Category: self improvement

Author: Saundra Pelletier
Publisher: Tilis Publishers
Genre: Self-help
ISBN: 978-09797961-0-4
Pages: 186
Price: $21.95

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Do you have your sights on that corner office? Plan to start your own business soon? But you have doubts because you’re a woman, and you feel men have a better chance than you do? Saundra Pelletier believes in you, and she wants to show you how to succeed in Saddle Up Your Own White Horse.

This book presents five principles every woman needs to know. First, deliberate creators make their dreams happen. Don’t be a victim or a flatliner – learn how to create your own best outcomes. Second, women possess two unique gifts – multitasking and intuition. Learn how to use both to your own advantage. Third, women must lead in their relationships with men – but don’t ever tell them that! Fourth, no woman is an island. You’ll need to build your own cavalry of support. And fifth, women must master the three C’s – confidence, credit, and comfort with success.

Finally, once you’ve learned these five important principles, the author reminds us to never confuse motion with action. Sometimes being busy hides the fact we’re not really moving in the direction of our biggest goals.

While the author clearly got her message across to women who are determined to climb the corporate ladder, she left out one segment of the female population. Some women feel most successful in having a happy family life and raising children. It would have been nice to see some examples of successful moms using these principles, along with entrepreneurs and CEOs.

Saundra Pelletier was fortunate to have a mother who never let her settle for mediocrity, and always told her she could do what she set her heart on. If you have grand dreams and goals, but you haven’t quite figured out how to create them in your life, this book will be the pep talk you need to get you started. Well-written and inspiring, Saddle Up Your Own White Horse will motivate you to take charge of your own life.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

Author: Stephen Hawley Martin
Publisher: Oaklea Press
Genre: Body, Mind, Spirit: Inspiration & Personal Growth
ISBN: 978-1-892538-21-5
Pages: 256
Price: $14.95

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The Mayan calendar, the I CHING, and a computer program called the Web Bot all predict the world as we know it will end in 2012. This may be as a result of catastrophic disasters or it could be a more positive event, caused by a shift in consciousness. Stephen Hawley Martin believes this shift is coming, and The Truth offers ideas on how to bring it about in your own life.

Delving into the mind and how it works, the author touches on the different stages a person may find himself in his outlook on life. Just as The Secret explained the importance of beliefs, The Truth shows us how they can even affect outcomes of scientific experiments. And prayer is explored in depth, clearly demonstrating how powerful it is by using the results from working with plants.

As one would expect from a book on shifting consciousness, the author encourages us to discover why we’re here, and how to get through the growing pains we can expect to encounter. Clear and simple instructions are provided on how to get in touch with our own intuition to help us make the right decisions.

Stephen Hawley Martin makes a bold claim that this enlightening book could save the world. It certainly could change your life, if you put the ideas into practice for yourself. And if you believe that one person’s changes can impact others, bringing about a bigger shift, then maybe the author is right.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

Author: Cindy Silbert
Publisher: Bring U to Life, Inc.
Genre: Self-help
ISBN: 978-1-4196-9910-8
Pages: 170
Price: $14.95

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In a moment of divine inspiration, Cindy Silbert was led to share the wisdom given by the goddess Hina of Hawaii. After receiving enlightenment about the female archetypes of Chameleon, Butterfly and Dragonfly, she created this book as a guide for women.

Focusing on the archetypes individually, the author shares characteristics of each, giving examples of famous people who embodied their personalities. Then the reader is led to decide for herself which one is her Eminent Archetype. Once this determination is made, the goal is to embrace that True Self while also working toward balance with the other two archetypes.

I was intrigued by the introduction to this book, knowing that a goddess was directing the process. But once the archetypes were explained, I felt something was missing. The last twenty pages of this book are blank journal pages, and this brief text left me wanting more.

Chameleon Butterfly Dragonfly provides useful information in getting in touch with your own deeper wisdom, but I would have preferred a little more depth. Once I’ve connected with this Eminent Archetype, what’s next? How can I use what I’ve learned to create a better life for myself? For me, these questions were left unanswered.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

Author: Rich German & Robin Hoch
Publisher: iUniverse
Genre: Self Improvement
ISBN: 978-0-595-47411-0
Pages: 296
Price: $19.95

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You’ve seen The Secret, which tantalized you with its infinite possibilities. You know the Law of Attraction is real, and you want to use it in your own life, but you still have questions or doubts. Maybe you just need to see examples of how it has worked in other people’s lives. Living the Law of Attraction shares these stories with us.

In the true spirit of attracting exactly what they needed, Robin Hoch and Rich German invited those who’ve enjoyed success utilizing this Law to submit the accounts of their experiences. This book is a collection of these stories, grouped into categories: Health and Wellness, Business and Career, Everyday Miracles, Happiness and Relationships.

It’s impossible to read this compilation of truly uplifting stories without being inspired to make positive changes in your own life, using the Law of Attraction. Many of the stories brought me to tears of joy as I delighted in reading about the authors’ successes. I highly recommend this amazing book that shows the Law of Attraction in action.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

Author: Corrie Woods
Publisher: Morgan James
Genre: Self-help / Inspiration
ISBN: 978-1-60037-395-4
Pages: 179
Price: $14.95

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“Wake up! Don’t miss another minute of your life! Live it! Love it!” Corrie Woods writes, in the introduction to The Woman’s Guide to Exceptional Living. If you feel you’ve been sleep-walking through your life, her message is for you.

This delightful book is set up in three sections, which don’t need to be read in any particular order. In the first set of readings, the reader is invited to love and appreciate herself for the unique woman she is. The second part contains exercises in play and self-discovery. And the third group allows her to learn from the past in creating an exciting future.

All of the readings have “field notes” — discovery questions designed to help you get to know yourself better. There is also a study group guide, if you’d like to use this book in a group setting. And bonus materials are available on the author’s website.

Corrie Woods is a Professional Life Coach and Women’s Retreat Leader. The Woman’s Guide to Exceptional Living shares some of her best ideas on how to make your life sizzle with possibility.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

Author: Sue P. McDaniel, PhD
Publisher: Alternatives
Genre: Self-help
ISBN: 978-0-615-16178-5
Pages: 112
Price: $14.95

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If you long to really live your life, but somewhere along the way you’ve forgotten how to feel, I.M. Heart will show you how. This charming line-drawn heart character will lead you through the many feelings you face, and will guide you in feeling them fully.

These feelings include pain, fear, love, and connection to spirit and others. Gently and lovingly, this little heart shares some experiences that create the feelings, and how he/she has learned to live with them.

Filled with “I am” affirmations, I.M. Heart reassures us we’re okay just as we are, and that we’re becoming even better. Feelings are the way we get in touch with ourselves and create a more dynamic and joyful life.

There are no “shoulds” in this book, and you won’t be made to feel guilty for anything. Instead, you’ll be coaxed to consider small changes and new possibilities to enrich your life. The positive energy in I.M. Heart will uplift and encourage you on your journey.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

Author: Maurice “Mo” Murray
Publisher: AuthorHouse
Genre: Self-help
ISBN: 978-1-4343-2881-6
Pages: 87
Price: $10.49

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Your true love, Ethyl, is dead. Ethyl Alcohol, that is – or Jack Daniels, if you prefer. And now it’s time to change your “Order of Loves.” In this recovery workbook, Mo Murray will guide you in learning to live without your first love.

Murray is a former substance abuse counselor who is also in recovery. Speaking from his years of personal experience and in counseling, he uses both humor and the truth about excess drinking to reach the alcoholic who still suffers. Several questions guide the reader through his own feelings and experiences of what his drinking has done to his life.

This book isn’t an early recovery guide, and it assumes that the reader has had some experience already in AA. Murray refers to the twelve steps and other program materials shared in AA, and without having attended meetings, the reader may find these references confusing.

The final chapter presents a self-hypnosis session, which allows the reader to reprogram his thinking and make an attitude adjustment. Murray believes that this positive affirmation statement will help the still-suffering alcoholic to rise above his limited thinking and achieve sobriety.

This is a fairly light-hearted book on a relatively serious subject, but recovery has its humorous moments, and learning sometimes comes easier with laughter. This book, by itself, probably won’t get someone sober, but along with the AA program and a sponsor working together, it would be a helpful guide in recovery.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

Author: Marci Shimoff
Publisher: Free Press
Genre: Self-Help
ISBN: 978-1-4165-4772-3
Pages: 336
Price: $24.95

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Are you truly happy from the inside out? If you’re like many people, you might say you’re happy, but is it only because things are pretty much going the way you like them? And what if your life isn’t perfect right now? Marci Shimoff believes it’s possible to be happy no matter what your circumstances are, and this book will show you how.

Research has shown that we all have a certain level of happiness that we seem to feel comfortable at. This set-point is partially genetic, but we have the ability to change the rest. By following the seven steps presented in this book, we can better control our happiness set-point and learn to be happy for no reason.

Marci Shimoff interviewed what she calls the Happy 100 to discover their secrets to staying happy in every circumstance. These steps outline their experiences, with deeply moving personal stories to demonstrate them in action. Fun exercises are also provided on how to use these steps in your own life.

The positive energy of Happy For No Reason is contagious. Marci Shimoff is one of the teachers featured in The Secret, and it’s obvious she lives what she teaches. If you want to be happy for no reason, you’ll find this book to be an inspiring and valuable guide.

Reviewer: Alice Berger