Author’s blog of Sturm Enrich who’s writing “User’s Manual For Life” one book at a time. Challenging stereotypes about life, health, relationships, happiness and religion.
“The unexamined life is not worth living.” Socrates
In the words of Sturm Enrich:
“Life isn’t permanent. It’s more of a loan than a gift. If you really think about it, the purpose of a lending institution is to benefit many for a limited time (not just one person forever) and to generate profit by charging interest.
If that’s the case, let’s look at life as you would at a personal loan. You’ve been granted the right to use it for a specific period of time and then give it back with interest. (Wouldn’t it be nice if we could repay the loan of life at our own schedule instead of having it seized by one sort of collection agency or another?….)
When we’re born, we receive two loans: equipment with an expiration date and a limited lifespan. As responsible users / borrowers we have three duties: to take care of our health (to score more quality time), to make our time count and to repay the loan with interest.”
To complicate things, life comes without User’s Manual. Sturm Enrich took upon herself to write one. Since writing such a manual requires not only vision and experience, but also plenty of time and effort, the only way to approach the project was to break it into smaller, more manageable segments. That’s what she’s done and continues doing by writing “User’s Manual For Life” one book at a time. At some point, she’ll collect the individual works into a complete “User’s Manual For Life”.
What are the main concerns in life?
- health
- relationships
- success
- happiness
- relevance
Health
Health and time are your most precious possessions. (You are free to pursue your goals only as long as you are fully functional and have enough time to achieve them.)
In support of your health and time, Sturm Enrich has written “Green Self Help” and “Green Anti-Aging”. As the titles suggest, both books are focused on a natural approach to health and wellness which, in many cases, is safer and more effective than establishment medicine. Neither book provides “miracle cures” for terminal diseases or Covid-19. (Get vaccinated and live!) They do however offer plenty of info on maintaining good health, disease prevention and treatment of common diseases and health complaints. (What made Sturm Enrich uniquely qualified to write these books? She survived several life-threatening health crises and now – thanks to her own healing skills – she enjoys glowing health! Out of necessity, she became an expert on healing with nutrients and healthy living. Personal experience taught her to be skeptical of some aspects of modern medicine; to be specific: the aspects that prioritize the almighty Mammon over Hippocratic oath to the detriment of patients’ health.)
Relationships
Relationships matter. They are lifelines. They contribute to success. They are the source of love and joy.
As for the next three concerns they have one common denominator. As much as definitions of health, time and relationships are universal, the definitions of success, happiness and relevance are highly subjective.
Success
The common definition of success is achieving certain level of education, income and respect.
YOU get to define success for yourself. I urge you to create your own version and check on it regularly to make sure you’re on the right track and moving forward.
Happiness
The common definition of happiness includes marriage, family, fulfilling career, owning status symbols and having enough funds to pay for fun.
YOU get to define happiness for yourself: there are countless valid alternatives.
Relevance
The common definition of relevance or legacy is quite wide and may include children, fame and fortune, or a hefty inheritance.
The uncommon one is this: if life is a sort of a personal loan, the impact of your relevance and / or legacy is the interest on the loan. Do not default on the interest! Don’t scatter your unique gifts, pass them on!
YOU get to define why you matter and what your legacy will be. Of course, children could be your main achievement, but it could be your unique contribution, talent or body of work just as well. Sometimes, our uniqueness has greater impact than our descendants.
***
In the process of living, surviving and succeeding we have to contend with numerous obstacles, including self-doubt, competition and the established order of the world. We all experience some failures and losses along the way. These failures serve a purpose. (Positive experiences are comforting. Negative experiences force us to grow.) To help you deal with negative experiences and feelings, Sturm Enrich has written “Personal Crisis Solutions”. It’s a self-empowering reference book for times of crisis.)
To find meaning in life, your place in the world and a sense of relevance some guts, self-esteem, skepticism and common sense come handy. More than that a sound worldview and value system are invaluable guides. To this end, Sturm Enrich created “Holistic Religion”. It is a religion without God, centered on the practice of ethics and on human and environmental interests.
Life isn’t simple. It takes mastery to navigate what is while steering toward what could be.
YOU had to take your first breath by yourself. YOU will have the experience of taking your last breath, alone. Neither can be shared. YOU own YOUR life. YOU and only YOU have the right – and responsibility – to create your life. YOU have the power to overcome and earn success and happiness.
There is nothing that YOU can’t handle. There is nothing YOU cannot achieve. Problems come and go. People are – in a larger scheme of things – passers by. Memories of good and bad experiences fade. YOU are your only constant. YOU are your forever. YOU are your world.
Your selfhood is the source of your power. TAKE GOOD CARE OF YOUR SELFHOOD! LISTEN TO YOUR INNER VOICE. ACT ON IT. CLAIM YOUR LIFE. MANAGE ITS COURSE. THRIVE!
Stick with Sturm Enrich, her books and her blog are here to help you. In a year or two she’ll have all the components of “User’s Manual For Life” completed…. The manual will save – or extend – your life (if and when needed), make life better, more meaningful and rewarding. (Not to mention, spare you MANY negative experiences.)
You can hold your breath (not recommended!) and wait for the huge volume or get each book as it already is – or becomes – available. (Incidentally, Sturm Enrich’s books are available EXCLUSIVELY at SturmEnrich.com. You won’t find them on Amazon…)