Lessons Learned about Life and Love by Vivianne Knebel

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Vivianne Knebel will be awarding a $10 Amazon GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Five Things You Might Not Know About Me

1. Being stylish and polished, I have heard comments that people cannot imagine me with a broom in my hand. Little do they know, that I am very much hands-on and don’t mind getting my hands dirty. Being very task-oriented I like to get things done.

Rather than waiting for people to help me lift or move heavy things around, I’ll do them myself. Often I find myself lifting heavy bags of steer manure and bending down for hours on end in my garden. I love feeling the warm soil between my hands and being close to nature. It is a real and beautiful thing.

2. What I thought once out of the question was training for the Honolulu marathon.

I have never been sports-oriented. To start running was out of the ordinary for me. During my yearlong training for the marathon, I entered a few 10 k races. To my surprise, I had won the first prize in my age group a few times. Even one 10 k race in Germany, while I was visiting that country. I felt empowered after I finished the marathon in Honolulu in under four hours. Once again I proved that by setting achievable goals, staying focused, and having perseverance and determination, we can accomplish what we set out to do.

3. Ballroom Dancing and Competing

I always loved music and believe music is life! My husband and I did not share the same love for dancing. He enabled me to take dancing lessons at the Arthur Murray dance studio. I loved it from the start and was glad that my husband supported my passion. The beautiful gowns were my style and the tango was my all-time favorite dance. I derived so much joy from my years of dancing. Although I stopped dancing thirty years ago, I often play tango music while preparing dinner and break out into an expressive tango move once in a while, which pleases my husband.

4. I was never technically inclined. When my husband contemplated buying a small plane for business trips, he suggested I should take flying lessons.

My husband believed in me and whatever he encouraged me to do, no matter how challenging it was, I gave it a try. After taking flying lessons, and being in the air with my instructor I had serious doubts about being able to master the skill. After my first solo flight, I thought that it was one of my biggest accomplishments, and once again, I proved to myself that we are more capable than we think. I encourage people to look for new opportunities, despite inhibitions.

We need to free ourselves from our self-limiting beliefs, which trap us in our own minds.

5. Modeling

Growing up, I was always in the shadow of my beautiful sister who was two years older than me. Although I was proud of having such a beautiful sister, it nevertheless hurt not to get the attention and lavish praises she was showered with. Next to her I felt very ordinary and considered myself the ugly duckling. I was a late bloomer. Later on, in life, I was approached by a scout and asked about modeling. I went to the Casablanca modeling agency and learned to walk and the skill of applying makeup. Later I was hired for many fashions shows, advertisements in magazines and modeled for eyewear as well as appearing on TV. I was surprised to be considered a model. Each of us has many facets. My advice is to explore them! Make the most of it! You cannot fail, only create a new result!

In her second book "Lessons Learned About Life and Love", Vivianne shares some of the lessons she has learned from writers and thinkers such as Dr. Wayne Dyer and Dr. Viktor Frankl, weaving them into her own experiences in a compelling guide to living, loving and thriving in old age. Her insights offer proof that great wisdom is not gained only from the classroom or the lecture hall, and that one need not look far to understand the secrets to living well. From anecdotes about her everyday rituals to memories from her world travels, Vivianne captures the profound and often surprising moments of enlightenment that can be found right in front of us, if we only know where- and how-to look.

Read an Excerpt

I am now 78 years old and in the stage of nb completion. I write about the aging process. I want to impart what it means to age well instead of merely growing old. It is a mistake to see aging as a decline. For everything, we lose we gain as much. I see aging as strength, wisdom, and emotional maturity.

There is emerging energy to do something we have not done before. For me, it is writing. When we write and reflect we engage in nostalgia, which leads to deep gratitude for our experiences and the people we met on our life's journey. Gratitude leads to happiness. All the challenges I have overcome gave me a profound sense of gratitude and a higher sense of awareness. I encourage people to find new abilities despite inhibitions! Aging for me is an active drive forward to seek greater value and meaning. I have learned to grow even beyond my success and live my most beautiful life. My intention is for people to realize it can be for them as well. Very often we encounter surprising moments of enlightenment if we only know where and how to look.

About the Author:

Born an illegitimate child in the wake of WWII in Berlin, Nazi Germany to a single mother, Vivianne Knebel’s options were limited and her future looked bleak. She experienced poverty, cold, and hunger, and was even driven to the point of committing suicide. To seek out a better life, Vivianne immigrated to Canada as a teenager, but her misfortunes did not end there. However, in response to a miraculous intervention, she decided to preserve her life and keep moving forward.

After this incident, Vivianne met a fellow German immigrant, Wiland, who eventually became her husband. But even more than that, he became a catalyst for change in her life. His belief in her is what helped her see the true, immeasurable value of her life. She went on to play a key role in Wiland’s business venture and together they built a better future for each other.

Since then, Vivianne has run a marathon, learned to pilot a plane, and even beat cancer. She’s found a greater sense of spirituality and wants to share her story with the world, to remind people that there is always a reason to keep moving forward.

Website: https://vivianneknebel.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/knebelauthor
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Vivianne-Knebel-100504868342880/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vivianneknebelauthor/
Tumblr: https://vivianneknebelauthor.tumblr.com/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/20376391.Vivianne_Knebel

Amazon Buy Link: https://www.amazon.com/Lessons-Learned-About-Life-Love/dp/0578976005/

a Rafflecopter giveaway