I have a very special friend: At first, she accompanied me as my coach, later she became my friend. She was and is my mentor, a Yoda in the shape of a woman so to say – I think everyone needs a Yoda! My friend’s name is a different one but here I’ll call her Hella. That’s the short version of the Greek name Helena and probably means “sunshine”. The name fits well because she’s given me a special gift: Light. That may sound a bit exaggerated and lofty but it’s not even a metaphor. Hella actually gave me a lamp for my birthday, one that looks like a book: Two wooden book covers to open with lots of illuminated pages. This gift wasn’t just practical, aesthetically pleasing, loving and personal, most of all it reminded me every night before going to bed of what I really want: “Write a novel.”

I’d go to bed wanting to just read in peace, turn on the light and – boom – I had the order in my ear: “Write your book!”

Because Hella has coached and known me for a very long time she was completely aware of the consequences her gift would have. And she most likely also knew that it would take time until I’d be ready to follow the call of the book lamp.

Have you received light from someone before? So that suddenly you could see what to do next?

It still took a while for me until I could follow the call of my book lamp. At fault for that was the cruel enemy I talked about in my last blog: The force of habit.

But it wasn’t just force of habit that kept me from writing my book. It was fear, lack of self-confidence and most of all a really mean-spirited inner critic. It was difficult to overpower that guy. I’ll report about that as well.

Do you have a Yoda? A mentor who supports you? Who turns on the light when it is dark inside of you? Who brings out what is inside of you?