There
is a lesson that I’m supposed to be learning right now. How do I know? Well,
the last 10 days have hit me over the head with reminders that I’m not in
control, nor is any man. No matter how much planning I do, there is always the
possibility that my expected result won’t come to pass.
The
first reminder came on the fourth of July. I was excited that my first radio interview
was scheduled to air that day. It was my day off, as well as a day off for
nearly everyone knew. I wanted people to listen in, so I scheduled social media
updates, plugged the interview in my subscriber newsletter and made sure family
and friends knew how to tune in. Even the gracious host who interviewed me spent
days plugging the interview on social media.
As
the hour neared, everything was in order. I got my daughter down for her nap
and waited with my husband for those last few minutes. When the theme music
played, I prepared for the moment of truth. Thoughts ran through my mind.
·
Did
I say “umm”?
·
I
hope I wasn’t breathing too hard into the headset.
·
Did
my answers make sense?
·
Would
it be hard to listen to my own voice for 30 minutes?
But there was one question I did not ask: What if they accidentally air the wrong interview?
That
question did not cross my mind, but it’s the one question that could have
prepared me, because that’s exactly what happened. Initially, I was mortified.
After about two minutes it was clear that the wrong interview was going to air
for duration of the segment.
Eventually—hours
later—I saw the humor in it. It was totally beyond my control and the host’s
control. I haven’t been in the radio world since I was a deejay at my high
school radio station, but I do know
that human error occurs. It was just a mistake.
The
host and the radio station were extremely apologetic and went above and beyond
anything I could have expected in a situation like this. They not only aired it
later that day, but they also aired it four times over the course of a week.
That meant even more exposure and more opportunity to reach people with
information they were looking for. What a blessing!
Maybe
I’m getting a lesson in perseverance. Maybe I’m getting a lesson in
flexibility. Maybe it’s not about me at all. There could have been someone out
there who couldn’t listen at the original time, but needed to hear our
discussion on self-publishing. My hope is that someone heard it and it was motivation
for her own dream. I don’t know the true
reason for this lesson and the other lessons I’ve experienced lately, but I do
know I’m being prepared for this exciting and somewhat daunting path I’ve
chosen.
So
I will keep pressing forward and will do so with flexibility. For now, I etch
this in my memory: “Write your goals in concrete and your plans in sand.”
–Anonymous
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Shellie
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