Read on Twitter
Mind if I talk about failure for a second? I’ve spent the last several months working on preparing for a Kickstarter campaign that may run out of steam before reaching its funding goal. The Epicureans is 50% funded with only 5 days left on the clock 
My 1st-ever thread: 
/1
My 1st-ever thread: /1
The first temptation is self-pity: “Boo-hoo, nobody loves me. Nobody appreciates the art I’m trying to bring into the world.” This is an energy sinkhole. Self-pity is a form of narcissism. You can feel yourself crumple in on yourself – face meeting navel – when you nurse it. /2
I’ve been tempted to go there. Instead of working on promoting the campaign during my working hours, I’ve found my mind lingering on the phrasing of my hypothetical concession speeches (timely, eh?!) /3
I fret inwardly about how I’ll explain @tuneandfair’s failure to the novelist who entrusted us with not just designing The Epicureans but finding/cultivating an audience for it. What about potential future authors who will lose confidence in my ability to market *their* work? /4
I’ve had to reflect on the words of my creativity and business mentors Elizabeth Gilbert, @BreneBrown, Seth Godin, et al. The only generative path through any “vulnerability hangover” is to shift the focus away from oneself toward generosity. So here's one thing I did today: /5
I made a Spotify playlist for the 224 people who’ve already backed the Kickstarter to thank them for their support. https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/tuneandfairweather/the-epicureans-a-novel/posts/3015438 It felt so good. /6
I’ve resolved afresh to release anything that has a shrinking, contractive energy. Gratitude expands, unfurls and opens us up. So I meditate on all the people who have helped along the way. /7
John Battle, my former colleague at @riotgames, is a professional voice actor in his off-hours (he’s done a Super Bowl commercial FFS!). JB did a reading for us of the book’s first two chapters and ignored our repeated pleas to let us pay him. Bonkers. /8
My wife spent hours reaching out to Irish press and local libraries to see if they might be willing to boost the signal on the campaign. I’ve had friends and even strangers post about the campaign on social media. Reminds me of this quote. /9
The more I reflect on these acts of generosity, the more I feel my spirit expand & calm. Was it C.S. Lewis who wrote about heaven being a feast where everybody’s spoon is too long to reach their own mouth so they happily feed their neighbours and get fed in return? /10
If the Kickstarter fumbles at the goal line, that’s OK. I can heed @timferriss' urging to meditate on the worst that can happen. Good news: it doesn’t involve death or dismemberment or shitting through white jeans in public. We’ll find another way to cover the printing bill. /11
If we fail I get to build empathy & equanimity. Wikipedia describes equanimity as “a state of psychological stability and composure which is undisturbed by experience of or exposure to emotions, pain, or other phenomena that may cause others to lose the balance of their mind” /12
Norman Mailer wrote, “Being a real writer means being able to do the work on a bad day.” I quit my job in video-game marketing to publish & market beautiful books. That’s my job now. Even if I’m depressed or feel like a failure/fraud, that’s the work I get to do. Lucky me! /END
