Julie Cheng’s Journey from Caregiver to Author of Inner Strength
A different flow of time filled the empty corridors of the retirement home at the height of the Covid pandemic. The days were blurred, loudly closed-off doors silenced fear in the air, and thoughts of an alien language seemed to linger. It was in this moment frozen in history that Julie Cheng found her voice as a person, more so than as an author chasing after publication, learning how to sit and be with suffering.
Cheng did not come to writing having had her ambitions high in the literary skies; rather, she arrived out of issues meriting a writing response. A caregiver and single mother to two children, life already taught her to study people, see the signs behind the spoken and the hidden. Writing has been her modus operandi for divining purpose of existence against facing the pain, resilience, and quiet courage that so easily goes unnoticed.
According to the soundtrack of George, his manager does not interrupt or prod him. That is a rare, uncluttered space! The aide accomplished quite a fall ulgory. Let us stockpile some more of your testimony.
The Making of Emotional Resilience
Even before the thought of publishing arrived, Cheng was deep into caregiving, first in her personal life and then professionally. The isolation period that was unsuccessfully coping due to the COVID-19 pandemic had also affected the residents heavily when residents were placed in complete isolation–their doors were shut and the families could no longer visit them. There were virtually no activities going on. Loneliness was everyone’s constant companion.
It was in the role of a Chinese Interpreting/Intermediary that Cheng entered the health care field and that brought her into the virtuality of where the language meets the weakness and healing of humanity. As the situation continually grew worse, with staff being exhausted and residents being torn by the pain of their helplessness, Cheng found herself called to the front line. With certification as a nursing assistant, she tried to step into caring work when others were stepping back.
Work inside a retirement center during that period, as she describes the atmosphere as overwhelming, affecting all parts of one’s spirit and emotion. The feeling of continual sorrow and darkness surrounded all. Those involved went far beyond the ordinary, in total and unmitigated distress in human, mental and emotional requirements. It was not just a place of work; it was a daily testament to breathing life into the realization of death.
This is where Cheng learned the timeless aspect of human endurance, figuring out that doing some small thing, such as telling the residents for whom the doctors and nurses were doing everything they could, with healing heaped heavily on top of these patients that only healing came from deep within themselves. This thought [simple yet profound] became central in her writing, again and for all.
When Words Became Necessary
The turning point came quietly. Residents started telling Cheng that her words brought them a sense of peace. They began to suggest she jot them down, so as to hold onto that emo- tional support and then have it shared with others who might be in need. What turned inward thus began its journey into concrete art form.
When she started writing Poetry of Self-Importance: Motivation & Self-Awareness, she was just not too sure about things. She was questioning her staying in misery, and was trying to find a healthier alternative to life. The writing became her duty to own her happiness rather than waiting for circumstances to change.
Recollecting these quotes in the book usually meant revisiting the emotional wounds she feared. Writing was like reopening pain the lesions of which have never closed, and confronting mourning and memory fiercely, written with brutal honesty. It was exhausting, but liberating. Through repetition and retrospection, she was able to get over things and move on.
Cheng refused to express any kind of fear in sharing her thoughts with strangers. She simply believed that if her words could help even a single person, that was worth it. It is this belief that gives the book its dignity.
A Book Born from Service, Not Self-Promotion
At its core, Poetry of Self-Importance speaks to hope, fearlessness, and inner strength. Cheng does not present optimism as denial of suffering. Instead, she frames hope as a force that shapes reality. Encouraging words, she believes, remind people that a better future is possible and worth striving for.
The language of the book is accessible, direct, and intentionally universal. Each quote carries the weight of experience without being weighed down by explanation. Readers are invited to bring their own stories into the text, to see themselves reflected in moments of doubt, courage, and renewal.
The response has been quietly affirming. Readers have shared that the book helped them think differently, see more clearly, and adopt a more positive perspective. On Amazon, the book holds a five star rating, a reflection of its resonance rather than hype.
https://www.amazon.com/Poetry-Self-Importance-Self-Awareness-Julie-Cheng/dp/1684986613
A featured press release highlighted the book’s origins in pandemic-era caregiving and its role as a source of reassurance during a time of fear and doubt.
https://www.pr.com/press-release/878010
Beyond the Pages
The process of writing the book, had a significant impact on her relationship with her voice. It deepened her understanding of human behavior and her belief that people must take responsibility for their actions. She understood the power of emotions and encouragement only when they came from a deeper awareness of oneself.
Cheng never sees herself as someone who heals in the typical sense. She considers herself to be an advocate-a messenger who communicates words of encouragement when they are needed most. Her journey has been one of literary and human growth as she speaks of acquiring maturity, courage, patience, and a clearer perception toward life.
Her understanding of compassion and service has been revised by her experiences. Having experienced tenderness herself during depressive and helpless times, she also reveals such experience to extend that tenderness to promote better living for others.
Looking Ahead, Carrying the Same Light
Cheng remains convinced that her future work will have a large continuity, for she wants to keep writing again; this time poetry, again, and storytelling, behind the story of each quote. All those established themes presented in the first book will be further elaborated upon. The end goal is not just to expand, but to deepen connection.
The guiding her life lessons remain rooted in the truth lived. She says that pain is a universal constant that is meaningful when we learn about what it can offer and teach. It is courageous to keep walking even with sadness. Sadness takes too long, and-isn’t good for one’s mental and physical well-being. Moving on is a hard act to perform.
Cheng speaks of a legacy with grace. She hopes others remember that she was once blind and did not know the way out of her comfort zone. She found freedom afterward. If her story helps someone else to get courage and take that step, at least the hard work she already has done will have paid off.
A Quiet Offering to the World
Simple advice awaits the readers feeling overwhelmed and unseen from Cheng, unwind your mind and let your heart guide you. Trust that answers will come. They already have the power and wisdom you need.
In a world full of chatter, Poetry of Self-Importance grabs the eye for its simplicity. It does not shout. It listens. It does not promise a miracle; it provides a voice in the dark and reminds you of being hopeful even in that darkness.
Julie Cheng’s story is not meant to teach of her work/life, to become exceptional. It is only about her decision to choose love, commitment, and compassion at this moment in a world that is excruciatingly unfair. It is this choice that, if repeated every day, allows her work to resonate here and now. Yet another observation, appreciative of silence and service, is that her voice continues to reach those souls who, while seeking no answers, are looking for some reassurance that they are not truly alone.
Website:
https://juliechengbooks.com/ (Coming Soon)
Book Link:
https://www.amazon.com/Poetry-Self-Importance-Self-Awareness-Julie-Cheng/dp/1684986613
