 |
|||
|
|
|||
|
What Fuels Your Fire? by Tracy Lyn Moland
When I was a little girl, I remember thinking about my twin. I believed that we each had a double somewhere that looked like us, thought like us, and did the exact same things at the same time. As I grew I learned that we are all very unique so there is no exact replica of us. I have, however, found someone who could be my twin. After first meeting and getting to know our cover Mom writer, Christine Louise Hohlbaum, I thought, “Wow, I think we are the same person living in different countries!” Christine and I immediately connected as Moms, as writers, and as kindred spirits. I am excited to share Christine’s journey and experiences as a Mom writer with you. As I always am after a conversation with Christine, I feel moved. Christine’s ability to share life experiences through humor while inspiring is an incredible talent.
I asked Christine to share her official bio to get us started: Christine Louise Hohlbaum connected with her creative spirit at an early age and recently rediscovered it in the form of several books, including DIARY OF A MOTHER: PARENTING STORIES AND OTHER STUFF (2003) and SAHM I AM: TALES OF A STAY-AT-HOME MOM IN EUROPE (2005). Her popular weekly ezine, Powerful Families, Powerful Lives, touches the hearts of many across the globe. For more of her writing, visit www.diaryofamother.com.
Christine, you are a Mom, an author, a freelance writer and media expert – how do you do it all?
People often ask me this question. There is no formula to follow other than to listen to the still voice within you and to live your passion in whatever form works for you. My life is soul-driven so whatever I do feels less like effort and more like an exploration of “what’s next”. I am on fire, and it feels great to have come to a place in my life that feels right on target.
How do you find the time?
Time management skills are essential to living the life you love. It takes discipline to use your time wisely. Most of my creations stem from late-night inspiration or an idea jotted in a notebook. Instead of panicking that I can’t write because my daughter has a ballet lesson or my son needs to be picked up from preschool, I allow the ideas to gestate. Then, in an explosion, they emerge onto the page when I have time to “give birth.”
Writing is much like giving birth. You have moments where the information has to be spilled onto the page or you might just pop. I have learned to channel that energy and to allow time for contemplation. You might laugh, but I find a lot of inspiration when I am out shopping by myself. The change of scenery does wonders for my imagination! (Oh Christine – we now all have a wonderful excuse to go shopping! Thank you!)
Do you follow a set schedule?
As I mentioned, I have to take my children’s schedules into consideration. Generally speaking, I work in the afternoons when they are at preschool. After bedtime is another key point in the day to write stories. I am at my best when I write an essential life truth versus a contrived story that offers entertainment value only. I try to inform while entertaining and making people laugh.
Tell us about some of the ups and downs of being a Mom and a writer?
One of the biggest life transitions I had to make was moving to Germany in the midst of writing my first manuscript. After gathering up the courage to finally write seriously, I had to stop for six months while my husband looked for a new job. It ultimately meant moving to Europe with six weeks’ notice, which might not sound like a big deal, but doing anything quickly with a fifteen-month-old and a three-year-old is a very big deal indeed!
In the end, one of my favorite chapters in my first book, Diary of a Mother: Parenting Stories and Other Stuff is “Getting to D” about our move to Germany. The book is all the richer for our difficult experience. It made me realize that life gives us so much to write about.
Writer’s block is never something I have had to deal with. Messy diapers in public, tantrums on the subway, and missed appointments due to fever spikes – yes, that seems so much harder to deal with!
It is so gratifying when a harried parent writes me a note, thanking me for a piece I have written. A fellow woman writer recently wrote to me: “Keep that light shining! The rest of the world needs its warmth and comfort.” I was blown away by her support, love, and encouragement. Writing is one creative outlet for the spirit; it is the gift that keeps on giving even after I no longer exist.
What does "living a passion-driven life" mean to you?
All my life, I have felt a sense of forward-driven motion. There were times that I felt pulled into another world and didn’t understand why it was tugging at me so much. Writing has given me the key to that door beyond which there lives a world so rich, so powerful, and so incredibly deeper than the scope of our everyday lives.
Deepak Chopra and I talked recently about how writing is channeling the divine source. I truly believe that. Everything I write comes from a Higher Source. Passion is the driving force which sustains the action of writing. Leading a passion-driven life means listening to your inner voice and acting on its commands, not the ones of convention, society, or even your own mind. The trick is to move beyond the mind to the heart source. Athletes call it “being in the Zone”. That is where I am when I write.
It appears that you "have it all." What advice can you give parents who feel dissatisfied with their lives?
You need to be clear about your own limitations. Where are you wasting your energy and time? Could you shift your priorities to move beyond what you are currently doing to a place that gives you more satisfaction? Ask yourself a simple question: “What fuels my fire?” What would make you jump out of bed every morning and say, “I love my life! Let’s get started!” If you can’t think of anything that you are doing currently, look to the time when you were a child. We all led passion-driven lives as kids. We were fearless, uninhibited, and full of discovery. You can recapture those moments by inviting some of those things into your life again. It involves making powerful choices for yourself.
Another thing to remember is being satisfied with yourself will ultimately benefit your family, too. Many parents say they can’t spend time on their own interests because of their familial obligations. Look for creative ways to combine your family’s needs with your own. There is no need to be a martyr!
Thank you so much Christine! I believe there are many Moms out there who now are beginning to realize that it is not only essential to find and fuel their fires but it is an absolute necessity.
Over the past few years, best selling author Tracy Lyn Moland, B. Ed. has established herself as a highly sought after and internationally recognized life management and marketing expert. You may recognize Tracy Lyn’s ideas and advice from magazines like Reader’s Digest, Chatelaine or Women’s Day as well as her series on Good Morning Canada and appearance on Living it Up! With Ali and Jack. She has been featured in over 500 media outlets and presented in 3 countries. Her expertise has lead to her work as a spokesperson for Johnsonville Sausages, Crayola, TJ Maxx, and Whirlpool appliances. Tracy Lyn’s books Mom Management and Quotes of Inspiration have provided much needed advice and sanity in our crazy world.
|
|||
|
