It would be foolish to live
life always being optimistic without making an effort to take ownership of
one’s reality. Otherwise, all that you have is wishful thinking, but no muscle
behind it. You are just hoping to buck the odds, praying for luck to come your
way. You are at the mercy of the world.
It would be equally detrimental to live a life
filled with pessimism, where you assume the negative and see everything as a
cause for impending failure and doom. Why try, you ask yourself, if you feel
doomed before undertaking a challenge. That is a poor attitude that only buys
you the misery you are opening yourself to.
In either case, you may not have assessed
reality and your prospects properly, nor would you do anything to seize the
moment to make something favorable happen. You rendered yourself a hopeless
victim, as if you had no say or active role in your life’s journey. You do not
have to remain a standby passenger or a voyeur watching your life get defined
by others.
I believe in having enough optimism to ignite
you to act in an empowering and assertive way. Initiate, not just react. Do,
instead of complain. Move in any direction over inertia. Position yourself for
success and create your own opportunities. Change your circumstances. No
sitting on the sidelines, counting up the excuses as to why you have failed or
will fail.
I can’t tell you where my views come from, but I
suspect a few factors have played a role in my thinking:
Childhood — I would combat my dad’s pessimism and unfounded fears with optimism
and hope, but always tempered by taking action steps to avert doom and to
pursue success.
Sports — When I was competing in sports or games, I am reminded there is luck
involved but it is one’s skills and motivation that drive the outcomes.
Books
— Reading many self-help and inspirational books make it clear that some blend
of attitude and action lead to one’s victories or losses.
Results — Once you experience firsthand a favorable result from optimism-fueled
action, you can’t but help believe more in your abilities to think, will, and
act your way to greater heights.
I know I can’t will you to neither be overly
optimistic or pessimistic. You are who you are, and perhaps the older you get,
the more entrenched you have become in who you are. But I also know that deep
down, something that I say resonates within you, that some part of you yearns
for change or better results. You just need encouragement, direction, and
perhaps for one thing to change for the better, to act as proof that you can do
better, achieve more, and enjoy life. Embrace optimism blended with strategic
action. You need both to balance your ability to act and your mindset to be
open to opportunity.
Now look at how you view your book marketing.
Are you a pessimist or an optimist? What changes can you make in your attitude
and actions?
The answer can be the difference between your book’s success and failure.
Marketing Help?
Brian
Feinblum can be reached at brianfeinblum@gmail.com He is available to help authors like you to promote
your story, sell your book, and grow your brand. He has over 30 years of
experience in successfully helping thousands of authors in all genres. Let him
be your advocate, teacher, and motivator!
About Brian Feinblum
This award-winning blog has generated over
8,200,000 page views. With nearly 5,700+ posts over the past 15 years, it was
named one of the best book marketing blogs by BookBaby http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs and recognized by Feedspot in 2026, 2021
and 2018 as one of the top book marketing blogs. It was also named by www.WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.” Copyright 2026.
For
the past three decades, Brian Feinblum has helped thousands of authors. He
formed his own book publicity firm in 2020. Prior to that, for 21 years as the
head of marketing for the nation’s largest book publicity firm, and as the
director of publicity at two independent presses, Brian has worked with many
first-time, self-published, authors of all genres, right along with
best-selling authors and celebrities such as: Dr. Ruth, Mark Victor Hansen,
Joseph Finder, Katherine Spurway, Neil Rackham, Harvey Mackay, Ken Blanchard,
Stephen Covey, Warren Adler, Cindy Adams, Todd Duncan, Susan RoAne, John C.
Maxwell, Jeff Foxworthy, Seth Godin, and Henry Winkler.
His
writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s
The Independent (https://pubspot.ibpa-online.org/article/whats-needed-to-promote-a-book-successfully) and (https://pubspot.ibpa-online.org/article/10-things-my-dog-taught-me-about-marketing-books). He was recently interviewed by the IBPA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0BhO9m8jbs
He
hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America several years ago, and
has spoken at ASJA, three times at BookCAMP, Independent Book Publishers
Association, Sarah Lawrence College, Nonfiction Writers Association, Cape Cod
Writers Association, Willamette (Portland) Writers Association, APEX, five
times at Morgan James Publishing Red Carpet, and Connecticut Authors and
Publishers Association. He served as a judge for the 2024 IBPA Book Awards.
His
letters-to-the-editor have been published in The Wall Street Journal,
USA Today, New York Post, NY Daily News, Newsday, The Journal News (Westchester)
and The Washington Post. His first published book was The
Florida Homeowner, Condo, & Co-Op Association Handbook. It
was featured in The Sun Sentinel and Miami Herald.
Born
and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in Westchester with his wife, two kids,
and Ferris, a black lab rescue dog, and El Chapo, a pug rescue dog.
You
can connect with him at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianfeinblum/ or https://www.facebook.com/brian.feinblum
