David J.

Pollay

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January 26, 2009

Build Your Own Case for Success, and Believe

A few months ago I was at a dinner party. A small group of us were standing in the hall when a friend turned to me and said, “How’s your book coming?”

“Almost done . . . just editing,” I said.

“Do you have a publisher?”

“One of the New York publishers is reviewing my book proposal and manuscript.”

Then one of the guests I met that night jumped in. “It’s tough to publish a book,” he said. “Talk to John.”

John was the host of the party and was in the other room. “What happened to John?” I said.

“He wrote a great book. I read it.”

He shook his head and sipped his wine. “John had all the connections. He knew all the publishers. He knew all the agents. And he still couldn’t get someone to publish his book.”

“That’s too bad,” I said.

“Yeah. I’m just telling you because it’s hard.” 

“That’s what I’ve heard.” Then I asked, “Is John’s book still relevant today? Could he still publish it?”

He said, “Oh yeah. It’s great.”

“Maybe he could try again,” I said.

“I don’t know. The economy is terrible.”

“Yeah, it’s not good.”

“Just look at the layoffs at the publishing houses,” he said. “It’s not a good time to be coming out with a book.” He stopped as if he realized he was not being very encouraging. He flashed a smile and said, “Well, I hope it goes well with your book. Good luck.”

Was this the first time I had heard someone paint this scenario? No. I had heard other versions of the same story line: It’s not easy to publish a book. (In fact, it’s not easy to write a book). More people fail than succeed in the book publishing business. The question is, will I succeed or fail? Does anyone really know?

Here’s the answer: It could go either way. It depends on what I believe. If I focus on what my new friend was saying, I might convince myself: “Book publishing is hard. Look at what happened to John. Even if I know the right agents, publishers, and have a great story, I still might not get the book published. And the economy needs to improve. If it doesn’t, publishers won’t spend the money on a new book. The odds are against me.”

Are these beliefs reasonable? Yes. Each one is based in reality. The question is, how often in our lives do we stop there? Someone provides evidence for a belief – in conversation, on television or in the newspaper – and we accept it. We back away from our dreams and we get “realistic.”

I have a choice to make. Do I accept the assessments of others without challenging them, or do I build my own case for success? If I have any chance of succeeding, I must produce my own evidence to support my belief that my book will not only be published, it will be successful.

What about you? Is anyone presenting credible arguments against your dreams? Have people expressed reasonable doubts about your plans? What are you going to do? Will you continue to move ahead, and seek new evidence for your mission? Or will you stop pushing forward to achieve your dreams?

What have I decided? I went ahead and built my own evidence. I created my own case for success. Sure, I have my days when doubt creeps in – especially after a setback – but I quickly realize that a bump in the road does not mean failure. I am committed to success, and I believe it will happen.

Think about your life. What are you determined to achieve? Build your own case for success. Believe you will succeed. Then execute your strategy. And if you run into difficulty, adjust your plan and keep going. You can do it. I can do it. Let’s make it happen.

David J. Pollay is the creator of The Law of the Garbage Truck™. Mr. Pollay writes the Monday Morning Momentum Blog each week. He is a syndicated columnist with North Star Writers Group, creator and host of The Happiness Answer™ television program, and an internationally sought after speaker. Mr. Pollay’s book, Beware of Garbage Trucks!™, is due out in 2009. Mr. Pollay is the founder and president of the consulting and seminar organization, The Momentum Project.

© 2009 David J. Pollay. Distributed by North Star Writers Group. May not be republished without permission.

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