MAYDAY! MAYDAY! That’s what my brain has been screaming since the beginning of this month. Why? Well, I’ve been planning for one of the biggest book events of my career (so far). I’ll be heading to Canada to the Niagara Falls Comic Con on June 7th-9th. Sounds exciting, right? Definitely, but there’s a lot more to it than I originally thought.
I’ve spent months preparing for the event and it seemed every time I thought I had things figured out, Canada whispered to me, “But wait…there’s more!” And to top it all off, I get a letter from one of the Canadian officials who are in charge of the event stating that I’m one of ten foreign vendors! That’s right, TEN! “Great, no pressure!” is what I thought upon reading that letter. I didn’t know who these other nine vendors were and for all I knew, I was the only American! (I’m probably not, but that was just what my paranoid mind was thinking at the time).
With all the legalities involved and the constant stress of having all my ducks in a row, my dad asked me, “How much money have you put into this thing already?” I’m pretty sure my brain short-circuited at this question, but I simply said, “Too much.” I then started thinking, is this going to be worth it? But my mom said, “You can’t turn back now, you already put so much time and effort into this!”
So, at this point, I became so consumed with this event and my writing that I began to forget the important things. I forgot to enjoy the journey that I’m on. Yes, preparing for this event is a big thing and obviously writing is my career, but they’re not the only things going on in my life. I began to give myself more breaks and took up exercising more whether it be hiking or biking. I even started eating super healthy foods! And you know, it made such a difference in my overall mental state.
Now, I’m not saying go on a week-long fast or go climb Mount Washington. No, but I find that taking care of one’s self is far more important than any career or hobby. I mean, subconsciously we know that. But as people, we sometimes get caught up in the awesome moments of life that we tend to forget about ourselves. Think about it, if we don’t take the time to care for ourselves first, then our careers will suffer for it in the long run.
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