Think and grow published?

I am the co-facilitator of a group for professional women in family business--it's part of my job to moderate this forum. One of the most exciting developments this year is that I had the chance to bring in a relationship doctor--a seasoned therapist--to provide counsel to these women, to help them realize more success in business and in their personal lives in 2011.

At our first meeting, Rita (the therapist) mentioned a book that profoundly influenced her called Think and Grow Rich by Dr. Napoleon Hill.

Her assertion took me aback. She didn't seem to be the kind of person who would be motivated to choose wealth over other things in life. But I trusted her so implicitly, I thought I should check out this book. As it turns out we had the book in our business library. And my coworker ordered it as an audiobook through Interlibrary Loan, handing it over to me today. I wasn't five minutes into the book when I realized that Meredith Wilson must have been spoofing the book in his musical Music Man, whose main character Dr. Harold Hill uses the "think" method to teach schoolchildren to play musical instruments.

After I stopped laughing about that, I settled in to really listen to the message of the book. And I now understand that Napoleon Hill wasn't just trying to make people wealthy. He was trying to help them realize their dreams, whatever they may be. Besides, I'm allergic to wealth it seems, destined never to have it. As long as I have enough money, that's sufficient for me.

But I do have one magnificent obsession--something that I really want to accomplish--and that's publishing one of my novels. I haven't gotten far enough into Think and Grow Rich to know how to do this other than hearing the message that you'll never realize your dreams if you give up at moments when you feel most defeated.

Maybe it was providence I had no other book to listen to on the way home and popped in Think and Grow Rich. Other writers can appreciate when I say I've been feeling very defeated lately. Someone's recent post about not being able to get your books published being a sign that you should stop writing has been cycling through my head lately like a bad eighties song. I'm at one of the lowest points I've ever experienced in my five-year writing career. Yet, today I heard some advice reaching up from the late, great Dr. Napoleon Hill's grave that success means not giving up, to keep trying, bettering yourself, and your craft. And the strength of that admonition that you simply can't give up socked me in the gut.

I'm going to listen to more of this book. And as I do, I'll share more insights from it on "Scrivengale." This is the most upbeat I've felt about my personal quest to be a published author in days--maybe even months.