"Ms. Stokes, your manuscript has been received."

This is the message I received today after submitting my manuscript to a publisher who requested to review it for possible publication. I can't begin to explain the many feelings I experienced after I hit the submit button. The feelings of  joy and happiness knowing I had finally sent my manuscript to a publisher. The feelings of elation and excitement knowing a publisher would now read my manuscript and let me know if it would be accepted for publication. The feeling of relief knowing my manuscript was finally submitted after months of writing, editing  and rewriting, and the feeling of satisfaction knowing I had given it my all.

But I also have to share the feelings I experienced before I pressed the submit button. The feelings of anxiety and fear that kept getting in the way of my pressing the button because I didn't know if the response would be good or bad, and the feelings of perfectionism that caused me to edit my manuscript several times, rather than submitting it sooner than I did.

Author Joanna Penn states in her book, The Successful Mind Set  that  " at some point you have to stop listening to your inner critic , do your best and let your book out into the world."  I realized she was right when I finally pressed the submit button and sent my manuscript to the publisher, for my manuscript would never be as perfect as I desired it to be, but the time had come to get my book out into the world.

Is it also time for you to get your book out into the world? Then let it go!

Sharing the journey,

Jeaninne