Write It, Say It, Make It Happen

Call it superstition, call it reality. Whatever it is, I can't shake the notion that if I say something or write something down, I'm inviting it to happen. Therefore, I don't ever write or say things I don't want to come true, such as, "I wish that stupid goldfish would just die," because even though I'm probably just exaggerating my antipathy toward said goldfish, fate might take that as an invitation to off my poor, innocent pet.

(For the record, I don't have a goldfish.)

Words are powerful. I think that when we say stuff like, "I'm never going to sell my paintings," or "I'm a loser with no friends," we're inviting the universe to send us rejections or people who treat us like a loser. I had a major spaz attack on a friend of mine the other day who was upset that her excellent, award-winning manuscript hadn't sold to a publisher yet. So she tossed off a comment along the lines of, "This thing is never going to sell. Those other editors [currently looking at it] are just going to reject it."

So after I peeled myself off the ceiling and shrieked at her to never, ever say anything like that ever again (EVER!), I made her take it back OUT LOUD and nagged her into reciting a Stewart-Smalley-esque affirmation of her writing ("I'm good enough, I'm smart enough, and doggone it, people like me."). ARRRRRRRGH! Why would anyone SAY something like this? (See? I'm doing it again. Think calm, healing thoughts, Tracy. You're lying on a beach in Maui....) I said it to my friend and I'll say it to everyone else: Do not invite rejection into your life. Do not invite loser-dom into your life. Negative thoughts and words turn into self-fulfilling prophecies, more often than not, so don't give them a voice. For that matter, positive words and thoughts can also be self-fulfilling prophecies, so isn't that enough to turn the cynics among us (like, oh, ME?) just a little bit positive from time to time?

Case in point: A couple weeks ago, I wrote a blog post about some TV shows I watch, saying that I was looking forward to Debbie Gibson being kicked off Skating with the Stars and to Johnny on the OC leaving the show in a tragic manner. So what happened the following week? Debbie Gibson was kicked off the show, and tragedy came to the OC when Johnny fell off a cliff (Huzzah!).

Coincidence? I think not. :::Cue Twilight Zone music::::

P.S. There's an entire book about this phenomenon called Write It Down, Make It Happen. I've never read it, because, uh, the title seems to say it all. ; D