I was pummeled by doubts today, starting with the 9 a.m. rejection letter from an agent that honestly I was expecting to come (everyone gets some rejection – both JK Rowlings and Stephen King both got tons of rejection before achieving success). It still threw me into a tailspin for a bit, an inner turmoil since I did have classes to teach and really had no one to talk to about it. Thoughts of ‘I can’t do this,’ ‘I’m not good enough. That book was obviously crap,’ and ‘Why did I even bother sending that out?’ nagged at my mind all morning.
A series of little reminders, though, settled my mind. I have my Bible app set to send me my daily devotional at 9:30 every morning because our break is at 9:35, so I know I’m most likely to read it then than at any other time of the workday. And let's be honest, every high school teacher needs some encouragement at some point in the school day. Today’s devotional was Deuteronomy 31:6 – Be strong and courageous. Then, a child walked by my classroom soon after that with a tshirt that said “Faith Over Fear.” By the end of the school day, a friend tagged me in this blog post from Busy Mom Gets Fit "Knowing Yourself is Far from Mediocre" about not letting others make you feel mediocre (Thanks, Pat!). Message received. Keep on keepin' on, Little Mama! Divine intervention. Divine comfort.
I know that I am writing quality manuscripts. I just have to trust that just the right agent at just the right time is going to love my work as much as I do and will help me be successful.