Meet Jenny Alexander

We recently connected with Jenny Alexander and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Jenny, we’re so appreciative of you taking the time to share your nuggets of wisdom with our community. One of the topics we think is most important for folks looking to level up their lives is building up their self-confidence and self-esteem. Can you share how you developed your confidence?

This is a large part of my story because I lacked confidence and self-esteem in my younger years. I settled when it came to friendships, dating relationships, and my first marriage. I was married to a serial adulterer who neglected me in every way. When I said finally said no to that unhealthy first marriage after almost 13 years of misery, my confidence and self-esteem began to rise. It was the first step in gaining self-respect and confidence. I said no to toxicity and yes to myself.

Eventually that carried over to other relationships when I realized that long-term friendships were also unhealthy and unbalanced. It was a light-bulb moment when I decided to walk away from those relationships too.

Those were hard decisions, but leaving my ex-husband and those friendships helped me stop putting up with less than the best and start saying yes to good relationships.

Those decisions paved the way for me to meet my true love, my husband Curtis. He is the best friend I’ve ever had. I also have other good friends I’ve met through church involvement.

My life is very different from how it used to be. That happens when you have self-respect.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

I’m a self-published author who has written a variety of books – everything from self-help to word puzzles and journals to children’s books. I’m most thrilled about the children’s books because I illustrated and wrote them. That is quite something because I used to think I could only draw stick figures. I learned otherwise when I dated my husband. He brought out the best in me personally and artistically. I started drawing Bible verses in those early days of dating. I used YouTube drawing tutorials as a guide and was eventually able to draw with only another picture as my guide.

My children’s books are amazing to me because I had no idea I’d be able to draw without looking at another picture first. Yet, the illustrations are my own originals. Not to mention, within the last year or so, I discovered a love for watercolour painting. In-laws gave me watercolour paint brushes for Christmas and I used those for my children’s books. The vibrant colours were perfect.

My children’s books are my most recently creations. My first six books are born from my own struggles. I’ve written about divorce recovery, dating, and friendship. I also have a Bible study and poetry book. The poetry book illustrates in poem form how I grew from doubt to assurance about my Christian faith. The Bible study inspires families to add creativity to their devotional times.

As far as my brand goes, the purpose of all my books is to impart hope and encouragement to readers. Take a look through my website (jennyealexander.com) to see what I mean.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

Dedication is important because if you aren’t dedicated to something, you won’t necessarily stick with it when the going gets tough. Self-publishing isn’t easy, but being dedicated helps. I never gave up even though I felt like it at times. I learned this quality from previous employment that was tough at times but I stuck it out anyway.

Resourcefulness is a skill that helped me. I learned how to format and publish a variety of books. This didn’t happen overnight. It took me over a year to learn how to format a children’s book and also a while to learn how to create a word search. With determination and resourcefulness, I did so. In my previous employment, I often learned as I went so that was a transferable skill that came in handy.

Having a background where I could learn new computer programs easily benefited me. Kindle Create took getting used to and I’m still learning things about that program. I also recently learned how to format books in Microsoft Word and Canva.

For those who are early in their journey, they can develop and improve these qualities/skills by working on them. For example, determine in your heart what you want. Write it down. Keep believing you can do it. Lean on the support of your family and friends when you feel discouraged.

The Internet is a wonderful tool. Make use of YouTube tutorials and search engines to find the help you need. You can take courses as well. You can pay for them if you can afford it but if you can’t, there are free courses online. You can find them with a simple Internet search.

If you need help with computer programs, YouTube is again a great resource. If you have friends and family that know the program you need to learn, you can ask for a helping hand.

What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? Any advice or strategies?

When I feel overwhelmed, I talk to my husband. He’s always encouraging and helps me put things in perspective. Sometimes he even pinpoints the root of my overwhelm. He’ll often suggest going for a walk or he’ll pray for me.

If you’re overwhelmed, take a break. Talk to a loved one or write in your journal. Go for a walk. Fresh air and exercise can be extremely beneficial. Remind yourself that the feeling overwhelm will pass.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.jennyealexander.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hopefortheheartbroken
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@art_strings; https://www.youtube.com/@SavvySelf-Publishing
• Other: https://www.amazon.ca/stores/Jenny-Alexander/author/B0BNN84B3L?ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true

Image Credits

Curtis J. Alexander

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