About good writing and the world at heart

Anke Ernst in the Glückskinder Talk

Author and writing mentor Anke Ernst was my first guest in the new Glückskinder Talk. For almost an hour and a half, I was able to talk to her not only about the many stages of her life so far, which have taken her from Panama to Togo and Thailand to Augsburg.

We are deeply immersed in the world of books, from Douglas Adams and her own work as a writer to the big question of what happiness actually means to her.

Life planning? No, thank you!

Anke's attitude of letting life surprise her is what makes her life so special. She talks about how she learned to let go of control and trust the flow of life. Instead of sticking rigidly to a fixed plan, she embraced spontaneous adventures and unexpected opportunities.

This open attitude enabled her to discover new paths and be inspired by unexpected twists and turns. This has helped her to discover new passions and skills. She talks enthusiastically about how she has repeatedly ventured into completely new areas, using her curiosity to open new doors to amazing opportunities and constantly broaden her horizons. Anke knows that the unknown is often the best source of personal growth and development.

But Anke also emphasizes how important it is not to be discouraged by failures and apparent setbacks. Instead of being put off by them, she also drew inspiration from these experiences and used them as a learning opportunity. She realized that failures are often the foundation for future success and that it is okay to fail from time to time. This attitude allowed her to emerge stronger from challenges time and time again.

We are not our emotions

I took away two insights from the conversation.

When I asked about her definition of happiness, Anke told me how she learned that „we are not our emotions“. I hadn't heard this thought before, but I find it very coherent and worth picking up.

Yes, of course we are also “myself” when we are happy or angry, when we feel pleasure or pain, happiness or misfortune. But we only become a true, holistic person when we try to find a balance with ourselves. When we think consciously, empathize, listen, forgive, create... all of this is happiness that we can actively create ourselves.

And then she expressed the wish for her child that it should be able to leave the world better than it found it. I see that as a big and far-reaching throw into a distant future that neither of us will live to see.

Wonderful!

The podcast in full length

You can find the link to your preferred podcast platform at the bottom of the LetsCast player.