Self Help and Growth Book Reviews

One of my favorite pastimes is reading and, as beautiful fate has it, this self help blog allows me the luxury of receiving many books for book reviews. Yay, me! In the Book Review section you’ll find the best of the best. When it’s a book that you simply must read, I’ll let you know.

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Ancestory, Genealogy, and Your Family Tree

The Best Guide for FIning Your Way to the Past

by joi

in Book Reviews, Books I Love

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Genealogy With my self help website, food blog, and other online publications, I have the opportunity to read and review a good number of books. I’ve been a bookworm since the great and varied adventures of “Spot, Dick, and Jane,” so you can imagine how delirious I am when a new book to review comes in the mail. My smile stretches from ear to ear and my feet kind of do this little happy dance.

I’ve got nothing but mad love for great books, the authors who pen them, the publishers who publish them – and nothing but crazy mad love for the publicists who add to my personal library.

A recent book is from one of my favorite series of books, “The Complete Idiot’s Guide To…” series.  I’m mad about these books!  They take a subject matter that you’d LIKE to be an expert in and MAKE you an expert.  Given the fact that these wonderful books cover just about any subject you can think of, that means you can become an expert in any field you want.

I’ve always been fascinated by genealogy, for example, but honestly had no idea where to start. When asked if I’d be interested in reviewing The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Genealogy, 3rd Edition, I jumped in with both dancing feet.

About the Authors

Christine Rose is a full-time professional genealogist. She was elected a fellow of the American society of Genealogists in 1988, an honor bestowed on only 50 living genealogists at any time.  Kay Germain Ingalls is a certified genealogist and is past president of the Association of Professional Genealogists and a trustee for the Board for Certification of Genealogists.

I’ve always wanted to dig around in my own family tree (as well as my husband’s).  I’ve been intrigued with my ancestors since I was about 17 years old.  A great, great uncle showed me a picture of someone in our family from YEARS ago.  She was dressed like Laura Ingalls Wilder if that gives you an idea of how old the picture was.  Her name was Annie, and her picture made me freeze in my tracks. She looked exactly like me.  My mom and other relatives in the room all looked back and forth between me and Annie’s picture and everyone agreed that we looked exactly alike.   My mom tried to get her hands on more pictures and information of Annie, but nothing really turned up.

To this day I’d just love to know more about her!  How many children did she have?  Who did she marry? Did she love animals? Did she have a cup of coffee by her side all day, too?  Things like this fascinate me.  I couldn’t help wondering, too, what her children looked like and what they did with their lives.  And their children, and their children, and…

From the Back Cover:
You’d love to learn more about your ancestors, but the wealth of information online, in family scrapbooks, in libraries, and at courthouses is so vast, you don’t know where to start your search.

The next best thing to a personal genealogist, this revised and updated guide gives you all the knowledge you need to trace your heritage.  In it, you get:

  • Guidance on sorting through census data, plus tips on widening your search with surname variations.
  • Tips for fact-finding in newspaper archives, military records, Social Security records, cemeteries, and more.
  • The latest information on using Ancestory.com, GenWeb, and other online sources – plus hundreds of links to visit.
  • A new chapter devoted to researching African American lineage.
  • Expanded information on how to use DNA testing in your genealogical search.
  • Insightful ideas for breaking through the brick walls and seemingly dead ends all genealogists face.
  • A primer on organizing your work with charts, forms, and logs; citing sources; and establishing a numbering system.

The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Genealogy, 3rd Edition is like having a couple of genealogists siting on each side of you – telling you why you should research your family history, where to begin (with Mom and Dad!), how to proceed, and what to watch for. The advice and tips are priceless. I promise you, the book is filled with things you’d never have even thought of.

There are “Tree Tips” as well as “Lineage Lessons” and “Definitions” along the way. The definition prompt came in handy with Daguerreotypes, as you might imagine.

Who are You?
What’s the fascination? Curious as to why Grandpa never spoke about his family? Yearn to know your ethnic roots? Whatever it is, this part will get you going. Starting the search with your own family, you’ll learn how to spot the significance of all the papers and memorabilia you’re sure to find. If you’ve already started with the Internet, find out how to build on that.

You’ll also get the basics of recording what you find and an introduction to some of the charts, forms, and logs that will help you keep on track. You are laying the groundwork for a wonderful adventure. – From the Intro to Part 1

And that’s just Part 1!

I could give you a wonderfully flowery spiel about how “learning who your ancestors were will help you learn who you are.” I could point out how important it is to unearth family traits, illnesses, and whatnot to better understand and protect you and generations after you. I could also tell you how much your mind LOVES learning new things and the pursuit of new hobbies such as genealogy. And all that would be true. But, frankly, I’m just going to say this, “How freaking cool would it be if you found a face in the past that looked just like the one in the mirror?!”

Click through The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Genealogy, 3rd Edition to learn more. Trust me, this is a book you’ll want to add to your library because this is book that will serve you well.

A Great Summer Read: The Millionaire’s Handbook

How to Look and Act Like a Millionaire Even If You're Not

by joi

in Book Reviews, Books I Love

The Millionaire's Handbook

Sigh. I love The Millionaire’s Handbook: How to Look and Act like a Millionaire, Even if You’re Not. In fact, I want to be this book when I grow up.

I regularly do book reviews for Self Help Daily, as well as a few other websites. 7 out of 10 times the book I’m sent to review is a wonderful book that I’m delighted to share with my online friends (that’d be you). For the self help blog, most of the books are a little serious in nature – after all, self improvement, health, fitness, and self motivation are serious matters. Because of this fact, I think I got an extra kick out of The Millionaire’s Handbook: How to Look and Act like a Millionaire, Even if You’re Not. When I first opened the book, I thought it was going to be a straight-laced, straight-faced approach: “To look like a millionaire, one must first believe that they are a millionaire, for all good things begin with thought.” I thought it might urge the reader to purge negativity from their center…. to embrace their potential.

Yes, as a matter of fact, I do read a lot of books, why do you ask?

I wasn’t even out of the Introduction before I realized that this book had much more FUN running through its veins than I thought. I wasn’t off the first page of the Introduction before I developed a literary crush on the book.

This book will show you how to wing it till you cha-ching it – by spending what little money you do have wisely and making a positive investment in yourself. It will help you gain the trappings of luxury – even if you’re six generations removed, not just from Kevin, but from anyone who brings home the Bacon. You’ll learn how to look, dress, speak, and behave like a millionaire so that you, too, can enjoy the same privileged lifestyle.

There are entire stores filled with chichi clothing. There are countless ways to pamper, party, and globetrot – all while sampling the world’s finest luxuries. But if you have to worry about how much it all costs, then this is the right book for you. It will help redistribute the perks that come with the power of money, so that we can all get more of what’s coming to us (for a great deal less).

If you can dream it you can look it. This book describes eighteen separate aspects of looking and acting like a millionaire, even if you aren’t one. Each chapter begins with a fictional scene, which sets the stage for the true-life advice and tips that follow.

As we travel together through these chapters, you will meet some friends and learn what to do (and, indeed, what not to do)….

The book is, obviously, written in a humorous, very fun to read fashion but the truly great thing is: There’s a lot of priceless advice in this book. You can look and behave as though you have more money than you actually do!

One of the first sections in the book includes Twenty Must-Have Items to Look Like a Millionaire. A few of these are:

 

  • One pair of sunglasses that hides majority of face for instant celebrity appeal.
  • One gadget (cell, iPhone, iPad, BlackBerry) to prove your time is valuable.
  • One ticket stub to a cultural event within the last year.
  • An eye for art (Not confusing Jasper Johns with Jackson Pollock is a good start).

Some of the Chapters in The Millionaire’s Handbook:

  • The Ten Laws of Material Success (Or How to Dress the Part on a Pauper’s Salary)
  • Amass a $64 Million Vocabulary
  • Skimp on the Items No One Else Will Notice
  • Covet Thy Neighbor’s Catalogs
  • Develop an Obscure Hobby
  • Blend in to Stand Out
  • Millionaire Skin
  • Foster an Eccentricity
  • You, Only Richer
  • Show Some Class
  • Your Personal Brand

In the back of the 267 page book, there are a few pages dedicated to websites and books that’ll help you along your way to looking richer and a list of  20 Must-Have Catalogs…  I’m afraid to say I only subscribe to one.  I have so much work to do.

This wonderfully funny and enjoyable book actually gives you FACTS while it feels as though it’s just giving you FUN.  You LEARN while you think you’re just LAUGHING.   The Millionaire’s Handbook would make an ideal book any time of year – whether you’re sitting enjoying a cup of hot chocolate in the winter or lying in the sun in the summer.  It’s the sort of book you’ll devour quickly, then lend to everyone you know. With the promise that you get it back.

Take a closer look at The Millionaire’s Handbook: How to Look and Act like a Millionaire, Even if You’re Not.  I can’t recommend this book enough!

 

Bare Naked at the Reality Dance!

The Book's as Good as the Title

by joi

in Book Reviews

I just finished reading Bare Naked at the Reality Dance by Suzanne Selby Grenager. When I was asked if I’d like to read this inspirational book, I took one look at the title and asked, “How soon can you send it to me?”

I’m a sucker for attention-grabbing titles and this one grabs you with both hands.

Book Description:

Do you want to wake up and fall in love with yourself? Do you want to make the difference you were born and are dying to make? That’s what Suzanne Grenager does—and will help you do—in this intimate, from-the-trenches transformational journal of a wife, mother, daughter, yogini, spiritual mentor and work-in-progress. Whether you are a novice or veteran on the spiritual path, Suzanne’s soul-thrumming real-time trek toward her Self will amuse, shock, inform, and, most of all, inspire you to see and be the wild and wonderful person you already are. In the Himalayas and in Nova Scotia, at the ashram where she is blasted by a Swami yoga master’s love, and down on the farm, Suzanne’s struggles, triumphs and insights will ignite you from deep inside out. Instead of telling her readers what to do, this natural born teacher offers the example of her hard-won self-love and trust, spurring us to a way that is utterly our own. In her warm, transparent and distinctly feminine voice, Suzanne empowers us to take who we are and run with it, into a world that can’t wait for our light.

Love is who we are when we let go of who we are not.

Now’s as good a time as any to address a question I’m occasionally asked.  No, I do not always agree with absolutely every viewpoint, idea, belief, or concept expressed by the authors of the books I read and/or recommend.  I don’t choose my books based upon the criteria of I must agree with every single word and the author and I must see eye to eye on absolutely everything.  Where would the fun be in that?!  If you never broaden your horizons or stretch the boundaries of your mind, you can forget about growth of any kind, shape, or form. Sure, you may not be familiar with the term yogini (when I first saw the word, I pictured someone doing yoga in a bikini), but here’s the thing, you don’t have to be! I’m convinced that we can learn something from everyone. Yes, even someone doing yoga in a bikini.

Truth be told, some of my favorite books are those where I find myself blissfully unaware of where the author is “coming from” in the beginning.  I happen to enjoy the heck out of watching the answer unveil before my eyes.

The author of Bare Naked at the Reality Dance , Suzanne Selby Grenager is a very spiritual author and her writing is nothing short of beautiful. You’ll find her story very inspiring, insightful, and informative. This is a book I would definitely recommend.

Feelings are the voice of the soul. 

Author Biography

Suzanne Selby Grenager is a seasoned writer and spiritual mentor with a well-honed gift for helping people see, appreciate and express their particular greatness. A former Philadelphia Inquirer and Spiritsite.com columnist, her work has appeared in Yoga Journal. Suzanne was an early Kripalu Yoga student, teacher and regional leader, and for 10 years, a transformational life coach. Certified in the holistic Rubenfeld Synergy Method, she has lived in India and Egypt and has a second home in Nova Scotia. She is married to Trond Grenager, a Norwegian architect, and has two grown children.

The more I treat myself that I am worth it, the more worthy I see that I am. 

Book Review: Life is a Business

Manage it Better So You'll Enjoy It More

by joi

in Book Reviews

 

Life is a Business by Charles E Cox

 

I can’t tell you how much I love spending time with a great book.  There’s just nothing like it. At the very least, a great book is entertaining.  At best, a great book can challenge, inspire, and motivate you to implement changes in your life.  Changes that can affect your future, encourage positive changes and bring your dreams well within reach.

Now, that’s a book worth spending time with.

I was recently sent such a book to review and it’s my pleasure to do so today. The book is Life Is a Business! Manage It Better So You’ll Enjoy It More by Charles E. Cox, Jr. and it is a fascinating read from cover to cover.

There’s a difference between learning something and being taught something. – Eddie Hutchins

Book Description

The Fortune 500 Life is achieved by recognizing that every step needed to build a successful personal life emulates every step CEOs take to build a successful business—you simply need to learn what they are and how to apply them. And that’s exactly what the upcoming book “Life Is A Business! Manage It Better So You’ll Enjoy It More” is designed to do.

Authored by Charles E. Cox, Jr., “Life Is A Business! Manage It Better So You’ll Enjoy It More” is the first in “The Fortune 500 Life” book series. Demonstrating parallels between running a successful business and managing a successful life, this book profiles current Fortune 500 companies to showcase nine key principles that relate to and impact your personal life.

Considered a “Life Improvement” book, Life is a Business! is designed to appeal to everyday working class people who often struggle to manage their personal lives. These struggles can be overcome when recognizing that “life is a business” – life and business challenges are strikingly similar and nearly every life decision is a business decision.

About the Author:

Charles E. Cox, Jr. Is a native of Minnesota’s Twin Cities. He is an author, speaker, phil­an­thropist and ser­ial entre­pre­neur with a pas­sion for help­ing peo­ple of all ages and race find their inner strength through finan­cial sta­bil­ity, entre­pre­neurism and over­all finan­cial lit­er­acy. Charles believes that the com­bi­na­tion of a solid edu­ca­tion with a deep under­stand­ing and respect for the mon­e­tary impacts on life will help all peo­ple on their jour­ney to pros­per­ity. Charles’ entre­pre­neur­ial spirit has led him to spend the last fif­teen years of his career seek­ing chal­leng­ing oppor­tu­ni­ties in real estate invest­ment and sales, devel­op­ment and ven­ture cap­i­tal­ism. Charles has also man­aged careers in con­struc­tion, as a licensed gen­eral con­trac­tor and elec­tri­cian in the state of Minnesota. – From Life is a Business

In Life is a Business, Charles E. Cox, Jr. lays out 9 Key Principles to a Prosperous Life

  1. Vision/Mission.  Create a clear vision of what you want for your life.
  2. Sustainable Growth and Education. Keep strong, steady growth and a commitment to education at the forefront of your vision.
  3. Financial Literacy & Stability.  Commit to an ongoing quest to obtain and understand the truth about your finances so you can stabilize your financial health.
  4. Health & Wellness. Maintain a healthy mind, body, and spirit.
  5. Stress Pressure & Change.  Prepare for inevitable stress, pressure, and change so you can better manage your way through them.
  6. Stewardship/Philanthropy.  Serve your community to build a sense of community.
  7. Vacations. Plan and take vacations with your family.
  8. Marriage.  Enter marriage with the same caution and consideration as you would a business merger.
  9. Personal Image (Reputation). Build an honorable personal and professional reputation.

These 9 principles are “fleshed out” through the fast-paced book.  Each principle includes what I’d call a “Call to Action” by the author, turning the book into an interactive journey which self help fanatics like me LOVE.  I also loved the wonderful inspirational quotes sprinkled (very effectively) throughout the book.  The quotes, the illustrations, and the fascinating comparisons between life and business make this a book that’s honestly hard to put down.

I can’t wait to read the next book in the series – the first one kicked things off beautifully and has left me wanting to hear what Mr. Cox has to say next!

I hope you’ll visit the Life is a Business website and learn more about Charles E. Cox.  He’s the sort of person who will leave a lasting impression, and  a wonderful one, at that.

The Swiss Cheese Theory of Life

How to Get Through Life's Holes Without Getting Stuck in Them!

by joi

in Book Reviews, Books I Love

The Swiss Cheese Theory of Life

The Swiss Cheese Theory of LIfe, by Judith A. Belmont, MS and Lora Shor, MSW, is such a fun, delightful, and thought-provoking book that I only wish I could put a copy into each one of my reader’s hands.  I was sent my own review copy a few weeks ago and I’ve really gotten a kick out of it.

Don’t get me wrong. Just because it’s fun, delightful, colorful, and has a killer personality doesn’t mean there isn’t a great deal of substance here, because there is.  The fact that it has a great deal of fun serving up the wonderful nuggets of self growth simply means that you’ll stay with them all the way to the end.  I can’t imagine anyone bailing on this book midway – you’d be too afraid of missing what might come next!

From the back cover:

Take The Swiss Cheese Theory of Life Challenge

  • Are you trying to make changes in your life, yet find yourself digging deeper into a hole?
  • Do you “know better” but still continue unhealthy patterns and habits?
  • Do you often have “why does this happen to me” thinking?
  • Are you looking for happiness in all the wrong places?
  • Are you ready to make healthy changes in your life…. physically, emotionally, spiritually?

If you answered “yes” to any of these questions – this book is for you!

The Swiss Cheese Theory of Life is a book about resiliency. Using Swiss Cheese as a metaphor for life itself, you will explore ways to get through life’s holes without getting stuck in them.  Swill is not like any other cheese – and neither are you!

Top 10 Things I Love About The Swiss Cheese Theory of Life:

  1. The book has such a positive vibe it floats off of the pages.  There’s no negativity, scare tactics, or heavy handed advice.
  2. The authors treat important matters as important matters but don’t take things overly seriously. Life’s fun and this book doesn’t just “get” that, it celebrates it.
  3. I look at reading as sitting down and having a friendly visit with an author or authors. These authors are great company and I’m hoping for more collaborations.
  4. This book is highly interactive, inviting the reader to think, solve, and resolve.  We don’t grow when others do all the thinking for us!
  5. There are many fascinating quotes, illustrations, and examples. The lively writing is compelling.
  6. There are FUN illustrations and even comics. LOVE that!
  7. The book reads very fast, but doesn’t at all feel like “fast food.”  It’s fine dining quality but can be read by even the busiest person in no time at all.
  8. The authors show you how to take complete control of your life and bring the changes about that YOU want – not the changes someone else wants for you. Very important.
  9. The authors take good ole human emotions and short-comings into consideration. Very often they hit you with your excuses before they’ve even completely formed in your mind! Best of all, they offer solutions.
  10. Last, but certainly not least, this book shows that it is never, ever too late.  Lifelong mistakes or even even consistent shortcomings can be turned around.  The ship can be “righted” and.. guess what… we’re at the helm!

About the Authors:

Judith A. Belmont, MS, is a national speaker and corporate wellness trainer, with over 30 years of experience as a psychotherapist. From college teaching to working with Fortune 500 companies, Judy uses practical, action-oriented strategies to get people through life s obstacles. She is the author of two professional books, 86 Tips for the Therapeutic Toolbox and 103 Group Activities and TIPS.

Lora Shor, LSW, is a psychotherapist, work/life consultant, and national speaker. She has helped thousands learn and implement resiliency skills and transformation techniques for happier, healthier, balanced lifestyle. Lora is an international consultant to Fortune 500 companies, the federal government, and non-profits, and also maintains a private clinical practice in the Philadelphia area.

The Swiss Cheese Theory of Life is JUST the book I want each of my readers to have by their side when the new year rolls in.  When you’re sitting at the table with pen and paper, making your New Year’s Resolutions, I want this book to be there with the three of you!  It just may be the glue that’ll make those resolutions stick.

Take a closer look at this very special book: The Swiss Cheese Theory of LIfe

Fiction Book Reviews

'Cause She's Got the Book... Literally

by joi

in Book Reviews

Fiction Book Reviews

 

I have the SUPREME pleasure of working with many great authors, publicists, and book publishers through my different websites/blogs – certainly including this one.  They know what a book fanatic I am, so they know they always have a pair of eager eyes to put their books in front of.   With very rare exception, I tend to review non-fiction books.  For my own enjoyment, I read Agatha Christie, Dean Koontz, Nicholas Sparks, John Grisham, and a few others – but when it comes to doing book reviews, I stick with non-fiction.

My oldest daughter, Emily, however, delights in fiction books like a duck delights in water.  She has decided to combine her love of reading, her love of writing, and her love of working online with a Fiction Book Review Blog.  She chose a great name for the site, She’s Got the Book (my clever baby).

If you love reading, I hope you’ll visit her website regularly – “book”mark it and keep an eye on what she’s reading at the time.  She tells it like it is, which has always amused and amazed me quite honestly. So if there’s a book you really shouldn’t read, she’ll defintiely let you know.

If you are an author, publicist, or book publisher, by all means contact her about any fiction books you’d like her to read and review.  She’s a prolific reader, so she can handle any and all you send her way!

100 Ways to Boost Your Self-Confidence

Believe in Yourself and Others Will Too!

by joi

in Book Reviews, Books I Love, Self Confidence

100 Ways to Boost Your Self Confidence

The book lover in me delighted in the fact that I was sent a copy of 100 Ways to Boost Your Self-Confidence: Believe In Yourself and Others Will Too to review on the self help blog. My inner self help diva rejoiced because it was about a favorite subject: Self Confidence.

We’ll only go as far as our self confidence will carry us – for better or worse.

Some people have an edge when it comes to self confidence. The people in their life (parents, spouse, children, etc) build them up to the point that they feel they can do anything. My parents always instilled this can-do attitude in me as a child. So much so that, right before a game, when my softball coach asked our team who could pitch, I raised my hand even though I’d never pitched a day in my life. I took the pitcher’s position, ball in hand, and never (even slightly) doubted that I could do it. My mom sat bug-eyed in the stands and my dad looked like he wanted to cry. I’d always been a catcher! Yet, there their daughter marched, like a boss, to the mound.

I struck out the first girl.

Then the next.

Third girl? She hit it back to me and I threw her out.

I wouldn’t have remembered these details, on my own but my dad repeated the story over the years so many times that it became ingrained in my memory – and probably everyone else’s for 6 counties! Proud dad.

Some people are at a complete disadvantage when it comes to self confidence. The people in their life never seem to say anything to them or about them unless it’s negative. How pathetic is that?! My heart breaks for these people and I understand why they struggle with confidence. However, if they realize that THEY aren’t the ones with the problem, they’ll be well on their way.

Most people fall somewhere in between. They don’t have cheerleaders on the sideline, but they also don’t have people hurling insults.

Irregardless of your supporting cast, your level of self-confidence can (and should) be built up and strengthened. We’ll only go as far as we think we can! Apparently a lot of people know that because one of the subject areas I hear from my readers the most about is Self Confidence. After reading 100 Ways to Boost Your Self-Confidence: Believe In Yourself and Others Will Too, I’m delighted to say that I now have a wonderful book to recommend to anyone and everyone who wants to improve their self-confidence.

Book Description

When you don’’t believe in yourself, everything is more difficult. 100 Ways to Boost Your Self-Confidence will literally help you change your life by changing the way you feel about yourself. Not only will you have faith in who you really are, but the people you love and work with will believe in you as well.

100 Ways to Boost Your Self-Confidence will show you how to:

  • Discover the essence of your personal power and belief in yourself.
  • Create the life you want with practical “feel good” behaviors.
  • Reduce your doubts, increase your self-worth and make your world a better place.
  • Improve the quality of your relationships by changing the way you think about yourself and how others think about you.
  • Become your best self by employing these easy-to-use techniques
If you struggle with self-confidence, this wonderful, inspirational, and informative book will become your new best friend. The opening chapters point out the importance of having confidence in yourself and even include 10 Instant Confidence Builders.  The book proceeds to give the reader over 100 ways to boost their self confidence. I know the title says 100 ways, but there are actually more than just 100!
From the Introduction:
A person grows whenever he or she thinks, contemplates, and dreams.  Your ideas, reflections, and even random thoughts can build your self-confidence, but you have to be aware of them to get the full benefit.
Research tells us that the human brain can think of five to nine things at the same time, so it can be a bit challenging to isolate and identify the confidence-building thoughts from those that do you no good.
Realizing that you have confidence within you, even if it has been hiding for a while, is the first step in reinforcing it.  Deciding that you want to retain and focus on your self-confidence is the next one.  By first finding it, you then have the ability to harness it.
What follows is a beautiful education in both finding and harnessing this self-confidence.

I absolutely love this book from the front cover to the back and if I could be granted a wish right now, it’d be that anyone who struggles with self-confidence at all would buy a copy of 100 Ways to Boost Your Self-Confidence: Believe In Yourself and Others Will Too right this minute. Don’t spend another day doubting yourself or your abilities. Let author Barton Goldsmith, PHD show you how to open yourself up to a whole new world.

Writing Journal for Writers and Bloggers

To Be a Better Writer.....Write!

by joi

in Blogging, Book Reviews

365 Things to Write About, Writing Journal

I was recently sent a great writing journal (365 Things to Write About!) to review and I’m loving every minute of it. I know it’s something all writers and bloggers will enjoy as well. What’s more, this writing journal can actually help anyone become a more creative, imaginative, and prolific, writer.

A writer, whether he/she is a blogger, novelist, short story writer, poet, freelance writer, children’s author, greeting card writer, screenplay writer, or song writer, is only as good as their imagination. That’s where a great writing journal can come into play. The journal serves as a prompt for the writer to broaden and express their creativity on each page.

Book Description

Publication Date: July 6, 2011

Unleash your vivid imagination across the pages of this eclectic, creative writing journal! How do you envision Shangri-La? A couch potato? The color red? Explore a multitude of writing styles (analytical, prose, poetry, songs, screenplays, etc.) to describe everyday objects and places, exotic locales, abstract concepts, imaginary creatures, and more.

365 Things to Write About is the perfect writing tool for people of all ages and skills, who seek a fun and inspiring way to explore their creative minds!

Here’s the premise: There are 365 words or phrases throughout the journal.  Your assignment, if you choose to accept it (cue the Mission Impossible music), is to write a short story, journal entry, or even a poem using that word or phrase.  The choices for the words and phrases are quite creative themselves!  Here’s an extra challenge I’ve been doing: When you’ve completed two adjacent pages, come up with a short story, poem, or entry using BOTH of the words.   My favorite one involved the two words MEADOW and MEDUSA.  It became the stuff horror stories are made of.

If, like me, you are a web publisher or blogger, you’ve probably ran face first into the dilemma of not knowing what to write about.  My advice for this dilemma has always been summed up in one word: Write! The MORE you write, the more freely the words and ideas flow.  Because I write so much every day, I am able, literally, to sit down at any given time and crank out several hundred words on any given topic.  I write… therefore I write.  Writing journals are excellent resources for training your creative mind and flexing your writing muscles.

The 365 Things to Write About! writing journal is a great, inexpensive investment. Click through to read more.

Time to Surf Rainbows?

Let Me Clear My Calendar!

by joi

in Book Reviews, Positive Thought

The Promise of Surfing Rainbows

When I was contacted about reviewing The Promise of Surfing Rainbows: Opening your energy flow attracts a treasured life…, I told them they had me at the title. I love anything that conjures us great, lively, vivid imagery and this title did so with style.

If I hadn’t fallen in love with the title, I’m certain the editor’s description would have caught my eye:

Positive thinking can go a long way, but how do we translate our thoughts into true change in our lives? The Promise of Surfing Rainbows, a new book by P.D.M. Dolce, reveals the crucial link between two widely accepted methods for improving life, resulting in an approach that can bring immediate results.

The Promise of Surfing Rainbows shows exactly how to use the energy inside and around you to intentionally create the life of your dreams. Knowing how to “surf rainbows” means knowing how to combine the Law of Attraction with Energy Alignment. The first has been proven by quantum physics; the latter comes from ancient wisdom used in healing for centuries.

P.D.M. Dolce is actually a pen name for the book’s co-authors, Dale Brunner, from Wisconsin, and Pam Sullivan, from the UK. Apparently they met on a bus at a conference. Dale Brunner had read just about every self help book he could get his hands on but found himself looking for something more. Sullivan, herself was searching for something very special. She had all but given up on being able to have children.

The authors knew that “something was missing” from the books they’d read and the information they’d attained and they set out to find what that something was. After trial and error and a lot of heart-felt conversations, they say they discovered the “crucial link.” “Once we made this discovery and began applying it to our lives, everything changed,” Brunner said. “My business began to prosper. My children and grandchildren became happy and successful. And Pam became the proud ‘Mum’ of two beautiful children.”

Inside of book reviews, I love to give readers something they can instantly take away.  It seems only fair, right? If you’re doing me the favor of listening while I recommend a great book, the authors and I should do you a favor by giving you something you can instantly plug into your life that’ll serve you and serve you well.

As I was reading the book, I knew what this “plug in” would be the minute I read it.  Below’s a great passage (amongst many, many similarly great passages I might add) from page 170.  The authors are discussing an exercise you learn in the book they call The Abundance Exercise:

Let’s take the example of having a bad back that gives you agonizing pain.  The idea of the abundance exercise here is to take your mind away from your bad back and to enjoy the good health that you do have in other parts of your body.  You may argue that it is hard to feel the wellness of other parts of your body when you are in so much pain, but if you want to regain full health, you need to focus on being well rather than being ill.

Be grateful that you can see, that you can hear, that you can eat easily; there is plenty to be grateful for and appreciative of.  Sometime it may seem really hard to take your mind off all your pain, but this is so important.  you need to find something to do or focus on that will distract you.  Try watching funny films or listening to music that you really like to distract your mind and forget about the pain for a while.  The more things that you can do that take your mind off your worries, the better you will become.  Think about the parts of you that enjoy good health.  Be grateful that your joints work so well, for example, or that your eyesight is good and that you can hear, etc.  You are not pretending, you are enjoying the good health that you really do have in other parts of your body.

The more you can shift your focus away from however ill you felt before starting this exercise and turn your attention to those parts of you that do feel good, the faster you will find that the rest of your body begins to heal itself as well.

When I initially read that passage, I had to smile. This is a philosophy I’ve taken, used, and recommended almost all my life.  It’s always kind of cool to find people who have similar approaches to your own, it somehow gives you street credit!  I’ve always referred to this practice as forcing my mind to “leave” a particular thought, worry, pain, or negative situation.  Of course, after pulling your mind away from an unpleasant place, you have to give it an alternative… a pleasant alternative.  Anytime I’ve endured loss in my life (and unfortunately there have been plenty of them), I take my mind away from PAIN and lead it to PEACE by focusing on what I have rather than what I’ve lost.

Keeps you sane. Keeps you smiling. Keeps you safe.

Whether your pain is physical, emotional, or mental, remember to focus on what you have rather than what you don’t have.  That, of course, is not to say you run from problems – far from it. You face them, you just do so a stronger person.  It gives you such an edge!

This particular passage, in addition to a lot of other similarly wonderful passages, can honestly make a difference in your life – and do so instantly.

If you’re looking for your own version of “something” that’s missing or hunting for that “crucial link,” I suggest reading The Promise of Surfing Rainbows: Opening your energy flow attracts a treasured life….

You can also read stories of others who have surfed rainbows at www.surfingrainbows.com.

Make Each Moment Count Double

Expand the Moment and Quiet your Mind

by joi

in Book Reviews, Positive Thought, Spiritual

Beautiful Bird in Flight

As you know, I’m a huge fan of books (which is why I do so many book reviews). I love to read them, touch them, smell them, and generally befriend them. Sometimes, while in a bookstore, I’ll pick up books that I have absolutely NO intention of reading, simply to see what makes them tick.  I found myself reading the inside jacket once of a Military Warships book just to see what they had going on.  They made it seem so fascinating I nearly bought the book!

Truth be told, sometimes I read books that I don’t agree with whatsoever, simply to see someone else’s point of view.

The only thing that makes me shut a book and toss it (a couple of times in the trash) is if the author is derogatory, disrespectful, or malicious about (or toward) anyone – especially God. Other people can agree or disagree with me on this but they’ll never make me change my approach. When you sit down with a book, it’s as though you’re letting the author into your home and you’re sitting with him/her having a visit.  Frankly, I’d never want hate or intolerance in my presence, so, yeah, I’ve been known to slam the door in the face of a few authors.

However, I do read a lot of books that I don’t completely “get” or agree with because I think it’s a fantastic mental challenge.  Also, when you see where other people are “coming from,” it strengthens your own appreciation for and understanding of where you’re “coming from.”

I recently read a book that was sent for me to review, Expand This Moment: Focused Meditations to Quiet Your Mind, Brighten Your Mood, and Set Yourself Free, that was sort of in this category. I understand where the author’s going, but our steps aren’t exactly side by side. It’s as though I see his footsteps along the dirt path – and appreciate where he has been and where he’s heading – but my steps go in another direction.

That’s the great thing about books though and the beautiful thing about the visits we have with authors – disagreeing is perfectly fine! What’s more, 20 of us could read this same book and only 2 of us see our footprints in a different direction.

This book is a perfect example of my enjoyment for books that bring the reader out of their own familiar territory. Most of us aren’t that familiar with chakras or “merging” with our source, and the concept of waking up our solar plexus is way beyond us.  Most of us never knew it was napping.

However, after reading the entire book, I have to say this – the author is certainly right, we do need to find a way to live more in the moment. I’ve always been about embracing each moment and refusing to live in moments past or moments yet to come. In fact, on my mental fitness blog, Out of Bounds, I’ve almost always sign each entry with the words, “Make each moment count double.” It’s just my way of reminding everyone to embrace the moment we’re in and squeeze all the enjoyment and goodness out of it. If we’re keeping company with ghosts from the past or walking with worries about tomorrow we aren’t embracing the moment and we certainly aren’t making it count double.

In Expand This Moment: Focused Meditations to Quiet Your Mind, Brighten Your Mood, and Set Yourself Free, John Selby offers up a series of FOCUS PHRASES to us to help you “expand” moments. My favorite one is, “I choose to enjoy this moment.” I think it’s a great way to remind yourself to stay within the moment and keep negative thoughts at bay.

I enjoyed reading a book that “expanded” my thoughts. Reading books that are “on par” with your thought processes are wonderful experiences but sometimes books that are “off par” with your thought processes are just the sort of jolt you need to challenge your way of thinking and open up new paths.  I also love the approach the author has for quietening the mind.  There’s something profoundly healing and healthy about quiet.  My oldest daughter, Emily, came through the back door last night and practically froze in her tracks.  She smiled and said, “Awww, it’s so quiet.”  She seemed to let the quietness sink in and release the day’s tensions as it erased the noise and chaos of a day working with school children!

The quietness that fills our home during the day is something my cat, Alexa, and I take for granted.  Generally, the loudest noises within these walls from 7 am to 5 pm are a coffee pot in the kitchen, the sound of my fingers on the keyboard, and the low hum of a dryer from the back of the house.  Quietness is a beautiful thing, and quietening the mind brings about the same type of peace and, as far as I’m concerned, healing. Ironically, John Selby has another book entitled Quiet Your Mind: An Easy-to-Use Guide to Ending Chronic Worry and Negative Thoughts and Living a Calmer LifeSelf-Help Books). I haven’t read this book yet but I’d very much like to.

His newest book, Expand This Moment, reaffirmed my love of the MOMENT and has encouraged me to start signing off each post on Self Help Daily with the same salutation I use on Out of Bounds. And with that said…

Make each moment count double!
~ Joi

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