How to Learn to Speak Woo-Hoo! -- Reb MacRath

 When everyone seems to have mastered the art of crying it out at the top of their lungs, and we feel deafened by the roars, what are we to do?


 

--They've just finished writing their new novel of the month.

--Once again they've written 10K words a day.

--They've just landed a 3-book, 7-figure contract.

--They've lost a hundred pounds and signed on with a modeling agency.

--They've landed a new job at twice their salary and half their hours.

And on and on and on, until our own cry is crushing:




So, with lumps in our throats, we get back to the slogs we seem trapped in: crappy sales...zero online visibility...unending rejections...a novel that threatens to need at least 5 more revisions...age discrimination...

I'm no Pollyanna telling you that this is the best of all worlds for us all. But I believe we can better our chances and lives by starting now to do  two things:
 
1) Devise effective strategies for staying in The Zone and in fighting trim.
 
2) Take real pleasure in the fight.

My title suggests how to do that. Start with a modest goal of three Woo-Hoos a day--and I do mean real ones. Lusty, gusty shout-outs for three things you've accomplished today. 
 
Learn to switch your focus from the long haul still before you to pride in the steps that you've taken today. Think of the Law of Attraction: Boo Hoos and bad luck attract more of the same. Woo Hoo-ers are magnets, attracting successful and positive people.

Sample strategies that have worked for me.
 
--Rising earlier to buy myself more morning time. Not hitting the Snooze button--a signal to my brain that I'm not ready for the day. A tough habit to form, but once it kicks in, it's a powerful boost.
 
--Starting the day with a brief Spartan shower--turning the water temperature down...and down...and down all the way. Wowsy!
 
--Doing one thing daily that I've been putting off--or that I'm afraid of.
 
--Begin with 3, then work up to five or more.
 
--Save at least 1 for later in the day.


                                                        *****

But if you'd prefer a more serious face than my playful Woo-Hoos and Boo-Hoos, let's begin with a beautifully serious one:




Next, feel free to substitute any more technical lingo you like. Instead of  Woo-Hoos, for example, we could talk of anti-depressants, psychic discombobulators, positive reinforcements, attitudinal superchargers, advanced Kirtonagulators, and so on. What works for you is good for you, but my approach is no less serious just because it sounds more playful. In the end, basically, we all need to do three things to get in or get back in, then stay in The Zone.

                                   THE BIG THREE
We should score at least  once daily on all three fronts: physical, psychological, spiritual. The three are solidly connected. And progress on one sets us up for the next.

                                         *****

This is my report.



Welcome to MacRathWorld, if you like premium blends of mystery, action, and suspense. From Caesar's Rome to Seattle today, the twists fly at the speed of night. If you're unfamiliar with my work, I recommend starting with the new Seattle BOP mysteries. Here's the link to my AuthorPage on Amazon for a detailed look at the variety of 'rides' in my amusement park.


https://tinyurl.com/y3fdxo7q



Comments

Ruth Leigh said…
Nice! This is a great start to the day, Reb. Your Boo Hoos and Woo Hoos remind me of a talk I once heard at a networking meeting. The speaker explained that there are two kinds of people in this life. Mood Hoovers (the gloomy ones who suck all the energy out of you - think Colin Robinson in What We Do in the Shadows) and Mood Groovers (the opposite). Fill your life with the latter and you're halfway there. I loved this blog - and I will certainly be taking some of your advice.
Susan Price said…
Sorry, Reb and Ruth -- I'm heading off for a lie down and a nap.
Peter Leyland said…
Great stuff Reb. Not too keen on the cool shower option though. This is the UK!
Reb MacRath said…
Thanks, Ruth. I love the expression Mood Hoovers! Today I started off feeling a little like Susan...and wanting to go back to bed. But that's all the more reason to live up to the challenge of finding a major Woo Hoo before I'm completely Mood Hooved.
Reb MacRath said…
Susan, don't forget to try a bit of Advanced Kirtonagulation!
Reb MacRath said…
Peter, the thought of a brisk Spartan shower may be Greek to a UK gent. But once the icy blast hits you and you let your first scream, you'll be surprised by good it feels to scream...and scream again.
Eden Baylee said…
Such an entertaining blog, Reb!

Great advice - especially the shower, which I will not do because I go under water to heat up! It's Canada and it's cold!

e
Bill Kirton said…
Needless to say, Reb, I applaud your skittish enthusiasm for the positive approach to life and its demands, but the usual commercial imperative forces me to remind your readers that any indiscriminate, unsupervised use of a diagnostic Kirtonagulator™ can lead to pernicious exfoliation of perceptivity, comprehensive dithyrambic subjugation or dilution of aortic ambiguity, not to mention severe polyhydral neurosis. There is also the not insignificant fact that recently the price of both the instruction manual and the implement itself have risen steeply in line with inflation.
Ruth Leigh said…
When the comments are as enjoyable as the blog! As I live in a draughty Victorian house in rural East Suffolk, I too do not like the idea of a cold shower. Anything above tepid is a treat
Sandra Horn said…
Ha ha! Great stuff, Reb, minus the cold shower and plus the Kirtonagulator! I'll chance the unsupervised use and can't afford the instruction manual, so am making it up as I go.
Fun, amusing, uplifting!Shall apply to the long haul of editing, now I have a first draft which needs all the sorting, cutting, pasting, throwing away as is ever necessary...!

Popular posts

A Few Discreet Words About Caesar's Penis--Reb MacRath

Never Mind the Author Workshops, What Shall I Wear on World Book Day 2024? wonders Griselda Heppel

How to Live with the End in Mind: Wendy Mitchell’s Choice -- by Julia Jones

Brain on a Train -- Umberto Tosi

A writer's guide to Christmas newsletters - Roz Morris