Life Lessons—I Wasn't Expecting That

by Reba J. Hoffman

I looked in the mirror this morning and stared at the ever-increasing number of very prematurely gray hairs glistening under the fluorescent lighting. I couldn’t help but wonder how many of them were caused by fretting about things that just were not reality.

We all face times when we sit in silence and decide what someone else is thinking, or why something happened. Since we are writers—you know, creative types—we can invent all sorts of great fodder. Unfortunately, we often believe our own hook and it makes for a lot of needless worrying.

Here’s how it goes. You meet with an agent at a writer’s conference who asked you for a complete manuscript. Because you’re prepared, you head straight back to your room and email it to them within the hour.

Then you sit staring at your email inbox waiting for the reply. Only, it doesn’t come. Agonizing minutes tick by and still no return email. You head down to dinner and even manage to grab a spot at their table. They smile at you but never mention how they liked your manuscript.

Suddenly, it hits you. SHE HATES IT! All the hard work you put into it and the gate keeper thinks it’s not publishing worthy! You fight back the tears as you swirl the food around on your plate, trying to give the impression you’re actually eating.

You get back to your room, burst through the door just as the dam breaks, casting projectile tears all over your roommate.

It’s only after you’ve cried yourself out that you even hear the words of your roommate, “She didn’t respond yet because she’s been in meetings just like yours all afternoon.”

The statement slaps you to your senses and all you can say is, “oh.”

All that time you spent worrying needlessly.

Here’s the thing, in almost every single case, what you thought was NOT reality. When the truth was revealed, it was not what you were expecting. Most likely, it was much better than you felt like it would be.

Don’t get yourself all keyed up for nothing. Let it play out. In the meantime, keep honing your craft and constructing your story. You’ll be very glad you did. Umm, so will your roommate.

When was the last time you overreacted? How was the truth revealed? Share it here.

Reba J. Hoffman is the founder and president of Magellan Life Coaching (www.magellanlifecoaching.com). She holds a Ph.D. in Clinical Counseling and is a natural encourager. She serves as Member Care Coach for My Book Therapy and is the author of Dare to Dream, A Writer’s Journal. You can connect with Reba through her motivational blog, Finding True North, or by email at reba@magellanlifecoaching.com. You can also follow her on Twitter at @RebaJHoffman.