Merry Christmas. I hope you all get exactly what you want most today. There’s only one way to make this happen, isn’t there? You must make it known what you want.
I remember those years when I would only hint at what I wanted for Christmas. I spent months hoping that my husband would notice my desire for a particular gift—that he would express his love by bringing me the item that would fulfill whatever dream I had at the moment. But would I tell him what it was I wanted? No. I expected him to do the romantic thing and guess right. It never happened. I guess he did listen, though, because he did respond to my off-handed comment one year that I needed vacuum cleaner bags—a size that was hard to find. The package that he told me to open last—the grand finale of that Christmas morning around the tree—was those damn vacuum cleaner bags—two packages of them. Watch what you ask for, ladies.
I finally learned one of the laws of human nature. Ask for what you want and make sure that’s what you want. Oh yes, and ask for it really close to the big day (Christmas, birthday, etc.) because guys, especially, shop at the last minute.
This “law” holds true in our business dealings, as well. In order to make the sale, you need to ask for it. If you want to write a column for a particular ezine, you must make a request. You certainly won’t land a publisher for your book if you don’t let your desires for a publisher be known. Do you want to publish an article in a certain magazine, all you have to do is ask—well, and make sure the piece is well-written, timely and appropriate.
I’ve had writers come to me and say, “I want to publish this article in such-and-such magazine, but they keep rejecting it. What’s wrong?” After looking at the article, I give the writer some pointers. In one case, the article was an essay and the magazine only publishes how-to pieces. I explained this to the writer. The next time I saw him, he asked me again how to get this article into this particular magazine. No, he hadn’t made any changes to it. He wants to have it published as is and can’t see any reason why he should rewrite it. Sure, he asked for what he wanted, but he wasn’t willing to bend or change in order to make it happen.
Opening your holiday packages today could be like looking in a mirror. The gifts, in some cases, reflect what you project to others. You’ll notice that some gifts are the results of what you’ve been putting out—what you’ve asked for, what you’ve hinted at, what you’ve talked about. Others reflect what you express an interest in, how you live, what you do without or must have in your life. The gifts you receive are telling. They reveal what you portray and say throughout the year. But some gifts may also suggest more about the giver. Some gift-givers present the same gift to everyone without regard for the individual. Of course, that tells more about the other person than it does you. So if you are known vegetarian who receives a huge box of Hickory Farms meats for Christmas, it’s not you it’s them.
Try peering into yourself this day by scrutinizing the type of gifts you receive and see if there is a common thread. It could be a fun exercise—and, hopefully, one that is somewhat revealing. At the end of the day, if you haven’t received what you truly want, whether it is precious bobbles, a landscape makeover, a book by your favorite author or simply a peaceful day, look to yourself to discover why. And think about making necessary changes in YOUR approach to the holidays and to your writing work in 2011.
I would love to receive a report.
Vacuum cleaner bags, huh? This year I got an organizer for my rollaway toolbox for my socket set–but I REALLY wanted that.