Crossfield author pens self-help book
Cr
Crossfield author Julianne Harvey started her journey towards personal discovery two years ago.
That’s when the freelance writer, who released her first children’s book, B The Wonder Bear, in November 2011, challenged herself to a six-week stint of blogging about her personal life.
The 39-year-old mother of two quickly learned a few things about herself, causing her to extend the blogging challenge and to delve deeper into understanding herself.
“I started blogging… without even knowing that I didn’t know myself,” she said. “I didn’t think of myself as fake, but I was playing a lot of roles.”
Through her writing, Harvey realized the focus of her life – trying to please others in an attempt to feel validated – was wrong.
Counselling sessions, along with a lot of hard work and looking into herself and her relationships, transformed Harvey’s life, helping her remove her “disguises” and become the same person, in every circumstance.
“I had to learn to express my own opinions,” said Harvey. “I slowly learned that I could survive the fallout of that.”
Harvey, who describes herself as a “people pleaser,” said although the process of asserting herself and being honest with her own feelings was difficult, it was worth it because she began to realize her intrinsic personal value, which existed outside of her accomplishments and relationships.
That realization allowed Harvey to show her true personality, beliefs and feelings to the world without being afraid. The results were addicting.
“It is the difference from being in a tiny prison cell to getting the key to unlock it and step out,” she said. “I am me and I am either accepted as me or not.”
Harvey began surrounding herself with like-minded, supportive people who welcomed the changes in her life.
But it wasn’t all rosy. Harvey said she lost several relationships, difficult for the self-proclaimed “social butterfly.”
She pushed through with the support of her husband and a few good friends and decided to use her newfound freedom to help others.
Last Christmas, she sat down and penned a 7,100-word e-book entitled Authentic=Happy: A guide to Dismantling Your Disguise, detailing her journey.
The book, available for $1.99 in all digital formats through Smashwords and Kindle for Amazon, is a five-step plan detailing how to live authentically at all times without fear.
Along with the book, Harvey created a three-part authenticity challenge on her website. The challenge includes reading Harvey’s book, committing to more authenticity in life and sharing experiences on a forum.
Harvey has also developed an eight-week discussion guide as a companion to her e-book for use in schools and book clubs.
According to Harvey, she has already had some good feedback for her most recent accomplishments, as Crossfield’s W.G. Murdoch High School is intending to use the book and guide for mentoring this spring.
“It is really exciting,” said Harvey, who intends to stay on her newfound path. “(The work) is so worth it. It changes everything and I would never consider going back. The sky is the limit as to what you can be and your goals and dreams.”
For more information about Harvey’s new book, visit www.julianneharvey.com
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