I recently read an article by my colleague Chellie Campbell on the Wealthy Spirit Blog. I
just loved her story and had to share it, so here’s my interview of Chellie about that defining moment when a publisher told her she liked her book but, “Take out the affirmations.”
Lisa: So, Chellie, can you give us a little background?
Chellie: Lisa Hagen, my agent, and I had been working together to find a publisher for my book, The Wealthy Spirit, for over a year, through endless rounds of interest, rejections, almost-deals, and deals that fell through. So when an editor wanted to speak more, I was thrilled.
Lisa: How did the call go?
Chellie: We introduced ourselves and chatted for a few minutes. Then I asked the fateful question, “What about the book do you feel needs to be changed?”
Lisa: That’s always tough to hear. What did she say?
Chellie: Deb, the editor, told me that we had to take all the affirmations out of the book. My heart sank like a stone. No way could I take the affirmations out —they’re critical in helping people think more positively about money.
Lisa: Affirmations can be trite though…
Chellie: The average person has 60,000 thoughts every day, and most of what they’re thinking about money is depressing: “The rich get richer and the poor get poorer,” “You can’t make money in this economy.” You have to actively change the way you think about money to have abundance flow into your life, and that means repeating positive statements about money every day. You need to replace the old, negative thoughts.
Lisa: So in your case, the affirmations were really integral to the method. How did the editor respond when you told her that?
Chellie: She said affirmations are old news. It had already been done. So, I asked her if she was doing affirmations and there was silence. She finally admitted she didn’t do affirmations.
Lisa: Wow, that’s a gutsy question. Did she try them?
Chellie: Yes. I gave her my list of favorite affirmations. I told her to say them out loud while looking at herself in the mirror every day for the next 21 days. Then we’d talk again. Three weeks later she said, “Chellie, this is amazing! I’m getting unexpected money in the mail, people are paying me back loans I had forgotten they owed me, and I’m getting bigger and better book deals!”
Lisa: So she let you keep the affirmations!
Chellie: Yes. And that’s why the book was published with the subtitle, “Daily Affirmations for Financial Stress Reduction.”
Lisa: I love it. So what affirmations did you give your editor? Clearly they work!
Chellie: Here they are:
- People love to give me money!
- I am rich and wonderful.
- I am now earning a great big income doing what satisfies me.
- Something wonderful is happening to me today—I can feel it!
- All my bills are paid up in full and I still have all this money.
- My affirmations work for me, whether I believe they will or not. (This is for the skeptics among you.)
- A lot more money is coming into my life. I deserve it and will use it for my good and others.
- All my clients praise me and pay me!
- I am a money magnet!
- Money comes to me easily and effortlessly, waking and sleeping.
- I am now highly pleasing to myself in other people’s presence.
- I walk, talk, look, act, think and am rich!
- I am a winner–I win often, and I win big!
- I now receive large sums of money just for being me!
Lisa: So, a few take-aways here:
1. The editor is not always right, nor is conventional wisdom. Do listen, editors usually know what they are talking about and understand the market, but also trust your inner guidance when it’s telling you something different.
2. Try affirmations–they work. (especially Chellie’s!).
Have any questions for Chellie (or your own affirmations stories)? Share them here.
Chellie Campbell is the creator of the Financial Stress Reduction® Workshops, and author of Zero to Zillionaire. She has been prominently quoted as a financial expert in the Los Angeles Times, Good Housekeeping, Lifetime, Essence, Woman’s World and more than 50 popular books.
Chellie invites to you sign up for her free daily e-mails from The Wealthy Spirit–a page-a-day book with stories and tools for creating a rich life inside and out. You can also join Chellie for The Financial Stress Reduction® Telecourse: starting February 11 on Monday or Wednesday nights or Tuesday or Friday afternoons.
I hope my story helps a lot of your people keep the faith when they’re writing their books. You will find your right publisher, editor, and readers! As Mark Victor Hansen once said to an audience of authors, “Don’t you know there are people out there praying for you to write your book?”
And I might add, writing a book is the best brochure your business will ever have. Most of the people who come to my workshops and speeches started with reading “The Wealthy Spirit”. When I asked a Facebook friend how he heard about me, he said, “I’ve been reading a page a day of “The Wealthy Spirit” every day for 8 years.” Wow. I never expected that, and I feel so blessed to be able to be of service in that way. Peace, blessings, and prosperity to everyone today!
That is such an inspiration, Chellie!
Thanks for writing and sharing what you have learned. I have written 9 books –the first one selling 2 million copies called “How To Wake Up The Financial Genius Inside Your” I love your affirmation list…my good ole friend from Texas…who credits my first book for helping him become a half a billionaire….His name was Paul J. Meyer….he’s no longer with us, but his writings and influence will last forever.
Congratulations Mark. Your sales and success are impressive. And clearly you and your friend have created a legacy!
Congratulations Chellie! You had Faith in your work! I love how you didn’t try to convince the editor and instead, let her have her own experience! Very powerful!