About Sarah Maria
Sarah Maria is the author of Love Your Body, Love Your Life.
The book outlines her 5-step process for helping you feel great in and
about your body and yourself. (Her work embraces the physical, mental,
emotional, and spiritual, so that true and lasting healing can occur.) Click
here
to purchase your copy and begin to love your body today. To learn more
about Sarah Maria and her work, you can visit her website at www.sarahmaria.com and www.breakfreebeauty.com.
- 6 Tips to Feel Beautiful Today!
- Back-to-School Body Image -- Help Your Daughter Feel Great About Her Body
- The Surprising Truth About Weight Gain, Body Image and Eating Disorders
- Go Ahead and Pamper Yourself
1. What was your biggest childhood ambition?
My biggest childhood ambition was to be an actress. When I was in the 5th grade I had the lead role in the 6th grade school play. (Even though I was only in 5th grade, I was the only child willing to memorize all the lines required for the part.) After the performance, people came up to me and told me what a great job I did. In that moment, I decided that I wanted to be an actress. I actually spent my first year of college at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts studying acting as part of this childhood dream.
2. What is your fondest memory?
I have so many great memories – to pick one is difficult! Okay – here goes: throughout my childhood, my family and I would go camping down in the middle of a canyon in a very remote part of Northern California. Before we hiked down the canyon, we would stop at the tiny mountain grocery store to pick out our individual treats. My dad would always get a Big Hunk candy bar. My mom would always get either M&M’s or Oreo cookies. My brother and I would get whatever candy was popular among kids at the time. We would hike down the canyon and could have a little treat every evening. Of course my mother would always share her M&M’s with us, so my brother and I made out like bandits. We were rarely allowed candy while growing up, so this was a big deal! These memories of camping in the remote wilderness are some of my fondest, and will stay with me forever.
3. What did you do for fun as a child?
Okay, you might think that I am crazy, but as a child, what I did for fun was homework. No kidding. I attended a Montessori kindergarten that did not allow workbooks or textbooks of any sort. I, however, longed to have books and homework. So my mom worked out a deal with the school where I could bring workbooks and study during the recess hours. Yes, I admit, a little bizarre for a five-year-old, but there you have it. Then I attended an elementary school where students only had homework if they were unable to complete the work in school. I always completed my work on time and was always upset that I didn’t have “homework”.
4. What was your worst job?
My worst job was a fellowship I received to work in Latin America with small business growth as part of an economic development program. It was the worst job because the organization I was working for was completely disorganized. There was very little I could do, and I became bored very quickly. I like to work, so having nothing to do was quite frustrating!
5. If you had another occupation than the one you are in now, what
would it be?
Fortunately, in addition to writing, I get to work as a coach, speaker, and teacher. It’s like I get multiple occupations all rolled into one. If I had to choose something completely different, I would probably go with my childhood dream of being an actress.
6. What inspired you to write?
What inspired me to write, and what inspires me to work, is the absolute knowing that complete and total transformation is possible. So many people suffer unnecessarily because they don’t know that there is another way. People believe that suffering is an inevitable part of life. For many years I suffered profoundly. I experienced agonizing depression, self-doubt, loneliness, confusion, hopelessness, mental and physical illness – life was not pretty. Yet, with a little bit of re-education and practice, I now live a life that is amazing beyond anything I could have imagined. I experience abundant happiness, gratitude, and love. I have enriching friendships and an incredibly rewarding career. I have phenomenal physical health. I live with the unshakable knowing that absolute peace is possible.
And this transformation is not because I am special in any way at all. The transformation that has occurred in my life can occur in anyone’s life, provided only that they truly want their suffering to end. It is this knowing, that people can go from misery to mastery, from loneliness to love, from illness to health, and from pain to possibility, that inspired me to write my book, inspires me to work with people, and fills me with gratitude every single day.
7. What was your biggest challenge when writing this book?
There were two challenges in writing this book. Since it was my first book, I didn’t know anything about the process. There was a rapid learning curve, needing to figure it out as I went along. The other challenge was a very short turn-around time. The publisher wanted to completed manuscript within a few months, which kept me very busy, waking up at 4 am in the morning throughout the summer to get it completed on time.
8. What do you dislike about writing?
I would say the only thing I dislike about writing is having to spend so much time seated in front of a computer. I have always been a very physically active person and writing requires a lot of sitting! Although I have grown to love my computer and what technology enables me to accomplish, sometimes I feel like I am living a virtual life.
9. What book are you reading now?
I am reading many books right now. I always find it difficult to confine myself to one book at a time. I like to read a little bit of one book, and then a little bit of another, and then another. Reading one book at a time never seems to keep my interest. Here is a partial listing of some of the books I am currently reading:
Of Human Bondage by Somerset Maugham
Consciousness Speaks by Ramesh S. Balsekar
I Am That by Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj
The Upanishads by Eknath Easwaran
10. Where is your favorite place to write?
My favorite place to write is in my beautiful back yard. It is very peaceful and serene.
11. If your best friend was a celebrity, living or dead, who would
it
be?
If I had to choose a celebrity as my best friend, there would be two people:
I would choose Deepak Chopra, although he would not consider himself to be a celebrity. He has been an incredibly transformational force in my life and is one of the most inspiring people I know.
I would also choose Oprah Winfrey. She has accomplished so much and provides an incredibly valuable resource for many people. She helps me to see what is possible in life.
Copyright © 2009 Sarah Maria, author of Love Your Body, Love Your Life: 5 Steps to End Negative Body Obsession and Start Living Happily and Confidently