Ask the Author: Amanda W. Jenkins
Answered Questions (8)
Amanda W. Jenkins
I think many people get really down when they lose focus or motivation because they think that in order to be successful, they need to have an unstoppable passion, inspiration, or willpower. The absence of it feels like failure!
The secret? To accept the ebbs and flows of feelings and emotion. To sit and flow with ALL the feelings. To connect to the breath, body, and movement of life. To flow with nature and the seasons. This is where I get my inspiration - not from something outside of myself. But from how I am showing up in the world today.
Want to learn more about inspiration and FLOW? Pick up my latest book, "Go From Hustle to Flow: Yoga + Mindset Practice to Release Overwhelm, Cultivate Peace + Redefine Success" available on Amazon now.
The secret? To accept the ebbs and flows of feelings and emotion. To sit and flow with ALL the feelings. To connect to the breath, body, and movement of life. To flow with nature and the seasons. This is where I get my inspiration - not from something outside of myself. But from how I am showing up in the world today.
Want to learn more about inspiration and FLOW? Pick up my latest book, "Go From Hustle to Flow: Yoga + Mindset Practice to Release Overwhelm, Cultivate Peace + Redefine Success" available on Amazon now.
Amanda W. Jenkins
I was struck by inspiration for my next book this week on a bike ride. You can't plan for this - "the muse" works at the oddest times! Mine often while I am sleeping, showering, or working out. I often suffer from writers' block, but sometimes my ideas just flow. This one was so good I raced home and found a pen and jotted it down. Of course, the jotting happens often too. Then I look back at the idea and say, OMG no way am I doing that. But this one keeps holding up! It feels touched by the divine. Stay tuned, you're going to love the sequel to "Go From Hustle to Flow."
Amanda W. Jenkins
Write every day! I started this exercise back in 2018 and by 2021 I had a book that's almost 400 pages long. A lot of critique and editing happened in the later stages of that journey, but if you think about all of that you'll never start. Just start writing every day. Use an outline and plug sections in, fleshing things out little by little. Get feedback as you go. It just might turn into something beautiful!
Amanda W. Jenkins
The good-ass feelings that come with writing, of course! Writing a first draft in a "flow state" is probably my favorite thing to do. I can work out my thoughts and issues on the page. Later, after I receive critique, second, third, fourth, and fifth drafts is where the real labor and inner work begins. This is also where I gain the most insight, shed preconceived notions, and make new connections because of the input I've received from my community. At the end of the day, sharing those conclusions with a broader audience brings even more a-ha moments.
Amanda W. Jenkins
"A Wrinkle in Time" by Madeleine L'Engle was my favorite book as a child, and ever since I read it I've been dreaming of intergalactic time travel!
I also read a series of books about a gladiatrix set in Athens that was incredibly transporting and I've always wanted to re-read to visit that world again. I was around middle school age (in the late '80s/early 1990s). I can't figure out what it was, if anyone has any ideas, let me know!
I also read a series of books about a gladiatrix set in Athens that was incredibly transporting and I've always wanted to re-read to visit that world again. I was around middle school age (in the late '80s/early 1990s). I can't figure out what it was, if anyone has any ideas, let me know!
Amanda W. Jenkins
"The Goddess Pose" by Michelle Goldberg, "A Field Guide to Getting Lost" by Rebecca Solnit, "The Water Dancer" by Ta-Nehisi Coates, "Feral" by George Monbiot
Amanda W. Jenkins
My best ideas come when I am NOT in front of the computer, so getting into my body is key! That's where I source all my inspiration. It flows from either being in the great outdoors or on the yoga mat. In my new book "Go From Hustle to Flow" I go into detail on all of this - it's all about how to escape workaholism, release overwhelm, cultivate peace, and redefine success!
Amanda W. Jenkins
For most of my life, I've been your garden-variety workaholic. I was either working for someone else or running my own businesses, "busy" all the time. Then, I discovered yoga. It gave me the opportunity to slow down, to do something for the sake of doing it, to really fall back in love with life. I got really into positive psychology, and the concept of "flow." I wanted to share all of that with others.
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