Remember Stuart Smalley from Saturday Night Live? He was the lispy therapist who always had daily affirmations and ended the show with “I'm Good Enough, I'm Smart Enough, and Doggone It, People Like Me!”

Well, this weekend, after hearing how stressed out I was making myself over the revision process of my first novel, my husband told me about something called “Auto suggestion”.

I’m not sure of the particulars, but you are supposed to come up with a mantra to repeat to yourself in the morning when you get up and at night before you go to bed (and I’m assuming anytime you need to in between) that represents how you want your life/a particular situation to go. As time passes and you continue to say these words, it becomes your reality.

Soooooo. John told me to come up with an auto suggestion of my own to help me deal with my revision angst.

“And don’t revise the hell out of your auto-suggestion,” he had said laughing but not kidding.

So after revising the hell out of my auto-suggestion, here it is:

*I have 60 years of writing in front of me and I will never have another first revision experience. I want it to be fun and playful. This story is already great; this revision is just to tease the characters out a little more.

I’m a perfectionist. When I clean, I use a toothbrush. If I don’t chill, I’m going to be miserable. I'm happy to say, just reading the first sentence puts things into perspective and I literally feel myself relax.

I DO want this to be fun. It can be, right? Other people LOVE revisions. Stop stressing, Nina.

Deep breathe. Repeat mantra. *

And now cue Stuart Smalley:
“I'm Good Enough, I'm Smart Enough, and Doggone It, People Like Me!”

Must go. Off to be playful and fun and party with my characters.

FYI: Some other Stuart Smalley-isms:
• "That's just stinkin' thinkin!"
• "You're should-ing all over yourself."
• "I am a worthy human being."
• "I'm going to die homeless, penniless, and 30 pounds overweight."
• "...and that's...okay."