Let Go

My worst fear for the book signing was that it’d be a no show and I’d be sitting there for two hours examining my fingernails.

Last week Saturday Joe and I drove around and distributed posters to the libraries in Naperville and surrounding cities. We advertised on the website of Daily Harold. I also sent email invitations to friends from the different phases of my life. The hard work did pay off. I got quite a bit of traffic yesterday afternoon. It was great to see old friends, former colleagues, new friends, some of whom I had met for the first time only a couple of days ago, and instructors and students from Dance Fun USA where Joe and I take private lessons. My two buddies from Naperville Writers’ and Poets’ group were there from the beginning to the end to show support. To my surprise, another member who lives far away also showed up. Lin Lin, the leader of OCEF Chicago Chapter came all the way from Palentine to represent the group. She and I took every opportunity to share the mission and accomplishments of OCEF to those who came to the signing. And of course, my family was there. Joe, Jake and I left first to set things up. On the way to Frugal Muse, I realized I only had a crappy pen in my purse. So I called Jane to look around the house and bring me a few good ones. They did and I was ready to go upon their arrival.

Margaret asked me to sign two books, one for herself and one for her dad whose birthday is today. I felt so honored! I did manage to sell a book to a total stranger. She flipped through the book and asked me, “Is your father an alcoholic?” I said he was. Sounded like she had people in her life struggling with drinking problems. So this wonderful nurse bought a copy of LET GO.

The two hours went by so fast. My little helper Jake was the drink and cookie server. He asked everyone who approached the signing table, “Do you want a drink?” And after a little while, “Do you want a re-fill?” Jake may grow up to be a great salesman because you can’t get away from this persistent fella. I was engaged and yet relaxed the whole time. I am so grateful for all of you who came to share part of a beautiful Saturday afternoon with me. After I counted the money and wrote a check to OCEF, I knew in my heart that this was the birthday I was going to remember for a very long time.

Going forward, I am going to continue promoting LET GO mostly through the social media channel because it’s inexpensive and can be effective if you know what you are doing. Interestingly, these days at work one of my most critical projects is to gain insight into the impact of digital marketing.

I am moving on with my second book “The Scientific Blueprint to Happiness (幸福的科学蓝图)”. It will be written in my native language of Chinese. The goal for this book is to publish it through a credible and established publisher with a large reader base. If I’ve proven to myself that I can write with LET GO, the new book is going to challenge my writing skill and push it to the next level. I am pumped up!

The question I frequently ask myself is how to find the time to do everything I want to do. Twenty-four hours a day is surely not enough. What I’ve learned is that while I can’t change the number of hours in a day, if I don’t pressure myself with unrealistic deadlines or expect perfection, but instead work on a project little by little everyday whether I feel like it or not, I always manage to get it done. At the same time, I’ll try to be present with my family, enjoy life and keep on learning and growing.