So Many Shoes, So Little Money by Lisa Serwin

For women torn between shopping and budgeting, Lisa Serwin shares fun and creative money management tips in So Many Shoes, So Little Money: A Girl's Guide to Finance ( publisher Booksurge, 2009, ISBN: 9781439231214)

“Dressing with style takes patience, planning, and strategy. So does managing your money”, Serwin explains in the preface. There’s a pop quiz included that proves it’s not necessary to be a math whiz in order to learn how to create a plan, stick to goals and manage money.

Lisa Serwin includes but goes beyond the wise advice to use credit cards in moderation. She does this by providing easy to follow steps that teach how to save money while still having some leftover for fun.

Read more at Suite101: So Many Shoes, So Little Money by Lisa Serwin: A Woman's Guide to Finance

The Power of Premonitions: How Knowing The Future Can Shape Our Lives by Larry Dossey, M.D.

 The Power Of Premonitions: How Knowing The Future Can Shape Our Lives is a fascinating and educational book about premonitions. It’s quite detailed and must have involved a lot of research.

Premonitions Defined

A premonition is simply a forewarning of something that will happen in the future. It may come as a feeling, hunch or vision in a dream.

Larry Dossey shares his own experiences with precognitive dreams and how he came to the conclusion that they were more than mere coincidences. He acknowledges that everyone doesn’t agree that premonitions are facts. He also cautions others not to confide to people who might think they’re crazy.


Read more at Suite101: Review of The Power of Premonitions: How Knowing The Future Can Shape Our Lives by Larry Dossey, M.D.

Living A Charmed Life by Victoria Moran

From going green gracefully to starting a serendipity log, Victoria shares unique and uplifting ideas to jump-start the magic that may be missing in life.

Living A Charmed Life is an uplifting and empowering book, because it encourages people to take control of their lives so they can create their own magic. Victoria’s appealing down to earth style discourages limits and embraces opportunities for anyone at any age.

Living A Charmed Life: Your Guide to Finding Magic in Every Moment of Every Day (Victoria Moran, HarperCollins Publishers, 2009, ISBN: 9780061649899) is directed at women, but there’s wise advice contained in the book for everyone.

Law of Expectation

The law of expectation is similar to the law of attraction. You get what you expect, so it’s a good idea to expect the best. For example a mother whose young son is in the hospital may say, “Johnny won’t eat that.” A jolly nurse pops in and plays airplane with his food while talking about how yummy it is. Johnny eats it all up, because it’s expected.

Read more at Suite101: Living a Charmed Life by Victoria Moran: Guide to Finding Magic in Every Moment

Dark Side of the Light Chasers by Debbie Ford

This book may help avoid years of therapy. Repressed memories, feelings and hidden aspects of individuals come to light with shadow work.

If negative aspects aren’t brought out into the open, they may become internalized and manifest themselves in addictions, depression or other illnesses.

Acknowledging and examining the dark side isn’t easy, but The Dark Side of the Light Chasers shows how to embrace the shadow so that it becomes integrated with other aspects of the personality.

Debbie helps make it real by bravely sharing personal information about her past struggles with addiction and anger. The Dark Side of the Light Chasers is based upon ideas she developed for a course to help embrace the shadow.

Projection

Qualities that might drive someone crazy are usually those that others see and hate in them. These negative qualities are mirrored back to reflect and project onto someone else. Once that’s acknowledged, it’s easier to completely accept and forgive the self along with everyone else.

When people can accept themselves, they no longer need to judge others. There is a freedom in embracing the shadow and when people stop finger pointing, it makes them easier to get along with.

Gifts in Hated Qualities

There are gifts in many qualities individuals may hate in themselves. For example “cheap” becomes thrifty and practical. Aggressive may become persistent and insistent. The Dark Side of the Light Chasers encourages people to list these qualities and find their hidden gifts so that they become easier to accept and integrate into the whole person.

Inventing New Interpretations

Instead of forgetting about the past, Ford encourages people to reinvent thoughts surrounding past incidents. Thoughts are something everyone can learn to control, so it becomes empowering to take responsibility for thoughts about individual memories.

Acknowledge Our Greatness

People are often told not to toot their own horn, so they may be uncomfortable embracing the great things about themselves. Debbie Ford also shows others how to embrace the good and let their light shine.

• There are effective exercises in The Dark Side of the Light Chasers: Reclaiming Your Power, Creativity, Brilliance, And Dreams (Debbie Ford, Berkley Publishing Group, 1998, ISBN: 1573220965) that help people to break down their walls and embrace their shadows. At the end there’s an important helpful chapter that shows how to create a mission statement and action plan for the future.

This is an excellent guide that gently helps examine individual’s hidden dark aspects. It sounds painful, but in the end it actually brings freedom and helps ends suffering.

About Debbie Ford

Debbie Ford is a popular speaker, coach and best-selling author. She runs a workshop entitled “The Shadow Process Workshop”. She’s been a guest on many radio and television programs including Oprah, Good Morning America and Larry King Live. For more information about her books or upcoming workshop topics see DebbieFord.com

Introvert Power by Laurie Helgoe

Instead of teaching people how to be extroverted, Helgoe shows others how to embrace their introverted nature and see it as an asset. This is a refreshing change from other books that hint that there’s something wrong with wanting to be alone.

Laurie Helgoe assures others in Introvert Power that it’s okay to refuse a party without excuses or explanations. When introverts do decide to attend, she has great suggestions on how to deal with crowds. Other options are to say no, go to a more intimate gathering or stay home and read a book without apologizing for it.

Introvert Statistics
According to Laurie's research in Introvert Power, introverts make up 57% of the population. Since extroverts are more visible and valued in America, there does appear to be more of them. Everyone has a balance of both but they may not admit to being more introverted if they think being extroverted is more desirable. Laurie Helgoe explains other reasons why commonly quoted statistics are outdated in Introvert Power.

Introvert Stereotypes

Introvert Power (Sourcebooks, 2008, ISBN: 9781402211171) is an educational book for introverts and extroverts alike. It examines stereotypes people may have about introverts. Some might be that introverts are anti-social, snobs or even mentally ill. There are extroverts that exhibit poor social skills and there are introverts that exhibit leadership qualities. Pegging one side with only negative qualities does a disservice to both.

Introverted Children

Not all children thrive with constant structured or scheduled activities. To encourage independence and creativity, it’s a good idea to allow time for solitary activities. That time away from noise and bustling is especially important for introverted children. Introvert Power offers ideas about how to support children overwhelmed with noisy classrooms or activities.


Differences Between Introverts and Extroverts

There are often misunderstandings between the two because introverts need time alone to gain energy, while extroverts need to be around people to recharge. Parties aren’t fun for everyone, nor is being popular or becoming extroverted always the goal. These are some of the extrovert assumptions Laurie addresses in Introvert Power. There are benefits to being introverted or extroverted and she helps points those out.

Introvert Power is one of the most enlightening and informative books about celebrating, understanding and embracing introverts. Laurie Helgoe also shares useful strategies on how to cope with challenges many introverts face and how to see strength in their solitude.

About Laurie Helgoe

Laurie is a psychologist, writer, actor and model. She has written four other books and also runs a design consultation service called INtrovert Style. For more information see her website WakingDesire.com

How to Quit Smoking Without Gaining Weight

In How To Quit Smoking Without Gaining Weight, Martin Katahn has formulated two programs. One is for those ready to quit and the other is for those still struggling.  

It’s explained in detail the reasons why people gain weight even if they don’t ingest more calories. Apparently an ex-smoker’s metabolism slows down so much that it equals as much as 200 calories. According to Martin Katahn, 70% of all people who quit smoking gain weight.


Knowing these things doesn’t help lose the weight, but it helps by reassuring others that it’s common. His plans go into greater detail about how to either prevent weight gain before quitting or lose the weight after quitting. There's a 7 + 7 Program for those about to quit and an Ex-Smoker's Weight Management Program for those wanting to lose the weight gained after quitting.


The two things that will help someone quit are to be highly motivated and confident about it being a success. With this well thought out and researched plan; it’s more likely to be able to quit smoking successfully. Other benefits are that healthier eating and exercising habits will replace smoking and energy levels will increase.

Cut Fat & Choose Healthy Carbohydrates

His simple but not necessarily easy methods include cutting down on fat. Along with that are suggestions on how to replace fatty foods with complex carbohydrates. Specific food choices are given with lists of alternatives to use as a reference. There is a detailed appendix called Fat and Carbohydrate Counter. It lists common foods and the serving size, total fat, carbohydrates and calories. Although there is a present trend to go low on carbs, they’re necessary for energy. Martin Katahn assures people that if fat intake is lowered, they choose healthier carbohydrates and they exercise, they will lose weight.

Recipes

One of the best parts of How To Quit Smoking Without Gaining Weight is the healthy but delicious recipes demonstrating how to make things like chocolate chip cookies, muffins and lasagna lower in fat and higher in fiber. Many of the recipes are included in the menu suggestions.

 Exercise

Exercise is one of the most important factors for quitting smoking and losing weight. It guarantees the ability to burn calories while increasing energy and confidence. Getting up and moving is also another way to fend off a nicotine craving. There’s a table that shows various activities and the amount of calories that they burn after 15 minutes. For example walking 4 mph. for 15 minutes burns 99 calories. It would only take about half an hour of brisk walking to burn 200 calories.


Anaerobic exercise or strength training is also encouraged and suggested as a method to help quit smoking and lose weight. Lifting small weights for ten minutes a day will suffice.


How To Quit Smoking Without Gaining Weight by Martin Katahn, publisher W.W. Norton & Company, 1994-2004, ISBN-10: 0743466233 is packed full of expert advice to assist those motivated to change their lifestyle and quit smoking. Marting Katahn is also the author of the T-Factor Diet and The T-Factor Fat Counter.

Life A LIfe You Love by Susan Biali

Live A Life You Love: 7 Steps to a Healthier, Happier, More Passionate You by Dr. Susan Biali, M.D. is all about learning how to an authentic person, which means doing what you were meant to and being happy.

Even if desires and dreams seem impractical, Susan Biali urges people to embrace them in order to get in touch with their true selves.

Read more...

The Good Person Guidebook

The Good Person Guidebook begins by exploring ethics and how they pertain to character in the workplace and home.

How to balance competition with cooperation, sharing with greed and quick fix solutions with long-term plans are discussed with interesting insights.

 There is a spiritual aspect to maintaining good ethics. Dr. Richard Bayer shows how Christianity, Buddhism, Islam and Judaism agree on many ways on how to be a good person.

Virtues

Virtues help answer what actions to take in challenging circumstances. It’s much easier not to be swayed by peers if you have spent time planning long-range goals that match your ethics, virtues and character. The virtues of courage, justice, prudence and temperance are explored among others.
Opportunities

It is not as tempting to bite on the next offered opportunity if it doesn’t fit into a solid long-term plan. The author points out how everyone is offered opportunities all the time but that doesn’t mean people have to jump on them.

If new opportunities don’t match with your long-term goals, it will only delay or even stop them from being fulfilled.

Economic Ethics


Economics and ethics are not always combined in business but it works out better for everyone when they are. Some businesses go after what they want regardless of how it affects others.

Many businesses do consider others using good ethics and manage to run their businesses successfully. The Good Person Guidebook: Transforming Your Personal Life clarifies good business practices including examples of how other companies protect human dignity

There is sound advice on how to deal with difficult situations with employees while still maintaining their dignity. This is important for several reasons. One is that if people leave on bad terms, it creates bad vibes throughout the company and morale falls.

 One of the most helpful parts of the book give simple instructions on how to maintain the focus on long-range goals once they’re clarified.

When the direction headed is clear with long-term goals, it also becomes easier to help others while advancing in the direction desired.

About Dr. Richard Bayer

Dr. Richard Bayer is the official spokesperson and Chief Operating Officer of The Five O’Clock Club. He’s had numerous guest appearances on shows like CNN, The Today Show and more.

Presently he resides with his wife in Manhattan and works as a professor at Bayview Prison, helping to empower and prepare women for their release.