to wanting which leads to longing and before you know it, you’re lying flat on your back on the floor, hands clutched together, wishing and hoping and WANTING with all your heart. And in the genre I write in, wanting something with all your heart is risky.
The very first time I stepped foot in the Barnes in Noble in St. Cloud, MN, I felt that deep, moving sense of longing as I walked among that beautiful forest of books. I dreamed with all my little teenage heart that one day I would have a book or two on those shelves as well. Fast forward about fifteen years and well…that longing and that dream is very much still there and has absolutely grown little walking roots— roots that have brought me to where I am now: four books under my newbie author belt, still dreaming of seeing them on bookshelves across the country.
It would be easy to stay local, stay small business, stay just…small. But that pesky heart of mine keeps speaking up and it’s saying THINK BIGGER (I blame one of my favorite people in the world for this actually. Her name is Lyndsey and she is AMAZING but I’ve been cursed by those two words ever since she said them to me).
So allow me to think bigger for a moment. Allow me to speak these things into the universe. Allow me to dream out loud for bit.
Thinking bigger for me means not settling for just selling my books locally. Thinking bigger means not assuming that I can’t get on a bestseller’s list someday. Thinking bigger means tamping down that other little voice in my head that’s constantly saying I’m not good enough. Thinking bigger is seeking representation for my work so that I can be published by one of the big 5 publishers. Thinking bigger is imagining one of my books being made into a movie. Thinking bigger is having thousands of great reviews. Thinking bigger is knowing that my books have impacted readers in a powerful way. Thinking bigger is providing for my family by doing something I love.
Don’t be afraid to think bigger, friends. As I said, wanting something with all your heart is certainly a risky thing to do, but without the dreams our lives stay small and unfulfilled. So think bigger, and live your story.
Best,
