Before beginning this blog, I was reading some sources about how to set it up and make it successful. It was suggested that I categorize each post into a specific subject, but I never know what I am going to write about until I write. I simply get out of my own way; open myself to that higher wisdom that wishes to speak through me. What comes forth can vary widely, but if it helps one person, I am satisfied. What defines successful? I have never been motivated by money. I have never desired to have my face plastered on a newspaper, or bus bench; nor have I ever had the desire to be seen on television.
I am told, now that my books have been published, I must create an online presence and build a platform, in order to reach every possible person on the planet. It is all about sales and statistics and analytics and numbers, but I could care less. I wonder how Emerson, or Mark Twain, or Thoreau would have responded, had they been told that they needed to spend between $1000 and $5000 to market their own book. Clearly, your book would need to sell a million copies in order to recoup your investment – and when would you actually begin to see any profit? Even those who are accepted by a traditional publisher, have no guarantee that their book sales will take off. Many of those books fall flat, and you can buy them at a great discount in bookstores.
Some writers write with the sole intention of writing a best seller, or making a million dollars. They are willing to put in many hours of their time, Tweeting, inviting Facebook friends, linking up on LinkedIn, and using add-ons to streamline all of their social media. I do not enjoy time spent on the computer; unless I am writing. I turn off the notifications on my phone and I don’t answer calls from numbers I don’t know. I prefer to spend my time doing what I enjoy. I enjoy writing. I enjoy working in my garden. I enjoy cooking a healthy meal. I enjoy writing to pen pals and receiving their letters via snail mail. I am not concerned with how many people read my blog. I do not need to turn on comments, which would swallow up a great deal of my time in answering them. If someone is truly interested in commenting or connecting with me, they can go to my contacts page and contact me in any way they choose. If they call and I do not answer, they can leave me a message. Then, and only then, will I respond.
I have always thought of myself as a philosopher. I do not require fans, or the approval of others. I have spent a lifetime gaining wisdom which I am willing to share. Those who can benefit will be guided to my books and/or to my blog. This is not a belief. It is a knowing. My book will find its way into the hands of those who can benefit from it. My blog will be discovered by those who care enough to read it. It does not matter if it is only one person, or one thousand. It does not matter if I sell a million books, or if they are sold while I am alive, or after my passing. I do what I am guided to do. I write what I am guided to write. I am here to serve the world. I am here to be used, through my words and my works, to leave this planet more beautiful than I found it. Instead of choosing to have an online presence – I simply choose presence.
