In Conversation with the author of Naked Determination, Gisela Huasmann

Gisela Hausmann is a charismatic lay whose life has been a one long adventure. She calls herself a unique mix of a spontaneous risk-taker and a strategist. She has travelled more than 100,000 miles and plans to travel a lot more. Her previous books have been all travel self-help books. Naked Determination is a collection of 41 motivation stories taken from Gisela’s own life.

Hi Gisela! Before going through your book, I went through your good reads profile. I was astounded to see that you have travelled almost 100,000 miles, which incidentally I read as 10,000 miles. Simply put, 100,000 miles didn’t seem feasible to me. I really want to know how you got the zeal to travel so much and why you choose to become an author.

Thank you for inviting me. Traveling is one of my very few hobbies. It stems from being extremely curious, wanting to find out about the world I live in, finding out what people of other cultures think, and learning from each other. Naturally, it comes at a price. Very often, I had to give up comfort, and I also live very humble in every aspect. For most of my life I have lived in smaller homes, driven old cars, don’t own TV, and hardly any gizmos. As for becoming an author – people have actually pushed me into it, told me over and over that readers want to hear and read the many extraordinary adventures, which happened on these trips.

There was also a discussion on why you chose to publish it as an eBook but not in paperback. I too would like to know why? Was it a conscious decision or you just didn’t want the hassle of traditional publishing?

Having traveled so much, I have learned to appreciate the beauty of our planet. It was actually on one of my first big trips, in 1982, that a sky marshal invited me into the cockpit of a Boeing 747. From there I saw Planet Earth at cruising altitude of 37,000 feet. Immediately I recognized that we have to protect this beautiful planet. While decades ago, we had to chop down trees to produce books, today we don’t. Thus I believe that eBooks are a great way of sharing stories, most often even in better quality because the addition of color pictures comes at no additional cost.

Was it difficult writing about your own life? People tend to glorify themselves or self-deprecate. How did you manage the fine balance between the two? Reading the book, I never once felt that you wanted to exaggerate or make yourself look good!

The communities of the 21^st century are tired of receiving “tainted information” from politicians, institutions, and corporations. I read it everywhere, from Facebook groups to blogs. People want “naked” or true stories. Thus, I believe that if an author does want to share honest and true stories that author might as well forget about it.

In the foreword you have written about test readers. I have never come across that term here in India, can you elaborate more how do test readers help in the structure of the story or editing of the book?

Indeed, there were many more funny and adventurous stories. The main purpose of “Naked Determination” is to help my readers and to give them the stories, which impact their lives.  Naturally, I am too close to my own life/stories, so I hired test readers from various age groups. They helped me to pick the stories, which would be most valuable for all readers.

Each chapter in the book starts with a great title and then you tell your story and then you give a nugget of wisdom at the end. I will go totally unrelated to the story but is it easier to find wisdom in your own life experiences than from others?

Today we have an abundance of self-help books and courses, but basically none of them tells readers what to do, like for instance in my story SMILE! Basically I am describing how absolutely everything went wrong at the job, which is something, that happens to all of us on occasions. In my story I continue to describe what I what I really did, and how I turned this problem into success. Since I tell the whole story, rather than some vague career article at LinkedIn, readers can relate to this and apply what I did when they experience the same. We have so much material available today, but most of it is useless. Nobody wants to read. e.g. 1) evaluate your options 2) pic the best one etc… People want to read the short cut, want to know what do exactly, so they can try that. That is what I am telling; and, the story is funny too. 

The stories have humor in the stories and a human side which we rarely shown in a Non- Fiction book. It is a look in your life by everyone. I would have felt uncovered if strangers knew about my life. Did you have the same apprehensions while writing the book?

Many of these stories have been told before, and many of my friends have laughed about them. Obviously, tragedy every now and then, that is life, hits all of us. Thus, I don’t have a problem admitting that it hit me too. Only, if we stand up to our life we will conquer success.

You have chosen to market your book in India where most people prefer paperback. Will it gather the same response that it has found in other countries?

“Naked Determination” contains one story (out of the 41), which plays out in India. Considering that I traveled 48 countries and than half of them play out in either one my home countries, that shows how much India had impressed me. I believe the Indian people are going to be very excited to read a book from a Westerner, who shares her personal experiences with them, which include her love for India. Though lots of Westerners travel India probably none of them shares a really personal book, which contains so many practical tricks how to succeed in life.

I am going to ask you questions that every author is asked. Which is your favorite book and author and why?

“Seven Years in Tibet” by Austrian Heinrich Harrer is probably the book, which influenced my life in a most profound manner. When I read it first I was about 10 years old. A few years later, Harrer came to my town and gave a slide presentation and talked about his book. Seeing him personally made it clear that he was a real person and if he could do that, I probably could too. And, I did. So, this book influenced my life tremendously. I wrote “Naked Determination” so it will help readers the same way and with ‘Naked Determination’ they will reach their goals, just like I did with Harrer’s book.

In your book, I love the story about you persistently asking your grandmother to take you to Russia. Which one of your stories is your favorite and why?

Haha, indeed, that story shows how easy “Naked Determination” can be. I really don’t have a favorite story. I like them all. Most important is probably the last story “THIS BOOK IS NOT A SELF-HELP BOOK … IT IS A REMINDER”. It reminds readers of their own stories and shows them how to turn them into that powerful force, which will get them where they need to be.

Last but not the least, Naked Determination is not about your struggles in life but how you lived your life to the fullest from working with one of your favorite Directors to your book given to Bill Clinton, what message will you give our readers and why would you recommend Naked Determination to all?

Whatever it is what you need to do; with “Naked Determination” you will get there. That’s all it takes. For instance, though, yes, in Austria, I have a Master’s degree, but in the U.S. that master’s degree is evaluated only as a bachelor’s, which lots of people have. In other words, that formal education is not the deciding factor. I am also widowed and not some influential gentleman’s wife. That proves that if readers can apply this quality of “naked determination” as described in my book, they will reach their goals too.