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Honoring the Day

by M. L. Buchman

I learned a trick a long time ago. At the end of the day, write down three things to be thankful for. I can have the absolute worst awful day and still find three things to be thankful for.

Big ones, little ones, a smile from my wife or kid; doesn't matter.

They don't have to be Earth shaking, they just have to be positive. Put a good spin on things. (I sleep much better when I remember to do this, too.)

But here's the real trick, remembering to honor the big things. For some reason, those are the easiest to forget about or brush aside.

I just released a book. Time to start the marketing.
I just got the marketing done. But now I'm behind on the next book.
I just...  I need to...

I think one of the most important lessons I've ever learned is to remember when to stop and say thank you.

Today, for example:
My little publishing company with its 20+ novels, a half dozen short stories, audio, etc. etc. just hit a pretty important threshold. We did all of the accounting for the 2nd Fiscal Quarter (which is a triumph in itself as we do it ourselves) and discovered that we achieved our two-year goal in a year and a half.

Whoo-hoo!

The details of that are wrapped up in business plans and hard work, but the point is, we achieved something for our little company that was HUGE!

So what did we do about it?

My normal reaction would have been to jump into the mid-year redraft of the business plan and then jump into...

But I've learned. So, instead, my wife and I went out for a really nice Mexican dinner, had margaritas, and remembered to say, "Thank you!" for all the good fortune that our hard work has brought to us.

We're honoring the day.

WHAT'S IN IT FOR YOU?

I can't let this be all about me, because of course I wouldn't get here without my readers. So to say thanks, and to offer you some to possibly to be thankful for, I offer:
The Ides of Matt.

I was born on March the 14th, Julius Caesar was stabbed in the back by his best friend on March the 15th, so personally, I think that the Ides of Matt has a lot going for it.

On the 14th of each month for 7 days I will post a brand-new, never before seen, FREE short story related to one of my series.Totally free!

Check it out at: http://www.mlbuchman.com.

And remember to honor your day!

All the best,
Matt




Comments

  1. Excellent. Needs work on my end, but I will definitely put forth more effort. Thanks for sharing.

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  2. Thank you for sharing this - what a great reminder to us all.

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  3. The odd thing is, how hard a lesson that is for most people to learn: taking the moment to acknowledge that you've done something good. (We human beans are pretty strange folks.)

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  4. This is a great idea. I'm going to start doing this. And congrats!

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  5. Way to go, Terri. Steal any idea that works! :)

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  6. Congrats on your success! I just (finally) got a chance to read "Pure Heat"...what a fantastic story. Now I just have to find enough time in the day to sit down and write a review! I will look forward to reading your short stories, thanks for your generosity.

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  7. Thanks ELF, Glad you enjoyed it! (I know I enjoyed writing it. :) )

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