Kids spend a lot of time thinking about what they want to be when they "grow up." Even choosing classes in middle school requires philosophical deliberations. Choir or band? Spanish or Latin? Robotics or Cross Country? Such decisions might affect the rest of a kid's life! Or they might not. How can you know what will be important and what won't matter in the long run?

You can't.

The blessing disguised as "growing up" is hindsight. It's counterintuitive to expect that small experiences can have a huge impact, but they do. Our life's course of action can emerge from seemingly inconsequential moments--a silent observation, a conversation held in passing, the ache of need, an idea, an image, or just a glimpse of potential. Retracing our actions to the initial spark of influence gives us wisdom and perspective. The "why" in what we do fuels the "what."

Dr. Rudy Kachmann is my father-in-law. His professional accomplishments are surpassed only by his personal. His children and grandchildren are talented and fun. I am especially fond of his eldest son, Jeffrey (we married in August, 2015).

At last count, Rudy has written 27 books. He's published at least 8 since I started Life Off the Label. (Yes, that's intimidating.) His books explore a variety of mainstream assumptions in nutrition and medicine, and challenge the conventional approaches to managing disease. The content of one of his recent publications caught me off guard--to the extent that it was difficult to read (but only because it felt weird to read The Sitting Disease while . . .sitting). The book motivated me to set up a workstation in my office that forces me to stand, and to take movement breaks every hour. (I've now heard that treadmill desks are available. That sounds a wee-bit problematic given my accident-prone nature, but at least the sitting disease won't take me down.)

I met Dr. Kachmann when he invited me to speak about the vegan diet at one of his lectures. (I did not yet know his son, whom I met through my friend Heidi, his sister.) During our follow up discussion, I summoned the courage to ask how he manages to publish so many books, given the time constraints of his career. At the time, I kept my aspirations to write a book to myself. I assumed that getting a health and wellness book published would be mostly a matter of far-fetched luck as I'm neither a neurosurgeon or a celebrity. His answer to the question challenged my dismissive perceptions.

"I self-publish," he revealed. "Many successful authors do. Youcan self-publish. And I think you should, Colleen." He proceeded to describe the process, but the little details were lost in the glare of a brilliant revelation that shined upon a previously hidden door. I can self-publish.

I can.

I left our meeting at Starbucks that day knowing one thing for sure: I would write the book that burned in my soul and self-publish. In hindsight, that was the entirety of what I knew "for sure." The details overshadowed by the dazzle weren't as "little" as expected. But they never are. Nearly four years later, I am working hard to achieve a semblance of professional perfection without the support (experience, connections or financial backing) of a corporate publisher. Every day, there is a new challenge to overcome. I think my next book will be Life Off the Label: Publishing Without a Clue.

Self-publishing has taught me that we can do anything we want in life. We just have to do it. As it turns out, God works through us, not for us. That's why it doesn't matter what we do so much as why we do it. Small moments of influence are the divine inspirations that direct our life. Provided we act on them.