Jackie Trottmann

I'm excited to be sharing a little about me and the books and meditations I've created appearing on Amazon UK - especially since my mother was from London, England. : ) The UK holds a special place in my heart for many reasons.

Writing, reading, and meditation saved my life.

All of us at some point face a crossroads. Which direction we choose can have an impact for a long time. Personally, I believe there are no wrong turns, only detours. That is especially true if we wake up to life.

What I mean by waking up is being fully engaged in life with your mind, body, and spirit.

It's experiencing life as a whole human being, integrated with a healthy mind, body, and spirit.

Writing

Long before I was a published author, writing books on inspiration and spirituality, writing was an act of healing. I was not conscious of this fact until decades later. I began keeping journals to write out my feelings.

Growing up, my father was an alcoholic and was later diagnosed with bipolar disorder. He was verbally and physically abusive to my mother. We never talked about his angry outbursts. It was confusing and painful. So, I turned to writing. My journal was the only trusted friend I could talk to about the situation at home.

Reading

I have always loved books! Words have the power to injure or to transform. The harsh words spoken to a child can manifest into a lifetime of heartache. Likewise, a kind word spoken can ignite you and drive you to accomplishing great things.

Books transform lives. Confiding in a friend about my family background during a crossroads I was facing, she asked me if I had heard the word codependency. I said, "No." She recommended a book called "Codependent No More." That book changed my life. It gave a voice to my experience growing up in what I was feeling.

I have read hundreds of books. From every book I glean some sort of insight. I love this quote from C.S. Lewis: "Friendship... is born at the moment when one man says to another "What! You too? I thought that no one but myself . . ."

We were not created to be alone. We were created to live in community. Knowing we are not alone in our feelings and experiences is comforting. We no longer ask, "What is wrong with me?" We say, "What! You too?"

While I can't say I've read many Stephen King books, I have highlighted and scribbled in margin after margin in his book (a must have) for writers called "On Writing." In it he shares that readers and writers are engaged in telepathy. In a book, "we're not even in the same year together, let alone the same room... except we are together. We're close. We're having a meeting of the minds."

I wish I could meet every author in person that I've read! But through their books, I've gotten to know a lot or a little about them. That's why I love the "meeting of the minds."

Meditation

I spent thirty years in the fast-paced world of radio sales and marketing. For about twenty-five years, that occupation fueled my passion for creativity, spontaneity, and deep connections with others. The industry, however, began to change. I made a poor choice of being talked into a management role. The stress was getting unbearable. One day, it was so intense that I finally snapped. I turned to meditation to literally keep from losing my mind.

In my Christian faith, meditation was not mentioned as a spiritual practice like prayer or Bible study. I thought meditation was sitting doing nothing. I was a busy marketing executive. I didn't have time to do "nothing."

That day I reached my breaking point, I sought out the meditation CD a friend had given me and popped it into my player. I chose only to do the ten minute one and not the twenty minute one because I would only allow myself ten minutes to do "nothing."

The results were immediate. I felt instant peace. I was no longer losing my mind. I switched to the twenty minute version. More changes took place. I then decided to create a series of meditation CDs based on my own transformation from learning to be still, letting go, and trusting myself, others, and God.

Be Still Meditation: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Still-Know-Jackie-Trottmann-2012-02-28/dp/B01KB234UO/

Let it Go Meditations: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Let-Go-Meditative-Affirmations-Trottmann/dp/B01K8MXTR0/

Trust Meditation: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Trust-Meditation-Experience-Jackie-Trottmann/dp/B01B0ZVT7Q/

The mantra of a child of an alcoholic is to not talk, not trust, not feel. I'd lived most of my life under those self-imposed shackles.

My book: "God Notes - Daily Doses of Divine Encouragement," was a result of this time spent in meditation. The Psalmist says, "Be still and know that I am God." Psalm 46:10

Over the course of nine years after leaving the corporate world to be still, I now know God.

If you read the "God Notes" Introduction, you will know the entire story behind God notes.

That's why writing, reading, and meditation saved my life. I was sleepwalking through life, weighed down with very little joy. My body was weighed down with thirty extra pounds. My mind was weighed down with endless to do-lists and judgmental thoughts of never being good enough. My spirit was weighed down with feelings of unworthiness and not feeling connected to God.

All that has changed. As the apostle Paul says, "So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!" 2 Corinthians 5:17

"God Notes" was the fruit of a wonderful devotional time of experiencing God's loving presence and God speaking directly to me. By the feedback from the book and the reviews being written, I know that the words that God put on my heart are touching the hearts of others. These words, truly, weren't meant for me alone.

My book, The Freedom to Eat - 10 Secrets for Lasting Weight Loss came out of the childhood trauma and my struggle with co-dependency, which led to at eating disorder. I share my struggle and the ten secrets that helped set me free. Going beyond the book, I created a free book study with videos, MP3's and study guides. Find out more at https://www.jackietrottmann.com/book-studies/

Thank you for reading a little bit about me! I hope to someday connect with you through my emails, speaking engagements, book signings, or through the websites listed below. Of course, through "God Notes," any number of my writings, or through my meditation CDs, we will have a "meeting of the minds." : )

Free book studies on God Notes and The Freedom to Eat: JackieTrottmann.com/book-studies

Connect with me: JackieTrottmann.com

TheGuidedlife.org

Facebook: facebook.com/JackieTrottmannAuthor/

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jackietrottmann