I don’t write about positivity and life enthusiasm on this blog, because I think I’m an expert. I have crap days, I carry a bouquet of insecurities, and I wonder if I my life has purpose.
And, I know I’m not alone.
Common answers I hear from my incredible guest bloggers when I first ask them to write for The Life Enthusiast Chronicles are…
- Who me?
- I’m not really a Life Enthusiast.
- Are you sure?
My answers are…
- Yes, you.
- Yes, you are.
- Yes, I am.
Hey, I get it.
We think a positive person looks, acts, and lives a certain way. We think that positivity is this unattainable thing reserved for a select few. A select few we’ve never actually seen in real life.
We are so hard on ourselves. Hell, when we hear that we are “good” rather than “bad”, we almost don’t know what to do.
I go through a range of absurd emotions—from blushing to stuttering, from crying to rushing away.
Back when I started this blog, I didn’t know what the hell I was going to write about. I just started writing.
What I did know was this one thing. I wanted to inspire without the bullshit.
I don’t like fluff and I don’t like dishonesty. I like what’s real—what makes us vulnerable and human. What makes us who we are.
Last weekend I saw this tree at the end of my hike.
Spotlighted by the sun, it was the one tree on this section of the hill that was blooming. It was leaning over, but another fallen tree was keeping it from crashing down.
Man, you guys, I just had a rough week.
Monday morning we had to rush Hazel the cat to the vet, because she got really sick, really quickly. She’s okay now, but things got pretty dicey.
The workweek was CRAZY busy, and the whole time I was still mentally recovering from the kitty scare.
Last night after that long week, I was so exhausted that I could barely keep my eyes open or make a joke. And, I joke around constantly.
First thing this morning, I decided to check and see if I received any reviews for Beneath the Satin Gloves since running it for free on Amazon recently.
It was a successful run, with nearly 700 downloads. I realize that the majority will never read it, but my one hope was to get more reviews.
Well, I got my first review from the promotion on Goodreads. It was one star, with no comment.
With few decent reviews out there, that just drove my sad little average right down.
You know something? I’m not bulletproof, and I never will be.
The bad review jarred me. And yes, I even had the old “Why in the hell do I keep writing?” thought permeating my mind.
Then, I thought about that tree, blossoming when nothing else around it was. So, I brushed off the shitty week and the shit review and decided not to fall.
Dammit, today I’m gonna bloom.
Britt Skrabanek 
Sorry you had such a rough week. 😦 I’m glad your cat is doing better, and don’t let that one-star review bother you! I feel that most of the time, when one stars are awarded without justification, they don’t have any significant impact. People look at the reviews, not the stars. As long as you’ve got good reviews, you should be fine.
Keep on blooming! 🙂
It’s all good. Hazel the cat is getting into everything again and waking us up at 4am because she’s running around like a crazy thing. She’s back!
Thank you, honey. The reviews are definitely more important.
Focus on those meaningful reviews and save the stars for Hollywood! ;
Haha, love that! Okay, I will. 🙂
I can’t imagine anyone giving Beneath the Satin Gloves one star – I loved it! It amazes me when I look up my favorites on Goodreads and see people giving them one or two stars. But then it also shows that’s always going to happen. Some people can’t find happiness no matter where they look and others – like you – will find it everywhere.
Aw, thank you, doll! That is very sweet. It was especially tough, because I reedited the whole thing and put more blood, sweat, and tears into it. So, I’m a bit fragile at the moment.
Thanks, honey. You’re a good shoulder to lean on. 🙂
The very top best sellers get a complete range of reviews – fives to ones. An honest ‘one’ is rare and should be reserved for the very seriously flawed. No one in their right mind would score BtSG that low. Discard it in your own mind Britt. We know the truth in that you have written three very good novels by anyone’s standard.
Thanks so much, Roy! I appreciate the genuine pep talk. 🙂
So sorry to hear you had a crappy week Britt 😦 What I admire about you is your honesty and the courage to write about the raw edges of life as well in an almost adorable authentic way. (adorable, not fluffy!! 😉 ) Expectations. We all have them to some extent. I get it. Of course you want your first review to be a good one, who wouldn’t? It’s ok to feel annoyed by that. Just allow those feelings as well. You have so much going for you. Like I said, you’re bold, authentic, and inspire people (me) for just being you; a true life enthusiast! and I know you’ll have what it takes to see things through. Be like the tree, that doesn’t give a crap and despite of it all just blooms anyway. Give it time. Of those other 699 there will undoubtedly be who really enjoyed the book. Keep writing. I already love love your blog and will get to reading your books soon..promise.
Glad to hear your sweetie is doing much better. Love cuddles to Hazelxxx
Eh, crappy weeks happen. I thought about not writing about one, but darnit, sometimes they just happen. 🙂
Aww, thank you, gorgeous! So many compliments…I don’t know what to say. But I love your tree analogy, and I shall be like the tree.
Thanks, honey!