Hi everyone! I hope you’re doing well this weekend! I’m really excited to present this week’s interview with fellow blogging friend and sister, Erika Kind. Erika Kind is a really special person here in the WordPress community, as well as outside of it. She’s been successful with singing, writing and other ventures throughout her life. Her blog is one of my favorites here. I enjoy her song of the day post, along with her own quotes. Erika’s quotes and posts are always positive and uplifting. There is something for everyone in her blog! You can take a look/follow her blog here. I’m now turning it over to Erika! Erika will most likely do a guest post here on Life of an El Paso Woman. Please stay tuned for it in the weeks to come.

ME: You have a long  list of hobbies and passions such as writing and singing. Tell us more about them. I have been singing all my life. When I was 3 and on vacation with my parents, I left the table during dinner. (I) walked into the middle of the dining hall, and started singing several songs. I even have a memory of standing there and looking up to all those people smiling at me. I got my first official solo part when I was 10. I started to take lessons in classical singing at 16. I participated in two contests and won both. I sang at all occasions: concerts, weddings, musicals, Christmas and Easter masses, several festivities, birthdays, Christmas parties, baptisms, funerals,… and at my own book presentation! When I was part of a formation called “The Push-Ups” we even performed our own revue and were sold out both evenings. I am still singing but it calmed down a little. I started to make my own songs, which you can listen to on my blog. I played the clarinet too for about 9 years. Regarding my writing: I always got the best ratings in school but I never thought I would ever publish a book. I was much too shy and insecure for that. But when I had my breakthrough, it was such a deep and life enhancing insight, I wanted everybody who was dealing with fears and self-doubts to experience the same liberation and happiness. I am running a practice for aromatherapy and self-development. I offer aromatherapy (products and massages with essential oils), spiritual healing, matrix transformation, one-on-one sessions and also new Emmett-Technique which is a new, quick and effective way for muscle release and pain relief. I also learned to read tarot cards and had medical training.

ME: You’ve published a couple of books so far. What are they about and where can people buy them? My first book was a poem book with English and German poems released in 2010. The title is “Wie das Leben schreibt….” It is still available directly through me but not officially because I quit the contract as soon as possible. I wasn’t fine with the publisher…. I paid my dues… lol. In 2012, I published my book “I’m Free – Erkenne, wer Du bist, indem Duablegst, was Du nicht bist!” As you can read from the title, it was published in German. It is about realizing who we really are in order to break out of our homemade prison of limiting thoughts and fears. It will give the reader a better understanding of themselves and the creative and unlimited power lying within them. It is available as an e-book or softcover. In 2014, the English version “I’m Free – Awareness of Who You are by Discovering who You are not!” was released. The media campaign for my book also included a social media campaign and setting up a blog site. This is why I am here today. It is available as an e-book, softcover and hardcover. Both the German and the English edition are available over any online retailer. For example on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=I%27m+Free+Erika+kind In 2014 I published another poem book: “Enjoy Life.” It contains only English poems and is available as e-book only on Amazon: http://www.amazon.de/Enjoy-Life-Inspiring-English-Poems ebook/dp/B00KAD2C6M/ref=sr_1_1ie=UTF8&qid=1434890095&sr=81&keywords=Enjoy+Life+Erika+Kind

ME: Are you planning on writing more books? If so, when? What can one expect if you are? I already wrote another book but it is written in German. I am planning to translate it and publish it first in English. The title will be somewhat like: “Miracles are not a Mood of Heaven.” At the moment I am working on a quote book. I want to make it a collection of 100 of my best quotes I am publishing daily on WordPress. The title will be: “KIND Quotes.” When are they available? I would love to know that myself!

ME: For those who aren’t familiar with your blog, how would you describe it? My blog is about encouragement, motivation and inspiration. I want to spread awareness as I am doing it in my books. We are all unlimited spirits experiencing a physical lifetime and we all have one need: We want to be happy! I want to show there is always light at the end of the tunnel. Every challenge and obstacle eventually helps us evolve and nobody is really ever alone. Another way of describing it is with the subtitle of my blog. It is a quote of Mahatma Gandhi and also my life’s mantra: “Be the change you wish to see in the world.”

ME: What advice would you offer up and coming writers and bloggers? Give a piece of yourself. Share what you want to share freely. Don’t be afraid about reactions. You are unique and being everybody’s darling doesn’t work anyway. The more you are yourself, the more quality your writings hold. Write from your heart, feel the joy within and simply let it flow. Regarding blogging: Next to your own posts go and visit others. Interact with your followers and the bloggers you follow. This way you get to know each other better and you can make real friends. That is what I learned what blogging is about. The most important information and insights are exchanged through interaction. A lot of my quotes originate from commenting and replying.

ME: What motivates you to succeed in life and why? Expanding my inner self into the outside world. Success to me means feeling the joy when sharing your passion and purpose for the well-being of others. It is not about the money to me. It is about what you leave in the heart of someone. When I notice someone smiles because of anything I did, then I was successful. When someone comes into my practice my highest goal is the person leaves happier than when they came. That is my motivation. I want to see people smile from the heart.

ME: If I visited your native country Liechtenstein, what would you recommend doing? Tell us about it. The Principality of Liechtenstein is the fourth smallest country in the world out of seven micro states. It is located between Austria and Switzerland. I have the view of both countries from my house. We have 37,000 inhabitants. The capital city is Vaduz. When you are driving from one end to the other on the motorway (which is in Switzerland) it takes about 20 minutes. The size is 40,031 acres. The country is ruled by a prince but we also have a government and prime minister. The language is German but the spoken language is a German dialect, close to Swiss German. We have a well-known ski region and lots of hiking opportunities. There are also museums and art galleries. The forests are well fostered and lovely for taking walks. There are also lots of historic places to visit such as old burgs, for example. Liechtenstein is known for very low taxes, banks, investment and trust companies.

ME: Who inspires you in life and why? Of course there are certain people who inspire me. One to mention is the great Wayne Dyer who passed away last September. His book “Your Sacred Self” provided the necessary links and impulses for me to stand up and start changing my life. I was blessed to see him three times at lectures. Since I am walking through life with a much more open mind, I find inspiration in everyone. Everyone has aspects I don’t have and that is intriguing. Did you ever notice that every person smiles differently?

ME: What are your likes and dislikes? I like: Encouraging people who believe in the good and are not scared to open up their hearts for others. I like people who are not willing to accept limits. I like people who prove you can achieve everything you set your heart and mind to. Other than that, I like rainbows, sunsets, the wideness of the night sky, the ocean, California, the view to the mountains, summer, spring, fall, even winter at times, 80’s music, my garden, nature in general,… oh and food!!! I dislike: Injustice, humiliation, racism, dishonesty, lying, oppression, narcissism, ignorance, people who set different rules for themselves and others, people who blame others for things they do themselves… and spiders!

ME: Anything else you would like to add? There is only one thing I want to add: A huge thank you to you Lisa for inviting me to this interview! I always enjoy our interaction and I am glad I have been blessed with meeting you. But another thank you goes out to all my wonderful friends I have met through WordPress… and I mean everyone! Thank you for following me, stopping by, dropping a comment or a like and taking the time to read what I write. You are giving me the wonderful feeling that what I am doing makes sense. That is another definition of success. Thank you!

If you’re interested in doing an interview or guest post on Life of an El Paso Woman, please email me at: info@lifeofanelpasowoman.com or connect with me on Twitter at: @lma911

All photos courtesy of Erika Kind