Recognizing the Seasons

Good morning! Kathi Macias here, checking in to talk about seasons. And trust me, I just had my 59th birthday, so I've seen a lot of them! But seeing them and recognizing them aren't always one and the same. That truth applies to nearly every aspect of life, including marketing and publicity, so let's explore that idea and see if the recognition of changing seasons can help us put this marketing issue into proper perspective.

I'm an eternal optimist who has never seen an empty glass in my life. As a result, I assume that every good idea that comes along is meant for me--jump on, hang on, and enjoy the ride! But then I wonder why I end up getting bucked off somewhere along the way. It seldom occurs to me until I'm already committed to the ride that--good ride though it may be--perhaps it didn't have my name on it.

Can you relate? If you go back through the many marketing posts on this blog since we began posting last year, you could be overwhelmed by all the great information and suggestions you will find here. I just did that review, and believe me, I truly was overwhelmed, as I realized how many good ideas I had failed to implement in my own marketing and publicity, and daunted at the implications of how much time would be involved if I did try to implement them all.

And that's my point. There are a lot of great suggestions on this blog from a lot of great people--but it's not so great if you read them and think you have to be doing them all at once in order to be successful. Each author who posts on this blog is in a different season of life--Mary's is different than mine; Tricia's is different than Jill's; Cyndy's is different than Sarah's. True, we've all come to the season where we have achieved publication, but there are many seasons within that timeframe as well.

Just as we walk through different seasons in our natural and spiritual lives--i.e., I wasn't able to write and edit fulltime when I had "rugrats" running around and tugging at my shirttails--we also experience different seasons in our writing careers. So be encouraged, fellow scribes, and remember that whatever season you are in right now will one day pass into another season. Rather than trying to do everything in one season, pace yourself--and stay true to your calling to "write the vision," regardless of the season. God's purpose for your life will come to pass "in the fullness of time."