We recently connected with Sascha Illyvich and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Sascha, 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?
They must love me…
Those things come from within and the understanding that you cannot believe a thought you think. The mind is constantly doing what it tells you it needs to in order to protect you until you tell it a new story. If you’re feeding your mind what you should, then it can build resilience to criticism.
Safety is overrated. Growth happens when we step outside our comfort zones and only through a deep yearning to not settle for what we have. That doesn’t mean don’t appreciate and feel gratitude, but you should feel a thrill in stepping outside the familiar. When you conquer something new, that only feeds the story you’ve been telling yourself, vs. the story people have tried to sell you about what you really are.
Look yourself in the mirror and ask. “Who AM I?”
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I’m now a married man to a wonderful woman who also not only writes romance (cowboys and Navy Seals) but has captured my heart.
I have begun digging more into tarot and witchcraft as of late, exploring the depths of those as a part of who I am, and a part of my author brand, considering I write paranormal romance. There are some larger projects in the works, along with my move out of Georgia and in with the wife.
If you’ve read my previous interviews, you know enough! Also, I currently am a temporal prostitute until my royalties get to where they need to be, and I’m grateful that the largest FSA benefits management company has my back.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Be open. – Learn to say no, when it’s appropriate and what’s being asked of you is a complete time suck. You can’t get that back, even if you’re as old as I am. Time marches on. That being said, remain open. To experiences, to emotions, to you.
Learn Gratitude – I wish I’d have picked up this skill early on. Being grateful for what one has is one of the greatest superpowers. It creates empathy, reinforces sympathy, and opens the gates for creating the life you want, not the life they force down your throats because they’re all f*cking boring.
Caress the Moment – this was stolen from one of my cigar buddies. He was asked one day why he chose an expensive cigar over his normally less pricey stick. He said he doesn’t think in terms of price. He thinks in terms of what that moment is, not what it costs. In short, he’s present. How do you caress the moment? Look around. Ask yourself where are you? And what time is it? Are you here? Is it now? If so, then you’ve arrived.
Looking back over the past 12 months or so, what do you think has been your biggest area of improvement or growth?
This is the question I chose and f*ck if I know why because I don’t have a straight answer. I suppose “I show up.” is the best I could give you. Considering I was poly, then I was surprisingly (sort of…long story) single, working, then let go because we were seasonal, then I was job hunting, then i was slowly going insane (thanks f*cking night shift…) and then I got married, and have persevered to show that woman who she married is the wolf she truly wanted? All while trying to maintain a writing career and keep my head above water?
What would you call it? Working nights drove me slowly insane because I didn’t sleep for the better part of seven months. Working both for CVS and then for FSA meant once or twice a week I was up for 36+ hours straight.
But I’m still here.
I left CVS and the night shift.
I got my head right with the help of my beautiful wife. I’m still a work in progress, but what writer isn’t?
I’m still here. How is this growth?
You tell me.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://saschaillyvichauthor.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/SaschaIllyvich
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RomanceAuthorSaschaIllyvich
- Linkedin: Who uses this piece of shit still?
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@SaschaIllyvich
- Yelp: Pff this isn’t even relevant anymore
Image Credits
Lia Davis Getcovers.com
