I’m saying that in all honesty too – no tongues in cheek here. You see, studies have revealed that we have a tendency to believe our self-talk. So from now on my self-talk is going to include a lot of “Well done, you!” and “You worked hard for that!” along with the odd “You are a goddess!”
And I’m going to share ten of my fabulous Goddess-like moments of the year with you…just to get the ball rolling.
#1 The cover for The Rebel and the Heiress made it onto the elevator doors of the RWA conference in San Antonio this year. Just…wow! But, you know what? It’s a darn good book. :-)
#2 I made it through the gruelling confirmation process for my PhD. Phew!
#3 I met Emma Darcy…but not only that, I had the gumption to go and chat to her. She gave me advice about editors! Look, we’re BFFs now. ;-)
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| Fiona Macarthur, Emma Darcy and moi. |
#4 I finalled in both the Bookseller’s Best Award (with First Comes Baby… and The Cattleman’s Ready-Made Family) and the Colorado Award of Excellence (with The Cattleman’s Ready-Made Family and The Redemption of Rico D’Angelo).
#5 I took up yoga. It’s really hard, but I’m sticking with it.
#6 My very first duet (The Wild Ones) was published.
#7 I appeared on two library panels + The LoveCats Panel at RWAust Conference, and I wasn’t nervous…for any of them (this feels like a major accomplishment).
#8 I’m doing the Couch to 5km thing. I’m running! It’s amazing and I have a way to go before I’m running 30 mins non-stop, but… I’m running!
#9 This year I completed my 18th book for Harlequin Mills & Boon.
#10 I’m an All-Star! Look, I’m part of the Local All-Star anthology. I’ve been placed in the company of Emma Darcy (be still my beating heart), super-talented Cat in the Wild Robyn Grady, and the gorgeous Lucy Clark. Big, big happy sighs.
Your turn now! Toot your horn. Tell me something you’ve been proud of so far this year. One lucky commenter will go into a draw to win a copy of the Local All-Star Anthology.
I totally agree, we don't pat ourselves on the back enough! Love your list of fantastic achievements here (and a good reminder for me to get back on the yoga bandwagon). Love the picture of your book on the elevator doors at RWA - how exciting!
ReplyDeleteOh, yes! Do get back on the yoga bandwagon, Stefanie. I can't believe how good I feel after a class (it's totally worth the sweat during the class). ;-)
DeleteSpeaking of fab achievements, you've had several yourself this year -- your debut romance + your second book both released…not to mention a huge move to a new country! Go you!
Hey! I quit drinking Pepsi last April; the only pop I've had is when I cooked our chickens with ginger ale cans placed in their cavities once. As a result of this plus more exercise than I can shake a stick at lately, I've also lost 12 pounds (and counting). One day at a time....
ReplyDeleteWell done you, Laney! That's a huge achievement! Pop can be so addictive, not to mention so bad for us too. It's wonderful that you've lost 12 pounds. Waving pom-poms for you!
DeleteMichelle
ReplyDeleteWoohoo well done I agree with you that we should pat ourselves on the back more often. For me I haven't done anything out of the normal for a while I need to get myself up and going more
Have Fun
Helen
You know what, Helen? I sometimes think getting out of bed and making it to work everyday is a huge achievement! Also, how many books have you not only read but also reviewed this year -- that's a rather fabulous achievement. :-)
DeleteWell done, you! You worked hard for that!
ReplyDeleteSeriously, congratulations on all 10 achievements. All very toot-worthy.
LOL, Claire.
DeleteSpeaking of working hard…I seem to recall a rather swish wedding you helped to organise and the most splendid cake ever! You have lots to toot about this year too. ;-)
Wow wow wow, Michelle!! I think I need to go and lay down - your list of achievements is stunning. Go you!!!
ReplyDeleteThe lift looks gorgeous and I was there that night you met Emma - I do believe those are my toes in the picture! - and I know how star struck you were :-)
Also you looked totally hot in that red dress!
LOL, AA. You need to go and have a lay down due to your own prodigious output and outstanding achievements earned throughout the year! Yay, you!
DeleteAnd those were indeed your toes. I'd know them anywhere. ;-)
Michelle, your post comes on a day when I've been telling myself all the things I'm getting wrong. Thank you. I am a goddess. I am a goddess. Okay, enough, but that pile of things to do on my desk is about to get a hammering - in the best possible way of course.
ReplyDeleteOf course you are a goddess, Sue. That's why you'll be able to whip through your to-do list like a speeding bullet. ;-)
DeleteI think you're right about not patting ourselves on the back enough. Congrats on the PhD. Those accomplishments are great.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure there are others that I'm missing but my main two that I think of are:
1. I graduated from Victoria University of Wellington with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science in May after taking the better part of 12 years studying part-time to complete the degree. Admitably there was a break for a couple of years to train as a mechanic, followed by a year off study for my own sanity having gone straight from high school to tertiary study.
2. I struggle to keep my callflow consistent at work (call centre for NZ tax dept), but on Monday I took 43 calls and achieved 7 voice ID (voice biometrics) enrolments - my call target for the day was 39 calls, and the voice ID enrolment target was 5 (or approx 12% of my call target). Not only that, my average call handling time ratio was less than 100% of the average call handling time for the entire contact centre across the entire country! It's things like this that make me feel good about constantly putting the effort in.
Also, without wanting to bring down the mood of the blog, this post was great timing since I wasn't in a good head space (13th anniversary of Mum's death). It helped me focus on the positive!
Oh, Lyn, well done you on graduating with your BA this year -- that's a fabulous achievement. You really hung in there! You totally deserve to bask in the glory.
DeleteAnd your call flow statistics are admirable. I worked in a call centre many moons ago and remember the challenges. Exceeding work targets always made me feel good about myself.
And hugs on the sad anniversary.
You have a lot to be proud of, well done.
ReplyDeleteI think I am proudest of the fact that my life is going along swimmingly. All those years of hard slog have paid off.
Oh, Mary, that is indeed a big accomplishment…and oh-so-satisfying too. Well done, you!
DeleteYay, Michelle! I love your extremely-horn-tootin'-worthy accomplishments! You've had a big year! Congratulations! I can imagine the huge thrill to see your book cover on the lift! Awesome!
ReplyDeleteI've had a much quieter year but I am feeling pretty chuffed about my new daily exercise regime which I'm actually sticking to - only been a month so far but that's probably a good fortnight longer than most of my exercise plans - especially the "daily-ness" of it! LOL
Quieter years can be awfully nice sometimes, Sharon. :-) Brilliant news on the new exercise regime. They can be so hard to stick to, but make so much difference to our health. Good on you for sticking to it!
ReplyDeleteLOVE this post, Michelle!!! LOVED reading about all your accomplishments. You clever, talented, brilliant woman! All so impressive.
ReplyDeleteHmmm, what am I proud of atm? Well according to Penguin I'm now 'officially' a best-selling authors, so I'm pretty happy with that.
Oh, yay for you, Jen! 'Officially' being a best-selling author is a super-duper, party-poppin', Mexican wave kind of accomplishment! Heaven's we cats are a talented bunch. :-)
DeleteMichelle, what a terrific list of achievements. Loved the photos too! You have so much to be proud of. I'm imagining you smiling.
ReplyDeleteWhat I'm proud of right now is that I'm sitting a the computer the day after my holiday instead of lying in bed pretending I don't have things to do. Believe me, that's a major achievement!
Annie, I'm sending you hugs, because it can indeed be a very hard thing to return to reality after a holiday. And it sounds as if you're doing it with grace and sagacity. You're an example to us all!
DeleteP.S. Hope it's not too hard to get back into the swing of things.
Thanks so much everyone for tootin' horns and patting backs with me. What a marvellous bunch of goddesses we are!
ReplyDeleteNow, drum rolll please…. and the winner of the Local All-Stars Anthology is…. HELEN! Shoot me a line, Helen, (michelle (AT) michelle - douglas (dot) com) and I'll pop a copy in the post for you. :-)
Have a happy week everyone!
Michelle, this is such a great idea! We don't toot horns nearly enough. Also, I'm so impressed with your list that I'm thinking I'd better pick up my game if I want to stay friends with you. Maybe I could take up yoga... :)
ReplyDeleteRach, I think tooting horns should become a regular feature here. :-) BTW, I don't think you have to pick up your game -- you are an absolute goddess! Still, all that said…yoga is pretty fab. ;-)
DeleteYes, we should totally have a Horn-Tooting spot regularly. This is an amazing group of writers, readers, women, and we should celebrate our awesomeness regularly. Plus, I do love a good celebration.
ReplyDeleteMichelle, I'm interested in the "couch to 5km". Is this a challenge that I can google?
Celebrations should definitely be encouraged, Bron! ;-)
DeleteAnd here's a link to the couch to 5k thing too -- lots of info and other links to whet your appetite…so to speak.
http://c25k.com