A Change in Thought

I had an epiphany a few days ago, one that I hope signals a new way of being. In an instant, I changed my habitual thoughts, thereby changing my entire attitude.

Here’s what happened…

Because I needed some quick money, I wrote 3 articles for a content marketplace. (I used to write these same kinds of articles for this same content marketplace, but I hadn’t written for them in a long time).

To be honest, I quickly dashed out these 250-350 word articles. Nevertheless, I thought they were fine.

The client, however, did not think they were so fine. In fact, the client rejected one article for the following reasons:

Overall Writing Style

Spelling/grammar

Sentence structure

Knowledge of topic

Accuracy

Depth (vs. fluff)

This client, by the way, rejected it outright without giving me the chance to rewrite. Boy…talk about being slugged in the gut. The comment about spelling/grammar was particularly puzzling to me, because the articles go through an editor before being submitted to the client.

Anyway, the old me would have been very defensive and angry at first, and then I would have been humiliated and probably would have had some difficulty writing for clients again. In short, I would have taken it personally. Because I have always been very insecure about my writing, any criticism of my writing can negatively affect me.
But this time I was surprised at my response.  I did not take it personally at all.  I just considered the comment to be the opinion of one (possibly irritated) client. My thought: I could learn from this rejection but not be humiliated by it. I would make sure that I proofread more carefully before submitting articles in the future. But this client only pays 3.2 cents per word, so how much extra work should I do on such articles? In short, I viewed it as a comment which had nothing to do with my own personal worth or my worth as a writer.

I was amazed at how a change in thought could change my mood and my behavior. In this case, I was saved depression and self deprecation that would normally ensue upon such a criticism.

I give Louise Hay partial credit for this change, as she has taught me that my thoughts become my reality.

Have you had any similar epiphanies from following Louise Hay?