Completion…and a new beginning

I did it!! Yesterday I hit the “send” button and submitted my book proposal. Relief doesn’t even begin to cover what I’m feeling!

So many of you have been cheering me on and supporting me through this process and I can’t possibly thank you enough. It is thanks in part to your support and love that I have had the confidence to walk this road.

I’ll let you in on a secret – I’ve always been kind of afraid of “hard work.” I know that might sound funny given some of the things I’ve talked about on this Journal. But many of the things that I’ve accomplished and done don’t actually seem like work to me. But writing a 50-page book proposal that outlines all of my thoughts and ideas, plus a market analysis, marketing plan, and competitive analysis?  For me, that was SCARY.

In the beginning, I talked myself out of doing it.  I convinced myself that I wasn’t ready…that I wasn’t capable of it…that if I tried it, I’d probably fail.

But everything inside me was screaming to get up on that horse and ride.

I enlisted the help of a tremendous support team – there are not enough words to thank Elizabeth, Jen, Sarah, Beth, Marc, Elisa, Sue, and Sybil.  Not to mention all of you who have been sending me messages of love and telling me that you believe in me.

The miracles that rained down on me during this time have been unbelievable.

For instance, the day that I was terrified because I didn’t know how to start…and noticed on the shelf next to my desk a book called “How to write a book proposal”!!!  Apparently I bought it several years ago but had never even cracked the cover!

Or the day that I was struggling over the marketing plan, only to run into a friend who has put together numerous book proposals and got some fantastic information about how to structure it…only to discover, that without realizing it, I had actually already done all the work, I just needed to reformat it!

And now it’s all over but the waiting!  🙂

But there’s one more miracle to share.

This is the sit-down-and-shake-your-head-with-astonishment miracle that completes an amazing experience.

I submitted my proposal early yesterday morning before work.  At mid-day, our publisher came into the room and handed me a check.  Apparently they found some extra money in the books and gave everyone a bonus.  They’d distributed them last week while I was out (working on the proposal).  There I sat with a completely unexpected check for $550 in my hot little hands, the same day that I finished the proposal.

Now if that’s not the Universe giving me a little “attagirl,” I don’t know what is!!!!

Finally, I want to thank all of you who have watched the YouTube video that goes with my proposal and left such wonderful comments.  I am touched and honored.  Here are just a few of them:

“Leah, Your message goes directly to the heart! Thank you for inspiring us to look at the large and small miracles in our every day lives. You’re right – sometimes daily miracles can be disguised as lumps of coal that need to be shined until they sparkle!”

“Leah, what a great attitude to take into everyday! Such a timely reminder for me, that there are wonders happening all around. All we have to do is look for them.”

“I love how you live your truth and help everyone see miracles everyday. So proud of you and all the hard work you’ve done!”

“You are an inspiration, as always, Leah. I can’t wait to see you in print, hear you on the radio and watch your live TV show!”

“Leah, this is great. I might have found a mistake in the presentation, though. You said there’s no silver bullet. I think if you really looked, you might find that for many of the people you have touched, that YOU are their silver bullet!! You amaze and inspire me more every day.”

“Thank you for being a light that isn’t afraid to shine. Thank you for helping us to open our eyes to the beauty, grace and miracles that happen all around us every day if we are simple open to receiving them. You are an inspiration!”

Thank you all for your words.  They mean more to me than I can possibly say.

For those of you who haven’t seen it yet, here’s the video:

(If you want to get in on the love, click here to leave a comment!) 🙂

Today’s miracle: My prayer was to finish this project with a feeling of satisfaction and joy, and I did!! 🙂