At one time or another, most people need a little inspiration in their lives.
Last Wednesday, a voice of inspiration visited Columbus as part of her seven-city Ohio tour. Daniela E. Schreier, author of “The Colors of the Rainbow: About Life and the Beauty of Living,” was at the Upper Arlington Barnes and Noble to present her “Reclaim Your Life” workshop and book signing.
Schreier, born in Germany worked as an international marketing consultant before becoming an author, and has lived in the U.S. for a little over two years. The 30-year-old holds degrees in business and psychology.
“I always wanted to write, and I feel as a child you know exactly what you want to do,” she said.
Schreier said as she got older she didn’t see writing as a real job, and went into business because it was viewed as a more stable career.
“Colors” is Schreier’s first book, and was influenced by the experiences she gained on three continents.
“The first story in the book, ‘Taking Leave and Moving On,’ is about the early loss of my grandparents,” Schreier said, “I was explaining to young people that we never know how life turns out.”
She grew up with her grandparents, and was 19 when they passed away, but she had to stay strong and continue with her life on her own.
“The book tells a lot about myself, about my experience, about my traveling and about the people I met and their experiences,” she said.
Schreier gives inspiration by offering readers new perspectives on life and self-transformation.
She receives inspiration from seeing young people succeed, the culture of India, the Himalayan Sage and by life in general.
“It is a gift, life is the greatest of all inspirations,” she said.
In the book, she suggests people should step back and not rush through life at such a quick pace, and to gain self-acceptance and self-love.
“How can we not think that we are all wonderful individuals,” Schreier said.
She also recommends setting boundaries and priorities.
“Colors” has been praised by Mark Victor Hansen, co-author of the “Chicken Soup for the Soul Series.”
“Enjoy the distilled wisdom in bite-sized … drink deeply and you’ll be wise,” Hansen said.
“He is a great person, for him just to take the time, to read through this and give his endorsement is great,” Schreier said.
The accolades do not end there. Chin-Ning Chu, international best-selling author of “Women’s Art of War,” has described Schreier’s book as “a poetic expression of a woman’s journey towards light.”
Schreier is also an inspirational speaker , and presents a workshop titled “Reclaim Your Life”, which focuses on stress management and life enrichment.
The workshop teaches people to get back to basics and lead simple lives.
“We should work eight hours a day, and no one does that, but in Singapore we say ‘who works hard should play hard’,” she said,
“Private life and business life should be in harmony.”
Other important ways to manage stress are to put things in perspective, putting more important aspects of life before minor ones, becoming organized and not letting emergencies lead our lives, she said.
“The workshop is also about taking leave and moving on.
We have to accept reality and learn from it, we have to move on,” Schreier said.
While living in India, Schreier fell in love with the people – so she helped establish “The Colors” Fund India, an organization that finances the building of schools to teach underprivileged women and girls.
“Education is knowledge, and knowledge is power, and power gives you choices,” she said
“The education of women in India is not a given, but it is something we take for granted.”
Portions of the proceeds earned from the sale of this book will go toward the fund.
This is the first installment in “The Colors of the Rainbow” series, and Schreier is working on a new manuscript for her next book.
“I think I can write for quite a long time if life continues to bring new things everyday,” she said.
Schreier will return to Columbus Oct. 24 at 7 p.m. at the Barnes and Noble in the Lennox Towne Center.
She will also appear on “Ohio This Morning” on the Ohio News Network at 7 a.m. the same morning.
Then two more visits will follow; Nov. 3 at 6:30 p.m. at the new Barnes and Noble in Pickerington, and on Jan. 25 at 7 p.m. at the Barnes and Noble on Polaris Parkway.