The Book I Wrote Only Made Me $500, But It Taught Me The Most Valuable Lesson Of All

“$500 bucks.

That’s all I’ve made from my books.

And I’m okay with that.

Because I didn’t write them for the money.

I wrote them to survive the harder days.

I wrote them as a form of therapy.

I wrote them for my kids.

I wrote them for other women.

I wrote them because I wanted to and I needed to.

12 reviews.

That’s all they’ve gotten.

And I’m okay with that.

Even if most are from family and friends.

5 stars.

That’s what two out of the three have been given.

And, yes, again, from family and friends, but still…

I have every right to feel proud.

Of myself.

Of my creative works.

Of my effort.

Of my willingness to share my truths with the world thinking that maybe, just maybe, any disclosure of mine could be of help to another.

Help them laugh.

Help them smile.

Help them find the strength or their way or another way.

Help them along in some way, shape, or form.

But then I remember I didn’t write a bestseller.

I didn’t even write a book that’s selling a lot.

But then again, I’m not ‘selling’ it.

I’m not selling anything.

And I’m sure as heck not ‘selling’ me, a brand, or a way of life.

I’m just doing me and being me and working every gosh darn day on trusting that that is invaluable, AND ENOUGH.

Today.

Tomorrow.

Always.

And I write this tonight for the person sitting on their couch thinking they’ve failed.

Thinking they aren’t enough.

Thinking that all that they do isn’t enough.

Thinking that they need to work harder.

That they need to do better.

That they need to make more money or be noticed more.

To the you who doesn’t give yourself enough credit, I’m here to do it for you.

To remind you of this if this one frickin’ thing you must always remember:

A person isn’t defined and made more worthy by what they do, how much they make, and who knows of them.

People will forever be defined by how they love, how the love they give makes others feel, and how they work to spread theirs far and wide.

So, just do it, spread love, and don’t give a f*** about anything else.”

This story was submitted to Love What Matters by Nicole Merritt of Jthreenme. You can follow her on Facebook, her website, or podcast. Get her new book, Musings for Mom, here. Submit your own story here. Be sure to subscribe to our free email newsletter for our best stories, and YouTube for our best videos.

Read more from Nicole here:

‘I expected him to tell me, ‘Yeah, I’ve noticed. You’ve got to do something about that anxiety.’ He didn’t though.’: Mom grateful for husband’s love when sharing insecurities

‘Do I send my child to their brick and mortar campus and worry about their physical health EVERY SINGLE DAY?’: Mom shares frustrations for fall school re-openings

‘You’ll never remember these nights. When I lie in bed, listening to you breathe, and question if someone, anyone, could do this better.’: Mom says ‘you’ll never remember these nights, but I will’

‘I send them to school with stains. We eat dinner in front of the TV. We make noise, a lot of it, and we like our pasta best slurped.’: Mom urges ‘dance to the beat of your own family’s drum’

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