Books and Words · Uncategorized

What Book Is On Your Essential Reading List?

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“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” — Dr. Seuss

I recite the Dr. Seuss quote to anyone who tells me I read to much. I mean really – who reads to much? Is that really a thing? If it is, then let me introduce myself..

Hi, my name is Tiffany and I read to much.

Before I got married and had kids, a great weekend would be one in which I read three bestselling books from one of my favorite fiction authors – Iris Johansen , Mary Higgins Clark, James Patterson, Lynette Eason, Candace Calvert, and Terri Blackstock.

I still love fiction and find myself reading at least 2-3 books a week due to my trusty iPhone and my reading apps – Kindle and iBooks. This year, I want to read more personal development books and have given myself a goal of 13 books this year.

Here’s the problem, there are various essential reading lists for personal growth, self help, personal development and self improvement that I am uncertain as to where I want to start next.

Which books have you read or plan to read that would be on your recommended reading list? Please share your recommendations in the comments.

Til next time,

“Reading is essential for those who seek to rise above the ordinary.” – Jim Rohn

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Uncategorized · Weekly Wisdom

The Best Pep Talk On Belief

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Happy Today!

“You can’t just sit there and wait for people to give you that golden dream. You’ve got to get out there and make it happen for yourself.” – Diana Ross

An interesting thing occurred on our daily mommy Uber commute to school. While sitting in traffic and listening to The One Thing You Are Allowed To Borrow episode from The Ken Coleman Show, my Win said – “mommy can you rewind to the part where the man is talking about belief.” I was momentarily stunned! Was my five year old actually enjoying and paying attention to what was being discussed? A quick glance at my husband in the passenger seat and we smiled while rewinding to the part he wanted to hear again.

Ken shared a clip from Fearless Motivation which was a pep talk on belief. Win explained to us that “the man wants me to know that I am great and can do whatever I want to and I should not listen to anyone who says I’m not right.” Now there was more finesse and excitement in the clip but I was and am a proud mama knowing my 5 year old Win had heard and understood a valuable life reality – when we believe in ourselves, others’ perception won’t matter.

My baby boy reminded me that he was a sponge willing and able to absorb every empowering thought we could give him. I want my children to always believe in themselves and understand they have potential which is only limited by their inaction. In fact, not only do we take advantage of teachable moments when they occur, we make a conscious effort to expose them to inspirational materials which will give them a growth and success mindset.

Failure is allowed in our house if you gave it your best and are able to articulate lessons they learned from the experience. We also routinely ask how they can achieve something instead of telling them an action is out of their reach. I guess that is another reason why we enjoy listening to the Ken Coleman Show, he reinforces his callers belief that they can obtain that “sweet spot” career. It’s been a few weeks since we heard the episode The One Thing You Are Allowed To Borrow but Win asked to listen today and we had an opportunity to listen once again to belief by Fearless Motivation.

Take a minutes to listen to this episode or visit the Fearless Motivation Website. I am certain you will find something to appreciate and add to your arsenal of resources.

Til next time,

“Always be yourself and have faith in yourself. Do not go out and look for a successful personality and try to duplicate it.” – Bruce Lee

Books and Words

Rachel Hollis Made For More

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Happy Today!

“You have a desire for something more. You have a hope for something more. You have a spark, a little dream in your heart….” – Rachel Hollis, Made For More Documentary

Those were the opening words from the documentary Made For More. A great way to get your attention – right?

She goes on to say:

“But if you have that desire inside of you, I think it’s there for a reason.” – Rachel Hollis

Again, her words resonate because they remind her audience of facts which are known to be true but are often overlooked when it comes to personal application.

The Made For More Documentary is a behind the scene view of what occurs at her Rise Conference. The movie was shown in theaters and is now available for anyone with an Amazon Prime account.

So who is Rachel Hollis? Rachel is an author, podcaster, speaker and blogger who describes herself as a person who built a multi-million dollar media company with a high school diploma and a google search bar. Her target audience is women but her message applies to everyone.

While the movie is an interesting view of how the team put together their conference, it also serves as a marketing tool for the coaching sessions Rachel Hollis began offering January 2019. Being armed with that information does not make me enjoy the messaging any less.

I have never read any of Rachel’s books but have seen the titles on various book lists from Pinterest. I am a fan and listener of her podcast Rise. I find Rachel to be inspirational because of her humility and relatability.

The documentary was entertaining and I feel confident everyone can get something out of watching it. All you need is an Amazon Prime account or purchase the video for $4.99. Amazon offers a free 30 day trial period for customers interested in becoming a member.

If you are looking for something to watch this weekend, include the Made For More Documentary as an option.

Til next time,

“But if you have that desire inside of you, I think it’s there for a reason.” – Rachel Hollis

Weekly Wisdom

Celebrating Women’s History Month – 10 Quotes in Celebration of Women

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Happy Today!

If you haven’t heard yet, it’s Women’s History Month! A month long international celebration of the achievements and contributions of women. People across the United Kingdom, Australia and United States are participating in educational and celebratory festivities.

In honor of this occasion, I sought our information regarding the origins in an effort to assuage my curiosity regarding Women’s History Month in the United States.

And as is my habit, I next searched for quotes which could be added to my personal cheerleader (journal) and used as future affirmations. In celebration of women, here are 10 quotes to motivate you.

1. “Don’t wait around for other people to be happy for you. Any happiness you get you’ve got to make yourself.” – Alice Walker

2. “Deal with yourself as an individual worthy of respect, and make everyone else deal with you the same way. ” – Nikki Giovanni

3. “Whatever is bringing you down, get rid of it. Because you’ll find that when you’re free . . . your true self comes out.” — Tina Turner

4. “Take responsibility for yourself because no one’s going to take responsibility for you. I’m not a victim. I grow from this and I learn.” – Tyra Banks

5. “Winning is great, sure, but if you are really going to do something in life, the secret is learning how to lose. Nobody goes undefeated all the time. If you can pick up after a crushing defeat, and go on to win again, you are going to be a champion someday.” – Wilma Rudolph

6. “You will be wounded many times in your life. You’ll make mistakes. Some people will call them failures but I have learned that failure is really God’s way of saying, “Excuse me, you’re moving in the wrong direction.” It’s just an experience, just an experience.” – Oprah Winfrey

7. “If your actions create a legacy that inspires others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, then, you are an excellent leader.” – Dolly Parton

8. “My best successes came on the heels of failures.” – Barbara Corcoran

9. “A woman is like a tea bag – you never know how strong she is until she gets in hot water.” – Eleanor Roosevelt

10. “You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated. In fact, it may be necessary to encounter the defeats, so you can know who you are, what you can rise from, how you can still come out of it.” – Maya Angelou

Which quote resonated with you? Do you have a quote which should be included in an essential quotes lists for planners and journals? If so, leave a comment. I would love to hear your perspective.

Til next time,

“I attribute my success to this: I never gave or took an excuse.” – Florence Nightingale

Recommendation of the Month

February Recommendation: Happify App

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Happy Today!

Stress is a contributor to multiple issues including burnout, high blood pressure, job dissatisfaction, marital troubles, and poor diets to name a few. It is so pervasive it has its own description on webMD.com and a host of products have been created with the intent to help users decrease and manage their stress levels.

Worry, anxiety, and depression are commonly impacted by this emotion. What makes stress more than a health concern is while there isn’t a definitive cause, it’s ability to make an appearance in someone’s life is as predictable as breathing. Its effects can range from mild discomfort to debilitating.

2015 was the beginning of my search for a way to deal with the stress associated with trying to live up to the idea of Wonder Woman. I quickly realized that she was not the character I wanted to emulate and as a result, I went in search of resources which would increase my resilience while assisting me in maintaining a positive mindset.

One of the tools I discovered was a smartphone app designed to help users “overcome stress and negative thoughts. Build resilience.”  This was exactly what I wanted.  The website describes it as:

“Happify is the single destination for effective, evidence-based solutions for better emotional health and wellbeing in the 21st century.”

As it would the app is appropriately named Happify.  I used it consistently for about one year and then dropped off for a while.  This year I selected the word DISCIPLINE as my word of the year and having a positive mindset is critical to my success with discipline.  When I came across webinar announcements in my email which were sponsored by the people at Happify, I decided to reset my password and get back into the use of the app.  Since then I have utilized Happify each day and I have found myself remaining focused on positivity.

In writing this post, I discovered Cigna recommends the app as part of its Emotional Mental Health promotions.  Here’s the thing to remember about Happify, positive emotional health is something everyone can benefit from.  If you have goals you want to achieve this year, having mechanisms to deal with stress and frustration can be beneficial.

Happify allows you to complete a happiness assessment and then personalizes your learning tracks based on your results.  There is a Happify daily section which provides the user with access to articles on a variety of personal growth and happiness topics such as kindness, gratitude, mindfulness, love and relationships, stress reduction and more.  A few offerings for webinars include topics like:

  1.  How to Overcome Self-Sabotage and Stick to Your Goals
  2. Shift from Frazzled to Flow at Work
  3. Growth & Transformation After Negative Experiences
  4. Mindfulness in the Workplace: Build Clarity & Focus in Just One Minute
  5. Get Gritty and Achieve Your Goals

Finally, you can also access the Happify Social Community through the app.  The website offers access to science-backed articles.  The app and website are free – there is no harm in trying it but the benefits are worth it.

I am not receiving any compensation for this recommendation and as I have indicated, this is a tool I utilize and feel confident recommending.  If you are using the Happify app or plan to try it out, leave me a comment and let me know what you enjoy or don’t like about it.

Til next time,

“Instead of looking at the past, I put myself ahead twenty years and try to look at what I need to do now in order to get there then.” — Diana Ross

Goal Achievement

Limited Time Offer from Marie Forleo B School

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Happy Today!

This is a limited time offer which expires in about two days. Life Coach, Entrepreneur and Author Marie Forleo is currently registering participants for her B School program – Building a Business You Love.

As part of this promotion she is providing free access to four webinars with handouts as a sneak peek to what you can expect when you purchase her program.

There are only 2 days remaining. If you are interested, click the link and register/view today.

Til next time,

“Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.” — Arthur Ashe

Uncategorized

Second 5K of 2019 Completed

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Happy Today!

5K a Month Challenge #5Kamonth

I am pleased to announce I completed my second 5K race of the year and am now 2 of 2 towards my goal of one 5K per month. The race selected this month was the Atlanta Mission 5K Race to End Homelessness- Run in the cold for those who sleep in the cold.

Race entry fees will be provide one night of shelter to homeless individuals in the Atlanta area. This was another great cause which is dear to my heart and allowed me to give to a worthy group of people in need.

During the race I reminded myself as to the benefits of taking on this challenge and I looked down at the asphalt each time I felt like I wanted to stop and quit. I repeated this mantra- one foot in front of the other, one foot in front of the other.

Now this race gave me a little health scare towards the end as my heart rate escalated and I had a little difficulty recognizing that I may have been over doing it. My watch had no such issues with trying to alert me to slow it down but I didn’t pay attention. I did not use my inhaler but I was in need of water to help get me rehydrated. Just in time my hubby came around the corner to meet me and give me a much needed drink (of course he finished the race about 40 minutes before I did since he is a runner and I am a walker).

As I relayed my scare to him, he gave me that dorky look when people are trying not to say “duh” but want you to know the error of your ways. He couldn’t hold out for long and proceeded to remind me of the health benefits to the Apple Watch.

It’s amazing how far technology has come that a thing like a smart watch can help remind you to maintain a healthy lifestyle and remind you of things like breathing, standing and heart rates. Thank goodness for the tech geeks who created wonderful products which make exercising more tolerable.

Oh well it’s time to train for the next race.

Til next time,

5K a month