Following the announcement of her book In the Outback with Jasmine Banks, here is an interview with Ronit Baras about this inspiring story of a young woman’s personal journey to freedom.
What made you write the story “In the Outback with Jasmine Banks”?
I had this expression in my head for years, ‘It all started the day I discovered I was going to die’. I had heard it once and it had stuck in my head.
This happens to me a lot. I hear something or read something and my mind travels to new places. I can see in my head the person who said this “trigger expression” and I ask my self why they said it. What happened to them? Did they have a family? What were their fears, needs, desires? How did they feel?
This time, it was Katherine Johnson and the more questions I asked about her, the more I got to know her. She was inspiring and I had the urge to write about her in hope of inspiring others.
Have you ever met Katherine Johnson?
I have met many Katherine Johnsons. They were my friends, teachers, coaches and role models. I believe we all have parts of her in us.
And what about Jasmine Banks?
It’s the same. I have met many of them in my life and mainly in my work. Jasmine Banks represents most of the people in our society, who are afraid to want, scared to live and lack the confidence to be true to themselves. I guess in a sense I also have parts of Jasmine Banks in me, or at least I did in the past.
Why did you write this as a story?
I have been in the personal development industry for over 22 years and have read so many books about personal growth and personal development. Statistics about personal development show that only a small percentage of people actually take action and change their life after reading a book.
I’m one of this small group of people because I summarise my readings in a folder and have been doing this for many years.
Most people read a book, they enjoy it, they feel motivated and then their motivation fades. A story with characters that readers can identify with and that can trigger feelings changes the statistics and more people remember the story and more of them take action.
Go back in time and ask yourself about the books that influenced your life and tell me if they were fiction or non-function?
So what you are saying is that fiction books communicate the message better?
Yes, I do.
What is the message?
Life is short, we are here to enjoy the ride and make the most of it, happiness is a choice, questions are a great way to find answers and growth can be achieved through a sequence of small stretches.
Sounds simple, doesn’t it?
It IS simple when you live like this, but seems complicated when you don’t know how to achieve it. Katherine Johnson talks about her writing in the same way. When you cross to the other side, there is great freedom there.
How can a person who is not in this frame of mind cross to the “other side”?
First, they need to want to be there. It might sound surprising, but fear of change is the hardest thing for people. They will complain a lot about things but do nothing about them.
If a person wants to cross, they will. There is great information out there about personal growth and personal development. If you commit yourself to it, you can cross slowly on your own or use a life coach to help you cross quickly.
How quickly?
In the Be Happy in LIFE coaching program, after three months, every person can cross to the other side and begin to ‘ride the wave of life’. We send ‘In the Outback with Jasmine Banks’ for our clients to read at the beginning of the program.
It helps them shift fast, very fast, every time they have a session they are so focused that after three months, they can do things they could never do before.
For a year, Jasmine Banks was part of our program, until our clients suggested to make it available to all. For a short time, it will be available for free, so I recommend that people grab their free copy now.
Have you been to Fraser Island yourself?
Yes, I have. It’s a great place. It’s the biggest sand island in the world. Highly recommended.
Fraser Island represents great freedom for me – the sand, the ocean, the beauty. It’s a great place to find peace.
I chose Fraser Island because I believe nature and beauty can work magic on us. I love travelling and on every trip, when I enjoy the beauty of nature, I get lots of strength and motivation from the experience.
I remember two other places where I felt I was part of the scenery. One was Bryce Canyon in the US. Everything was red and white.
We were there in New Year’s Eve and it was snowing and just beautiful. The other was Queenstown in New Zealand. Fraser Island was very peaceful, but any beautiful place in nature can have the same effect.
When are we going to see your next book?
Gal and I are working on a few different projects. We have many requests to publish our most valuable sessions from our Be Happy in LIFE coaching program.
Stay tuned for more “Seven, Seven, Seven” e–courses, “Reflections”, which is a spiritual book, “The Ten Commitments”, which is a quick guide to powerful living, “The ABC of Affirmations”, “365 Ways to Say I Love You” and the most requested, “Communication Styles” assessment and workbook.
One of them is going to come out at the beginning of 2008. Our goal is to publish 4 a year, and I think we will definitely reach this target this year.
What is your goal for “In the Outback with Jasmine Banks”?
Simple: 1 million readers, and I will get there with the help of my readers who want to spread happiness around the world.
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