Conscious Loving Ever After
Posted on November 22, 2015 Leave a Comment
This book by Gay and Kathlyn Hendricks deeply explores just how much attending to our creativity creates a fabulous life, especially in our second half of it.
Midlife provides a beautiful opportunity for us to choose: am I going to settle into this life of comfortable patterns that I have created thus far, or am I going to play and recreate myself?
The layout of the book has a good flow. Chapters attend to both the qualities and tangibles of consciously choosing and expanding creativity: integrity, being fully present, and overcoming fear share pages with sex, facing death, and online relationships. Appendices provide activities to practice that build thriving selves and relationships. Further resources are also shared. The ideal and the practical hold hands in this book.
Although the layout and title lend themselves to a relationship manual, this book is also for singles. The most important relationship you can have is with yourself, and at its heart this read is about consciously creating your best Self first–which you then bring into relationship.
I recommend this book for anyone in midlife or beyond who wants to create their life on purpose, especially if you are either in a relationship or want to be in one. Between the concepts and the practices, you will be fully supported in your choice to play, recreate yourself, and thrive. I for one am looking forward to my upcoming decades!
I received this book from Hay House through NetGalley, in exchange for my thoughts after reading it.
Don’t Let Anything Dull Your Sparkle
Posted on October 25, 2015 1 Comment
Doreen Virtue’s new book is gentle, supportive strength for your sanity. It is a great companion to any and all of her other books, as she offers great love and resources for our health: emotional, physical, and spiritual. This book focuses on recognizing our patterns of when our spirits sparkle and when we feel less radiant, in order that we may naturally shine our light and feel joyous about life.
This is actually a stress reduction manual. Yay!!
Stress and drama are conjoined twins. The kicker is that although we may not like drama, our bodies may be unknowingly addicted to it. There are actually “secondary gains” that reward us, even though we don’t like how they are delivered. And, we don’t even connect the two, so we don’t recognize how we keep coming back for more.
The awesome news is that we can choose. And this book’s purpose is not at all to blame, but to help us become aware of ourselves. From there, we can make choices that support our spiritual sparkle. Which is our enthusiasm about life!
I was surprised at the depth of life examples and situations that contribute to my own dulling patterns. For example, I’m now learning to recognize when my awareness of others’ moods is a loving gesture of inclusion and when it’s a survival skill. (Hint: am I giving my feelings importance, too?)
I first picked up this book to explore maintaining my own positive Self while allowing loved others to be their own differently-choosing Selves. I mean, really, we’re not all wired the same and weeding out people who aren’t perfect isn’t gonna result in perfect company. This book answered my questions, and more.
You don’t have to have suffered either trauma or drama to greatly benefit from this book. If you have ever had ups and downs, felt in the flow and also bereft, or in other words are human, there is something here for you.
I encourage you to read this book and reignite your joy, vibrancy, inner peace, and glow!
I received this book from Hay House through NetGalley, in exchange for my opinion of it. Now that’s a sparkle-inducing pattern in my life that I certainly recognize and cultivate!
Rejecting Their Reality and Inserting Your Own
Posted on October 21, 2015 Leave a Comment
Image from http://bravegirlsclub.com/
I’ve been receiving rejection letters, and I’m thrilled!
Okay, so my writing hasn’t been accepted for publication–yet. But you know what? The reality is I’m giddy that I’m now regularly putting it out there!
I’ve busted through my block of “not good enough,” by the action of submitting pieces and letting them go. Not some day, but now.
Life is like a giant Share button: some will enjoy what’s offered, and some won’t–but the point is that I’m passing it on. Opening up beyond my own self. Participating.
The outcome of a finished product is not tied to the value of it’s process.
Comment and share about your products and processes! 🙂
Big Magic
Posted on October 7, 2015 Leave a Comment
Please pause whatever you are doing right now and go order this book. It is THE biggest support for you as a human being, no matter what your occupation or hobbies are. You don’t have to be recognized as an Artist by others to consider yourself creative. If you are here experiencing life, then you are officially creative.
Elizabeth Gilbert speaks directly and personally in her latest book, Big Magic, about living in anticipation, expectation, and acceptance. She celebrates the magic that occurs when we open ourselves to living this way, and through her story she shows us the way to create our own.
I especially was wowed by her words of releasing the connection between creativity and financial support. It’s my responsibility and honor to support my creativity, not my creative nature’s responsibility to support me.
That frees us up to simply…live in the joy of ourselves!
So celebrate your creative side. Create for your own self, whatever form that takes. Maybe it’s painting, writing, sculpting, or cooking. Maybe it’s Legos, Play-Doh, doodling, or singing in the shower. It doesn’t matter. And it all matters.
Make letting your creativity loose a regular part of your day. Like taking a multivitamin. Or brushing your teeth.
Create because you can. Because you must.
And watch your great, big, huge magic happen, with a healthy smile. ❤
- PS–See Elizabeth Gilbert visit about her book in this fabulous interview by Marie Forleo! She and her book are also the feature story and cover of the November 2015 issue of Science of Mind.
The Internet to the Inner-Net
Posted on September 28, 2015 Leave a Comment
This book is not only a must-read, it’s one to be given to everyone you love. Or people you work with. Or both. Good thing the holidays are coming. I pre-ordered three copies to give away, even before I finished reading my gifted pre-release copy!
Gopi Kallayil integrates mindfulness into his executive position at Google. Successfully. Not on a monthly basis, or even on a weekly schedule. No, his work and spiritual lives continually coexist–actually, they energize each other–and he shares with us how to do the same in our lives.
This book is courageous, and yet at the same time gentle. It declares new thinking, and simultaneously speaks old truths. It’s revolutionary, yet it’s old-school. You may have heard, as Caroline Myss teaches, but the Divine operates in paradoxes…
This book is for anyone. And everyone. You don’t need to work at Google to resonate with the practical message of how to fully and joyfully live in both your outer and inner worlds. You can be either technically challenged or masterful, and your level of education or occupation matters not at all. Because we all have our outer face and our inner soul, our Do-ing and our Be-ing—and this book helps us create and celebrate our whole, integrated selves. In spite of our professional and personal lives.
I received this book from Hay House through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review of it. Holy crap, it’s awesome! I’ve already thought of more people to gift it to than the three work colleagues already mentioned.
gina drellack 