Do you feel trapped within your everyday problems? Do you yearn for a more fulfilling life, yet feel powerless to achieve what you want? If the answer is YES then you’ve probably been living with poison in your system for some time. From the age of eighteen, Svein Erik Scheie has tried various methods —from self-development manuals, meditation to therapy, classes and medication— to remove the negativity but found these to offer only a temporary fix. However, today, and after years of searching, he’s found his antidote. Prompted by his daughter, a self-proclaimed advocate of his methods, Svein is now sharing his unique and highly approachable process in a clear, effective way hoping to offer real, lasting change to readers willing to commit themselves to a poison-free life -and hope to the disillusioned who feel they have nowhere left to turn.
Svein Erik Scheie, author of ‘Poisoned’ has taken time out of his day to talk to me about overcoming the poisons inherent in daily life. Svein, thanks for joining me today. Can you start us off today by explaining a bit more about what Poisoned is about?
Divided into three parts, Poisoned begins with The Diagnosis, where I explain how we can each identify the personal poisons that are negatively impacting on our lives and offer short questionnaires with answers that will form the basis of your treatment plan. Then I introduce The Process, a section complimented by a series of deeply personal anecdotes and my reactions on the field of ‘positive thinking’. The techniques behind removing our poisons and introduces one of the key themes which is the action of taking responsibility for your own state of mind. We then move straight into the proactive second stage where we are invited to take part in a detox, Three Days to A Poison-Free Life. This activity is designed to kick-start the process of becoming #NotPoisoned.
How does this detox unfold for those looking to remove their poisons?
During these three days, you are prompted to engage in important self-visualisation exercises and hands-on actionable steps -including incorporating regular mental exercises into our daily routines in order to help develop positive routines. Although a three-day plan, I am quick to highlight that the methods aren’t a quick fix like many detoxes where you feel good for a week, or a few months at best, before slipping back into bad habits. With this in mind, I explore the ways we can ensure the poisons are kept under control in more detail in the aptly named third part, The Rest of Your Life.
Wow, just from that introduction you can see that your book presents a strong process for others to follow towards improving their own lives. How did these processes and techniques develop?
The Process described in my book has been brewing inside me since I was just a child. I wanted to create a refreshing and interactive life guide that will help you end your own self-destruction, redesign your life, and improve your resistance to the common poisons of human existence. Therefore I also developed a complimentary App to help you keep on track during the day. It can be downloaded for free from https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/poisoned/id1169026438?l=nb&ls=1&mt=8
I really like the idea of offering an app alongside your book. I haven’t run into many other indie authors who have taken on this challenge as part of their book release. What has kept you pushing forward on this idea since your youth?
I do not give up until I have finished.
*Laughs* That’s a good way to keep on track. Since you’ve been thinking about this since childhood, did you find that you had to do any specific research just for this book, or had you already undertaken the bulk of the research?
I have been studying self-help since I was eighteen, so I drew a lot on all the things I had learned from this.
Can you ballpark about how long it took you long to draw these elements together into this single piece of writing?
Eight months
That’s a pretty good pace. What writing strategies did you use during these months to keep you on track?
I write every morning before anyone else is up, usually from 4AM to 7AM.
And was editing a fundamental part of your writing process?
No, I hired a professional editor from the start and we did four rounds.
Did you also follow the professional route for the book cover?
Yes, I used a professional designer.
Now that you have gotten your book all the way through initial drafting to the final published product do you have any takeaways that you think might be beneficial for other authors looking to self-publish?
Learn about marketing and publishing while you are writing, instead of first finishing the book and than do all the publishing stuff.
Before I let you go today, I’d like to ask you a few quick fire questions that give a little glimpse into your personality. Let’s start with what is your favourite quote?
Never, never, never, never ever give up! Winston Churchill.
What is your zodiac sign?
Aquarius
Can you stand on your hands unassisted?
Yes
If you could steal one thing without consequence what would it be?
Time
That is one of the best answers for that question :). Which are cooler? Dinosaurs or Dragons?
Dragons
And finally, is there a single statement that you think is the greatest takeaway that readers can get from your book?
Help yourself first.
That is solid advice. Svein, thanks for joining me today and I hope that you can connect further with readers to assist them helping themselves first.
Want to find out more about Svein? Connect here!