There are moments in life when time stands still, the world seems to pause and everything goes quiet. These moments seem to last forever, for better or worse.
You know those big vivid moments, when your world instantly turns upside down, demanding your full attention, and later you seem to remember every sensation.
These are pivotal moments, like when a child is born or a loved one passes away; unexpected moments, like when your basement is flooded or you slip on ice; and thrilling moments, like when you receive an unexpected raise, a marriage proposal, or a call that you won the sweepstakes.
These moments grab your attention. They wake you up. Pivotal moments are often our gateways to directly experiencing the undeniable brilliance of being fully alive.
I recently had such a pivotal moment when I received news that Oprah.com would be publishing four pages of my book.
Upon first reading the email, time slowed down. Upon reading it a second, third, and fourth time, time stood still. At first I was confused. What does this mean? How did the folks at Oprah.com get my book? How is this possible? What’s going to happen next?
Amidst my questions, a light began to shine through. “Yes, Dear One,” my wiser self said to my confused mind, “It’s true.”
It was then in realizing I’d been granted every author’s dream opportunity, the floodgate opened and the tears poured out.
There were tears of joy mixed with pent up exhaustion of months and months of book promotion. The emotional release was fueled by the vulnerability hangover of putting myself “out there” in countless interviews, blogs and podcasts, endless and oftentimes uncomfortable FaceBook posts and Tweet after Tweet after Tweet.
I cried, shedding the small setbacks since my book launched, the minor disappointments, the unanswered pitches. I cried, laughing at the little victories, the emails from readers, the unknown awards, and the spike in book sales here and there. Lastly, I cried for whatever may come, for I have no idea.
Could the post on Oprah.com be the “big break?” Sure, it could. But I’m also savvy enough to not count on one post to do anything but give me the drive to keeping sharing my passion.
My pivotal “Oprah” moment shifted me. It’s given me confidence to trust that my hard work carried my book to the folks at Oprah.com (and maybe even Oprah herself).
Regardless of what happens tomorrow, I’m eternally grateful for those powerful few minutes when I allowed myself to fully “live on the verge,” immersed in the richness of the moment when time stood still, when the world paused and where I experienced the undeniable brilliance of being fully alive.
As I settle down from the high and ease back into my work, I do so with a lighter heart and a more joyful approach. There’s a new spring in my step as I go about my business sharing my passion for living fully and trusting that somewhere, someone is listening.
By the way, you can check out the Oprah.com post right here!
