Hunkering down during the COVID- 19 pandemic is providing me with the opportunity to turn lemons into lemonade. I am finally getting down to blogging about the launch of my book, Is This All There Is? Living a Life Beyond Obligation which took place back on February 15th. Not typically a procrastinator, you would think that approaching this task would be a pleasurable one. Quite frankly I’m not really sure why I waited a whole seven weeks to begin to write about it. Maybe I just wanted to savour the wave of positive emotion I was feeling since then before recapturing it in writing. Whatever the reason, I am once again feeling the urge to revisit that memorable day and relive it now that some time has passed.
The particular day on which my book launch took place was such a phenomenal one that I’m pretty sure I was wearing a perma-smile on my face throughout the duration of the event. Pictures sent to me by attendees certainly confirmed this to be the case. Feeling the loving energy in the room only added to the great vibe. The guests in attendance were so incredibly supportive and pleased to be there. The turnout was great despite it being Family Day weekend. Invited guests included family, long-time friends, past and current work colleagues and members of the NeftTI community…all there to celebrate me and my book. To my great relief, despite the risk of hosting events in February in Canada there was no snow storm in the forecast.
There were many factors that made this day such a magical one, matching the vision I had conjured up in my mind prior to the book’s release. My pre-conceived vision for that day was to be one of great celebration. Given this book was a passion project that had absorbed much of my mental and creative energy for over a year, this event was incredibly meaningful to me. Writing a book about meridian tapping (also known as Emotional Freedom Techniques) and how this modality could really help women who have a tendency to shortchange their own happiness for the sake of others was something that I was truly passionate about.
What kept me motivated during the writing process was the belief I held that if I could make this tool more accessible to women at large who may otherwise not read a book deemed “alternative”, it could really make a difference in their lives. Minimizing the emotional and spiritual distress many women experience due to limiting beliefs that tear them down rather than build them up was my ultimate goal. Writing a book of this kind became my mission and fuelled my passion to get it out into the world.
Organizing the book launch was an entirely new experience for me. Although I had helped arrange events for other people, hosting one in MY honour was a first. Outside of baby and wedding showers that others held on my behalf, I was really not used to being the Centre of attention. However, when I think back to that day, I recall that the predominant feeling was one of immense joy and excitement, basking in the limelight and relishing each moment. What freedom to not be feeling any self-consciousness whatsoever. After all, this day was about me and my accomplishment and could certainly be described as a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I was determined to make it count!
For starters, having my dear friend and mentor, Nancy Forrester, Executive Director of the National Emotional Freedom Techniques Training Institute (NeftTI) act as my MC and interviewer was the natural choice. Being a former student and having completed her Harness program to become a certified EFT Practitioner made this selection a no-brainer. Nancy was also the inspiration behind my desire to write a book about EFT and personal transformation in the first place.
She began by asking me the usual questions about the why behind the book and what I was hoping readers would get out of it (more self-love and acceptance among other things). She also wondered if I had considered reaching any other audiences outside of the women my book was mostly geared towards.
I found the latter to be a great question. Although my book is meant to address the ways in which women are socialized to put others’ needs ahead of their own, many of the same beliefs around not being good enough and the critical voice that follows us around are universal in nature. I answered her question by saying that in essence, anyone who is human could reap some benefit from the book. However, as a woman in a caregiving role and drawing from my own life experience as well as my greater familiarity with the female psyche helped determine who my target audience would be. I could also very much relate to the saying that we teach what we most need to learn and to be honest, writing the book was somewhat cathartic in that it allowed me to gain further insight into my own limiting beliefs and how those had held me back in one way or another.
I then invited questions from the audience. One of the attendees wondered if I had experienced any self-doubt during the writing process. I could honestly respond to her by saying that this had not been the case whatsoever but to the contrary the book had more or less been downloaded from somewhere deep within me. I had experienced “being in the flow” and had thoroughly enjoyed the writing process. This to me was further evidence that I was on point.
After more questions and a brief trivia quiz with the audience about all things energy, it was time for cake-cutting, book signing and mingling. I was deeply touched and humbled that people had taken the time to be there, especially those who had made the trek from outside of the Greater Toronto Area and in particular a friend who had flown in from Edmonton, Alberta. The women featured in the book, who generously shared their stories adding to its readability, were all present; one was teleconferenced in from New York. Being able to celebrate their contribution to the book was very sweet and I am extremely grateful to have been able to include their highly-relatable stories for the benefit of other women. Witnessing their process of transformation will hopefully open many minds to the transformative power of Emotional Freedom Techniques.
My family also did not disappoint! My brother who made sure my wheelchair-bound 92 year old mother was transported to the event (my biggest fan to whom I dedicated my book), my husband who set up the sound system and my adult children who looked after book sales and handed out door prize tickets all rose to the occasion and made me very proud. I’d like to think they were somewhat proud of me as well. Thanks to them, all went off without a hitch.
To have the dream of writing a book realized and celebrated among friends and family who support me and want to acknowledge my achievement is the headiest experience of all.
To all of you whose heartfelt energy and smiling faces were there to cheer me on (and those who wanted to attend but couldn’t but made a point of buying my book when it came out), you offered me the gift of a day I will cherish for the remainder of my life. THANK YOU with all my heart and soul. Happy reading!
Keep an eye on the blog to hear how EFT tapping is helping me and others stay sane and regulated during the COVID-19 pandemic.