The Five Things I've Learnt After Publishing My First Novel...

The Five Things I've Learnt After Publishing My First Novel

Guest post by Isabelle Laflèche, author of J'adore New York

Isabelle Laflèche -whose first novel, J'adore New York-hits stores this month-admits to a life altering encounter with a psychic on the streets of Manhattan that led her to ditch her high octane legal career for a creative life of writing.

1-Living a creative life is more rewarding than simply making lots money. I once worked 14 hour days fuelled by excessive ambition but had no spare time to pursue my artistic passions. Sure, I was making lots of money but I was miserable. Then I met a psychic in New York who told me that I was missing my calling as a writer. It took me a while to take her advice seriously but I eventually resigned from my cushy job and wrote my first novel, which has been the most rewarding event in my professional life.

2-Expensive handbags don't make you happy. When I was working around the clock as a lawyer, I often compensated on weekends by buying things. Although it was fun for a while to parade around town with the season's "it" bag, it soon lost its appeal and left me feeling empty.

3-To reach new horizons, you must lose sight of the shore. I've often repeated this quote to myself over the years. Going through a major career change can be very scary but it's important to look ahead and not dwell on the past.

4-Sucess is the culmination of a series of failures. Like so many authors, when I first sent my manuscript to agents and publishers, I received countless rejection letters but I never gave up on my goal to be published no matter how discouraged I felt. Eventually, a door opened for me and it was the right one.

5-Never let anyone get in the way of your dreams. Once you decide to make a major change in your life, many people might feel intimidated or uncomfortable with your willingness to take risks and may become vocal about it. Don't let the naysayers rain on your parade, it's negative energy that you don't need at this crucial juncture in your life.

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