Before she got wise and self-published her book, Geri fell into doubting she would ever be a published author.

With no word from her agent for months on end, her prospects looked slim and dim.

Why were none of the publishers her agent had called “likely prospects” showing any interest?

True, she wasn’t a “big name.” And her agent had told her that few publishers these days were anxious to step out on a limb.

Still… not even one?

As the months wore on, her spirits sagged. She fell into a funk.

All that time she’d invested in creating her system for teaching music … all the days and nights of writing and rewriting, of harassing her friends until they read what she’d written and gave her feedback … all the money she’d invested in an editor – FOR WHAT?

This was the system that was supposed to manifest her definition of prosperity!

Was her system for teaching music too far off the beaten track for a conventional publisher to take her seriously?

But her system worked! She was producing competent pianists and guitarists faster using her novel approach than she ever had teaching in the traditional paradigm.

And not only were they competent – thanks to the creative exploration her system encouraged, her students played with a flair that set them apart as a group from youngsters trained using less imaginative methodologies.

She had gone to great pains to make that clear in the Introduction to the book, and she had made sure to put it into the query letters and synopsis her agent had sent out.

So why weren’t there any publishing companies beating a path to her door?

Maybe she should have pursued more big names in the music teaching industry, gotten more prestigious testimonials. Aah, hindsight.

Maybe it was her lack of formal credentials? If she had a Ph.D. in musicology from Juilliard, would that make a difference?

Well, forget that. She was just Geri Gallant, with an M.A. from a small college nobody much knew or cared about.

But she did know music. And she knew teaching. She had proven it. So why didn’t anyone seem to care?

At first, when friends had asked about her new agent, she had responded with easy confidence. These days, she could barely manage more than a shrug and a “Please, don’t ask.”

After a while, they stopped inquiring.

And then …

Today, she received an announcement in the mail that knocked ALL the wind out of her sails.

“Announcing … A New Book … A Revolution in Music Teaching!”

Geri’s eyes wandered to the author’s name. A rival teacher, one she knew and didn’t care for.

She had been so sure her book would transform the music teaching industry!

And now?

Now, she wondered.

Her book might never see the light of day.

She might spend the rest of her life running a small, unknown music school in the middle of nowhere.

She might lose her business, go under in this economic downturn. What would she do then? Get a job at Walmart? Play the guitar on street corners with her little tin can out for tips?

Some days, Geri’s thoughts made her so miserable she wondered how she would make it through the day.

Yes, she had her students, her wonderful students! Some bright and gay by nature, others more internal, less expressive. Some came because they had a natural gift, while others were doing their best to live up to parental aspirations.

While she was teaching, she was fine. But once she closed the doors and headed out to her car, the sadness lurking in her heart would rise to leave its bitter taste in the back of her throat.

Another dashed dream, just like all her other dreams … .

Alone at home, she sought solace at the keyboard of her Steinway. A fire would be nice, if she had the energy to go bring wood in. Instead, she turned on the central heating.

More often than not, her music came out sounding like a dirge. She sometimes imagined she was playing at a funeral – her own, of course. What would people be saying about her? Oh, poor Geri, you know how she wasted her life … .

Why hadn’t she thought to marry? Beyond her music teaching system, what did she have? Who would care if she disappeared some evening on a desolate walk in the woods behind her home?

Why hadn’t she thought to have a REAL baby, one that wouldn’t need an agent and a publisher?

Too caught up in her music, that’s why. Too caught up in this ridiculous dream of something that was never going to happen.

Her life was never going to amount to anything.

Obsession creeps in on horny talons, an ugly beast with bulging eyes and gnashing teeth.

Consider: If you were Geri, what would you do to avoid being dragged into the depths of depression at the sight of your dreams being dashed on the rocks?

Here are some tidbits Geri could benefit from. Perhaps you too will find them helpful:

1. Take a close look at your definition of PROSPERITY!

“Begin to recognize prosperity everywhere, and rejoice in it.” – Louise Hay, publisher and author, You Can Heal Your Life and other books

”Abundance is not something we acquire. It is something we tune into.” – Dr. Wayne Dyer

2. Be careful what you give power to!

roll: “What am I doing on a level of consciousness where this is real?” – Thaddeus Golas, author, The Lazy Man’s Guide to Enlightenment

“This too shall pass.” – Wikipedia says this saying seems to have arisen in the poetry of medieval Persia

3. And move on!

“No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it.” – Albert Einstein

“Get a life!” – William Shatner, among others

Some of us have a nearly insatiable appetite for self-torture. Seductive as a lover, it spirals us downward toward a hell of our own creation. Insidious, it never announces itself out loud, and with no ears to hear we may not even notice its presence.

It’s not that I am unsympathetic. I know the pain of perceived failure quite well. But it doesn’t do us any good, and it’s always a lie. You are a miracle in the unfurling. The Universe never gives up on you.

NOTE: In over 25 years of helping people with their books, my clients have voiced the same issues time and again. Many of my blog posts are composites of their stories to assist you in the realization of YOUR dream of writing and publishing your own book(s).

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What is Your Definition of Prosperity?