Self Help Book: If You Have To Cry, Go Outside.

 Self Help Book Parade  8 Responses »
Mar 192013
 

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As I don’t know much anything about PR and only watched a few episodes of the Hills (just enough to be fucking annoyed with Heidi and Spencer), I had no idea who Kelly Cutrone was. Really. But I did remember reading about this book when it caught my eye in the book store so I picked it up. I liked her face on the cover and as I flipped through the pages it looked like something I would enjoy reading. So I got into it, and got behind it.

Discovery: Annemerel blogged about it a really long time ago (it was published in 2011*). I never got around to borrowing it from my fashion-fabulous friend so hadn’t read it yet! A few weeks ago, I was in the gorgeous Maastricht Selexyz, and I bought it there for 15,99. Turns out you can actually get it here for 13,99.

Subject: The life and lessons of Kelly Cutrone, a woman with so much life and business experience she could put a group of 50-something CEOs to shame. In the book, you read about her life, how she got from a girl who wanted to move to New York to the amazing position she is in now. You read about the successes as well as all the heartache and hardships, and of course all the things she learnt from all of that.

I may not know much about her world, but I instantly liked Kelly and enjoyed reading about her life. She is a power woman in every sense of the word and the stories of her life and business are fascinating and funny. The people she meets (she ushered Michael Jackson through a crowd and told off Donald Trump), the things she has done (PR, palm and tarot reading, almost becoming a rockstar and then back into PR again) and the way she runs her business and raises her daughter: It’s really cool to read about all that.

And there is so much inspiring stuff in there. Even though you may not want to work in fashion, PR, or live in New York: You can find a tip, a truth or a lesson in everything she says.

Kookiness Scale: 3. At one point she writes about a mystical experience that really helped her get rid of a nasty addiction and there is some wolf pack talk, but that’s her philosophy. I don’t think it would be bothersome to anyone. She’s so no-nonsense and clear all throughout the rest of the book.

Favorite Quotes:

  • “[Belvy] was prove that finding your tribe, like following your dreams, isn’t always what makes sense; it’s about what your soul needs.”
  • “If you’re the kind of person that senses that there is somehting out there for you beyond whatever it is you’re expected to do –if you want to be extra-ordinary– you will not get there by hanging around a bunch of people who tell you you’re not extraordinary.”
  • “I tell my employees I died several times while in the same body, each time paving the way for an amazing rebirth (talk about multitasking).”
  • “You can’t really know what it’s like to be filled unless you’ve been empty.”
  • “You weren’t having a breakdown, you were having a breakthrough.”
  • “I am devoted to my job not because I love it, but because I look at it as my spiritual practice. There is a word for this in India: Karmayoga. I am a karmayogi – someone who becomes conscious of herself and the Divine through work, not through meditation in some ashram or saying Hail Marys.”
  • “It’s not enough just to listen to your inner voice and ask yourself the hard questions about who you are and what you believe. Eventually you need to get strategic about refining and communicating to others what you are and wht you believe if you want to succeed.”
  • “There is a danger in trying to create your brand from the outside in. [...] Instead of an internal sketch, we spend half our teenage years cutting pictures out of magazines and pasting them on our bedroom walls, cobbling together how we want ourselves represented.”
  • “I firmly believe each woman is a goddess and that deep down inside herself she knows it.”
  • “I want you to fearlessly pursue your dreams and your destiny, conscious that you are not what you do, listening to your inner voice,refusing to let superficial things define you, asking yourself the hard questions about what you believe and what you will serve, fighting the fears in your own mind and finally, loving other women in the process.”
  • “Ultimately, I’d rather be the one living the life than observing and making catty comments about it.”

Self Help Hipster Stamp of Approval: Absolutely. I dig Kelly — the take-no-prisoners determinism, her brutal honesty and her Momma Wolf philosophy. I think a lot of women can learn a lot from her and this book is perfect for that. Well written, funny and inspiring. I actually like this book so much that her second book ‘Normal Gets You Nowhere’ is the next item on my book wishlist.

You should buy this book if…

  • You want to read about a kick-ass power woman and a great example.
  • You want an inspiring, truthful success story (that takes place in New York – We Love New York!)
  • You like to read more about the PR business and get a peek behind the scenes of high fashion.
  • You want to get motivated about becoming a glorious gutsy power girl yourself.

*Talk about a ‘fashionably’ late book review, right? Right?! Come on guys, I am trying SO hard for you. PUNS. 

Self Help Book Parade: Goals!

 Self Help Book Parade  1 Response »
Dec 112012
 

Whenever Manfriend sees this book lying around the living room, he rolls his eyes at it. I don’t blame him: It’s the most American-looking self help book I own. I mean…the ALL CAPS title, the subtitle, the super-American smile of the author Brian Tracy..But hey, if we have learnt one thing from cheesy sayings and songs, it’s that you should not judge a book by its cover. Not even when the author is staring at you with his best Prodent-Smile and You Can Do It photo-face.

Discovery: After ‘Eat That Frog‘, which is one of my favorite self help books ever, I bought this book for 17.99 here You can also sign up for Brian Tracy’s newsletter on his website and receive the .PDF as a welcome gift, but being stuck with his incessant newsletter for years (I could unsuscribe all I wanted but as if his newsletter was some whacko Self Help E-mail Serpent that grew three heads everytime I unsubscribed, I only got more e-mails) I really don’t recommend doing that.

Subject: GOALS!!! And “How To Get Everything You Want — Faster Than You Ever Thought Possible.”

…Just not quite as hysterical as the cover might suggest.

This book contains a Brian Tracy’s own story, which is quite inspirational to begin with, and from that point on it contains practical and straight forward chapters. On goal setting, goal setting in different life areas (health, business, but also romantic and family relationships!), potential challenges and how to deal with them, and the qualities you need if you want to be productive and effective.

Kookiness Scale (1-1): Just the 1, I think. See, Brian Tracy is into business and management and that clearly shows throughout the book: He just wants to get shit done and he gives you the way to do it.

He brings up the Law of Attraction very briefly, but he’s way more interested in telling you about proven psychological phenomenon, like learned helplessness and Maslow’s theory (although little research, still very popular) and how the reticular activating system is possibly important in attention processes.

Plus, Brian Tracy writes very pleasantly. No chest-pounding “YOU CAN DO IT!” or trying really hard: Just straight forward, normal sentences that look deceivingly simple but that contain pretty powerful stuff.

Some of my favorite quotes:

  • “From this moment forward, see yourself as the president of your own personal services corporation. View yourself as self-employed. See yourself as being in complete charge of every part of your life and career. Remind yourself that you are where you are and what you are because of what yo have done or failed to do. You are very much the architect of your own destiny.”
  • “Make sure that everything is consistent with the beliefs that you want to have and the person that you want to become.”
  • “The act of writing is a psychoneuromotor activity. This means that when you write down a goal of any kind, you activate your emotions, your intelligence and your physical body.”
  • “Goal setting enables you to use vastly more of your thinking powers than most other people.”
  • “Aristotle wrote that the very best way to develop a virtue if you currently lack it, is to imagine and to behave in every respect as though you already had the virtue whenever that virtue is called for.”
  • “Each time that you persist in the face of adversity and disappointment, you build up the habit of persistence. you build pride, power and self-esteem into your character and your personality. You become stronger and more resolute. You deepen your levels of self-discipline and personal strength.”

You should buy this book if…

  • You want to have the main base of Brian Tracy’s knowledge, all in one book. This book also contains most of his 21 principles from Eat That Frog, which is also extremely useable in real life.
  • You like a simple straightforward approach with clean writing that still inspired and motivates.
  • You want to get more into goal setting and achieving, obviously.
  • If you’re not scared of Prodent-Smiles and You-Can-Do-It photo-faces.

Self Help Hipster’s Stamp of Approval: Yes. Clean, practical, motivating and not nearly as corny and make-the-American-dream-come-true as you’d think. I occasionally grab it for a chapter and I always read something new that I can use. It’s got my blessing, cover and all.

Self Help Book Parade: 100 Ways…

 Self Help Book Parade, Uncategorized  5 Responses »
Nov 272012
 

Discovery: I think it was through Eva I stumbled upon Alexandra Franzen’s blog. I read this article, gulped down everything else she ever written, declared her amazeballs and that was that. After my new fandom and seeing a kick ass sneak peek of this e-book, I was on the look-out for it for WEEKS. If not months. I subscribed to her newsletter mostly so I could read it as soon as possible, although her awesomeness in my inbox was a definite reason to say subscribed.

You can buy ‘A 100 Ways To Play With Yourself’ here for 20$, and 5$ of the money will go to Woman’s Earth Alliance. You basically buy yourself a cute e-book and donate money to worthy charity. Win-win.

Subject:

Um, yes please? Also, hilarious quote from the introduction also states that “if this book makes your life stupendously awesome, you’re welcome. If this book doesn’t serve you in the slightest, sorry — you can’t sue me.”

‘A 100 Ways To Play With Yourself’ is not a big read or a book about a certain self help topic. This is a fun collection of ways to play with yourself as well as including some other excercises and short columns by inspirational people.

Kookiness Scale (1-10): Okay, I’m thinking…a 4. Sometimes it’s a little kooky, like when she talks about adopting lamas from animal sanctuaries or when you read the poem called ‘Finger Painting’ but it’s always cute. And fun. And that’s what this book is all about: Playing, and having fun. Whether it’s focused on words, body or food, all the suggestions are mad cute. Some of you might think they are a little out there (rescueing an endangered language or aforementioned llama adopting) but there is a lot of inspiring material in there.

My favorite suggestions (without being too Spoiler Person about it in  the process): 

  • Take an impromptu writing vacation
  • Be deliberately decisive
  • Think a NEW thought
  • Be over-the-top grateful
  • Model your exercise regime after a beloved (and badass) film & TV heroine!
  • Also, this Moxie & Movement schedule she made where you have to flaunt your moxie and move your body in a way every day.

 My favorite quotes: You have to understand…Alex Franzen is brilliant with the words. In an Alice in Wonderland kind of way. She comes up with the best stuff, thinking up supercool phrases so you end up with the most vibrant and crazy reading. Everything she writes is like being over at an Inspirational Mad Hatter’s Tea Party.

  • “I believe that PLAY is a necessity. It keeps us creative, curious, flexible and prolific.”
  • “Play with your MIND: Brain-teasers, what-iffery, and neuro-linguistic finagling to flip your perception.”
  • “Play with your REALITY: A gargantan glitterbomb of playful suggestions to spike your curiosity, spark your creativity, lighten your heart, loosen your rules and sizzle-fy your whole reality.”
  • “(About FreeRice.Com) Digital philanthropy for word-freaks and English geeks. Get into it.”

You should buy this book if…:

  • You like a lot of sparkly words that make you feel all excited to do stuff.
  • You’ve been in a rut for a while and need some help getting out of it.
  • You want a lot of suggestions to ‘play with yourself!’

Self Help Hipster Stamp of Approval: Absolutely. This is one of those e-books I come back to every once in a while to refresh and pick up a trick to try for that day or that week. The writing is fun and quirky, and I like a lot of Alexandra’s suggestions. Now if you excuse me, I need to get my moxie (red lipstick) and movement (yoga class) for this Tuesday on!

Self Help Book Parade: BodieBoost

 Self Help Book Parade  4 Responses »
Nov 202012
 

My philosophy towards food is this: Eat for nutrients and energy, move your body, love your body and all will work out. I realize this is harder for some than others, but that’s basically my point of view. I eat for health and energy (and pleasure!), and I have a ‘weird’ diet if you’re going to hold it up to normal standards. More green than an average animal farm and what not.

So huge disclaimer alert before I go into this book: I do not believe in weight loss diets. At all.

Consequently, I am not a fan of diet books. It’s usually a bunch of biological pseudo-scientific hooey, some complicated meal plan with crazy ingredients and a lot of empty promises. If you would ask me which one to get, I’d say “None. Go buy a fucking juicer, start making green juice and really change your life.” Ahem. Moving on.

That rant aside, I am a huge fan of common sense. Using your own head, being smart about things. Also a big fan of anything that render results. BodieBoost girl Charlotte Willems has got plenty of both, as well as perky can-do attitude, which had me inclined to be open-minded and actually open her book.

Discovery: I know Charlotte through Twitter and I read her blog every once in a while. She’s very enthusiastic and believes in what she’s doing. I like that. So when she notified me her book came out, I was curious enough to read and review it. You can buy her book BodieBoost here for 14.95.

Subject: Charlotte’s story is the story of so many girls. In her teens she tried to lose weight through every diet available, none of it worked which had her jojo-ing back and forth and with an unhealthy perspective on food and her weight. But Charlotte decided to do it her own way by coming up with a set of rules with which to approach food and health. So she would create a more relaxed way of dealing with food and weight, without being obsessed about it all the time.

It worked. She lost 7 kg with her own BodieBoost method and more importantly, that was four fucking years ago. She kept it off. In this world of jojo-ing, that is a rare and beautiful accomplishment. In this book, she shares her method so other people can follow her lead.

In the book you will find her BodieBoost rules, success stories, BodieBoost meal plans and recipes (meat, fish and vegetarian). The book is nice, colorful, very positivity-minded and contains all the information you need if you want to start BodieBoosting.

Kookiness Scale (1-10): Charlotte’s book scores a very positive 0 on this scale. Diet books shouldn’t be cooky, in my opinion. Her method is supersensible: In terms of food groups, grocery lists, meal plans and common sense in tough situations. Because you know what? We have birthday parties, after work drinks and chocolate cravings. And in BodieBoost, that is actually worked into the method. It can be applied to a standard life without much hassle.

You should read this book if…:

  • You are looking for a method to lose weight that’s sensible, very applicable for normal day-to-day living and that will have you lose weight slow, steady and -most importantly- permanently.
  • You want a positive and perky way to look at losing weight and getting fit
  • You have gone so far off the rails in terms of your perspective on food and weight you need a ‘normal’ diet.
  • You need some help in terms of getting on track with a healthy lifestyle.

Self Help Hipster Stamp Of Approval? As said before, not a big fan of diet books in general. However, I believe this book might be something that a lot of people (girls especially) could really use. This book has the potential to normalize your eating patterns, kickstart your healthy lifestyle while also bringing you back to a normal, common sense kind of approach towards food. If that is what you’re looking for, this book could be it for you. So if it’s going to get you out of that crash-diet idiocy, vicious cycle of weight loss -weight gain-back again and negative attitude towards food and weight…Yes.

I still think you should go buy a juicer, though.

Self Help Book Parade: Eat, Pray, Love

 Self Help Book Parade, Uncategorized  13 Responses »
Sep 142012
 

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Maybe you wouldn’t call this non-fiction bestseller by Elizabeth Gilbert a self help book at first glance, but this feel-good novel about Liz who find herself by eating in Italy, praying in India and lovin’ in Indonesia? Has always been a self help book to me. It’s a book I reread every once in a while. There is some wisdom and witticism in that well-written fluffy book that I simply had to include it in my personal list of recommended Self Help Books.

Discovery: My friend from Canada came over to stay with me in the summer of 2009. She lended me the book with the words “It’s cute, you should read it.” Henceforth, I did. A few months after I bought my own paperback.

Subject: Liz Gilbert’s year of Eating, Praying and Loving. After a shit divorce she takes a year off to travel. She goes to Italy to learn Italian and eat loads of pasta. She goes to India to be in an ashram and prays and talks to Richard from Texas, who must be one of my favorite characters ever described in a book. Finally she goes to Indonesia to spend time with a medicine man of sorts and (spoiler alert), she falls in love with a sexy Brazilian. Prr.

Kookiness Scale (1-10): Depends on what country you’re in! Italy is just lots of food but there is some explaining about her life, including that she has a guru, so let’s say 4. The part about Indonesia with the medicine man and alternative healing could be labeled a 6, but when you read about her meditational experiences in the ashram, the kookiness scale tips to a whopping 9. However, if you keep an open mind it’s just beautiful to read.

Favorite Quotes, in no particular logical order: 

  • “Happiness is the consequence of personal effort. You fight for it, strive for it, insist upon it, and sometimes even travel around the world looking for it. You have to participate relentlessly in the manifestations of your own blessings. And once you have achieved a state of happiness, you must never become lax about maintaining it. You must make a mighty effort to keep swimming upward into that happiness forever, to stay afloat on top of it.”
  • “You need to learn how to select your thoughts just the same way you select your clothes every day. This is a power you can cultivate. If you want to control things in your life so bad, work on the mind. That’s the only thing you should be trying to control.”
  • “People think a soul mate is your perfect fit, and that’s what everyone wants. But a true soul mate is a mirror, the person who shows you everything that is holding you back, the person who brings you to your own attention so you can change your life. A true soul mate is probably the most important person you’ll ever meet, because they tear down your walls and smack you awake.”
  • “Destiny, I feel, is also a relationship – a play between divine grace and willful self-effort.”
  • Wayan’s Fail Proof Broken Heart Curing Treatment: Vitamin E, much sleep, drink much water, travel to a place far away from the person you loved, meditate and teach your heart that this is destiny.”
  • “But never again use another person’s body or emotions as a scratching post for your own unfulfilling yearnings.”
  • “I have good idea, for if you meet some person from different religion and he want to make argument about God. My idea is, you listen to everything this man say about God. Never argue about God with him. Best thing to say is, ‘I agree with you.’ Then you go home, pray what you want. This is my idea for people to have peace about religion.”
  • “Smile with face, smile with mind, and good energy will come to you and clean away dirty energy.”
  • “As I focus on diligent joy, I also keep remembering a simple idea my friend Darcey told me once — that all the sorrow and trouble of this world is caused by unhappy people. Not only in the big global Hitler-’n'-Stalin picture, but also on the smallest personal level. Even in my own life, I can see exactly where my episodes of unhappiness have brought suffering or distress or (at the very least) inconvenience to those around me. The search for contentment is, therefore, not merely a self-preserving and self-benefiting act, but also a generous gift to the world. Clearing out all your misery gets you out of the way. You cease being an obstacle, not only to yourself but to anyone else. Only then are you free to serve and enjoy other people.”

You should read this book if…

  • Your heart’s been broken. Seriously. Filled with lessons and feel good stuff, and it will both comfort and inspire you.
  • If you like descriptions about amazing Italian food, meditation and beautiful islands.
  • If you want to be more impressed with Liz Gilbert than you were when you saw the movie. No offense to Julia Roberts.
Self Help Hipster’s Stamp of Aproval: A wholehearted and forever yes. This is a book that you don’t expect to really help you, but it does. It’s not just more a fun read: there are so many quotes and parts in this book that just ring so true for me. Eat, Pray, Love has well affected the way I look at meditation, love, relationships and happiness.

 

Self Help Book Parade: Add More ~Ing To Your Life!

 Self Help Book Parade  2 Responses »
Jul 142012
 

Do you know how sometimes you shouldn’t read two books in a row by the same author? Because you’re going to compare and not enjoy the second half as much as you could? Yeah, me neither. I do now, though.

After reading (and loving!) Spirit Junkie, I got all excited and ordered ‘Add More ~Ing To Your Life’. This is actually Gabrielle Bernstein’s first book. I read it straight after Spirit Junkie, and therefore it was a lot of the same stuff. However, with a few months between the books, I could appreciate ‘Add More ~Ing To Your Life’ on its own and I appreciate the absolute fuck out of it!

Discovery: Only this year; Sabine featured her in this post, and after I had read Spirit Junkie on my iPad, I immediately ordered this one. I got mine from Book Depository.

Subjects: The book integrates both Gabby’s personal story as those of the women she coaches into a guide to become happier and more in sync with your inner self and “your ~Ing”. Gabby is honest, funny, friendly and wraps up everything in easy-to-follow guidelines that just may work for you.

Kookiness Scale (1-10): About a 5. She talks about the ~Ing (which is our inner voice and inner wisdom), the Ego (which is the saboteur-part of us) and how it works against us, plus some Manifesting with the Law of Attraction. As I said before, Gabby writes honestly and down-to-earth, so I think it’s pretty bearable even for the sceptics.

Favorite Quotes:

  • “The unhealed areas of your life are the Ego’s playground for nasty thoughts (the ego is the nasty voice of fear).
  • “Each conscious decision to change your life takes you one step closer to recondition your brain and change your life.”
  • “Today, you have two choices where forgiveness is concerned: One, continue to be angry and miserable or two, forgive, let go and be happy. Forgiveness leads to joy and peace of mind.”
  • “When you show yourself the Universe you’re ready for help, the energy inside you shifts.”
  • The Course [of Miracles] teaches us that five minutes spent in prayer or meditation with your inner guide in the morning will guarantee your thoughts will be aligned with love throughout the day. Know that your inner alignment will create miracles.”
  • “Enjoy the results of focusing your energy. As soon as you experience the feeling of co-creating your energy with The Universe, you will be inspired to do it all the time. Keep focusing.“

You should read this book….

  • (Based on my personal experience: a few months after you read Spirit Junkie ;-) )
  • If you want to learn more about your “~ing” and how to work with it
  • If you want to learn more about the ego, how it works and how you can make sure it will not rule your behavior any longer
  • If you want to read about lots of experience on how women improved their well-being, happiness and calmth.

 Self Help Hipster Stamp of Approval: Most def. Excellent read with lot of personal experience involved, with lots of helpful tools and recommendations. Enjoy!

Self Help Book Parade: The Law of Attraction Book

 Self Help Book Parade  8 Responses »
May 312012
 

I’m back, babies! Hope I didn’t give anyone any abandonment issues or anything. I have just had two really weird weeks but hey, weird weeks or not, I’m a hipster with a mission and I’m back with lots of self help stuff. Starting with a book review!

I know you guys are interested in books about the Law of Attraction that are a little better (and less American) than The Secret, and I’d like to share the best one I know thus far: the Law of Attraction by Michael Losier. The book is 10.99 on Bol.com. I checked out the author’s website and it’s a bit too ‘Subscribe-Here-Buy-This-Look! Here!’ for my taste, but he seems alright.

Discovery: I bought this when I bought The Secret in 2006. What can I say? I buy self help books in bulk.

Subject: The Law of Attraction, obviously. It is a very concise 136-paged simplistic read, explaining the Law of Attraction very clearly.

Cookiness Level (0-10): If you’re behind the whole Law of Attraction thing, a 0. The writer explains it like he’s your fourth-grade biology teacher: matter-of-factly, easy with lots of examples and reasoning. However, if you’re not convinced the Law of Attraction actually exist it might be a little harder to take, so maybe a 5.

Favorite Quotes:

  • The Law of Attraction may be defined as: “I attract to my life whatever I give my attention, energy and focus to, whether positive or negative.“
  • If you don’t like what you are getting, then it is time to tap into the Law of Attraction more deliberately so you can stop attracting what you don’t want and start attracting what you do.
  • To raise (increase) your vibration simply means to give your desire more positive attention, energy and focus.
  • Imagine that you have a bubble that is surrounding you and captured within this bubble are all the vibrations you’re sending out.
  • Keeping a diary or a book of proof on the Law of Attraction in your life will help you believe it more, get excited more, allow more and trust it more.

Self Help Hipster Stamp of Approval: Absolutely. If you are going to do research about the Law of Attraction, this book would be the first thing I’d point you to. Basic, clear explanations, easy to follow, examples (but not too many and not too Amen-Praise-The-Lord), as well as a whole array of techniques you can use to manifest, type of things to do to prevent pitfalls as well as learning yourself to allow and create. The writing is very easy so if you want a nice, short easy book with loads of information about manifesting, this is a very safe choice. As mentioned before, it is very easy though so  you might even find the writing style a bit boring. However, considering the buckload of information it contains, it’s still a good deal.

You should buy this book if…

  • you want to look further than The Secret
  • you want to read about practical ways to implement the Law of Attraction.
  • you like worksheets: it has worksheets!

Self Help Book Parade: …The Secret!!

 Self Help Book Parade  18 Responses »
May 082012
 

Discovery of the book: Not going to lie, bought it a few months after it came out in 2006. I read it to death. It’s one of my most carried and most abused books ever. I haven’t read it in 2 years now, but I’ve read and reread it at least once every three to six months for a very long time.

Subject: According to the title some highly classified super-secret amazing trick that will give you everything you want. Oh wait, hang on. That’s just the Law of Attraction. Rhonda Byrne just wrapped it in a cool package and delivered it to the masses.

This is not a bad thing on its own, but I get a little peeved about it because Rhonda Byrne did not deliver some brand new secret thing, the information was already widely available, this just became a hype. Nevertheless, it’s good that it caught so many people’s attention, but the title is stupid. This is not new information, this is just a really smart marketing trick.

Anyway, now that I got that off my chest, the book includes a lot of explaining, a lot of quotes from people you’ve never heard from and a brief step by step plan how to put it into work.

Kookiness (1-10): If you can deal with me, you can probably deal with the book in terms of kookiness. However, do you know those American preachers on TV? All ‘hallelujah’ and ‘God bless America’? That’s how this book feels to me now. Mind you, it didn’t bother me when I first started reading and I hadn’t read a lot about the Law of Attraction at the time so I just soaked up all the information, but you gotta be able to deal with the American Preacher Factor of this book.

Quotes: Sorry, guys, I cant be arsed reading and remarking his book for the umpteenth time. You can find a big ass list here, though! I read them and I think they represent the book nicely, without too much of the American Preacher Factor thrown in.

You should buy this book…

First, I thought I wasn’t going to recommend this book but I actually am. I’ve picked it up again, browsed through it and despite the whole vibe of “I’m telling you a supernew thing” and “oh my god it’s AMAZING, donate now out of love for Baby Jesus!” I need to give more credit than I originally wanted to. It’s good reading material and even though I was familiar with the Law of Attraction before buying this book, it taught me a lot more.

So, buy this book if you want to learn basic things about the Law of Attraction. It covers most of the important stuff and what’s more, I don’t think it wouldn’t have been such a hype if it was shit writing*: it’s actually quite good in terms of content and style.

Who’s read it? What are your thoughts?

*Now, ‘the Power’ of the same writer, milking out the concept of what she’s done before: that is total shit. Don’t buy that book. I bought it because I thought it’d be good and have hate-tossed it away to never see it again. Coming from me, a woman who is known to read everything once and a hundred times over if she likes it, that is a big deal. 

Self Help Book Parade: Fire Starter Sessions.

 Self Help Book Parade  7 Responses »
May 022012
 

Discovery: Danielle LaPorte is another name in the Self Help Section of 2012. She ranks among Gabrielle Bernstein (book review here), Kris Carr (book review here):  These women are basically what I believe self-help book writers of this day and age should be: sexy, smart, spiritual and excellent writers. I discovered her on Twitter (her tweets are fun & make you think), snooped around on her website and after reading some of her blog entries, I then bought her e-Book on iTunes for 9,99.

Subjects: Basically, Danielle writes about setting your soul on fire, becoming your true self and how that is going to make you a successful vixen of truth and awesome. There are three different parts, called ‘Mojo’, ‘Moxie’ & ‘Results’ with different chapters (the fire sessions) and worksheets. It’s really a bunch of sessions to start your fire, which is great. It’s good to start a little fire within.

Kookiness Scale (1-10): I’m going to say 7. But not because Danielle talks about ghosts and energy and woo-woo type things. There’s two other things that make it different for me.

One, the writing. The writing is amazing but completely different from most other self help books. The writing is gorgeous and intricate in a way that makes me feel like I’m reading a self help Hans Christian Anderson fairytale. It’s stunning and makes for excellent reading in my opinion, but if you’re used to the basic writing of most self-help books this might take a little adjusting for you too.

Two, the complexity: I feel I don’t understand it yet. I’ve had the same thing with the Abraham Hicks Series by Jerry & Esther Hicks. I tried to read them but I just couldn’t work with it. I consequently stopped reading with the conclusion: “I’m not ready for this stuff yet, I’ll try again when I feel that I am” The difference with this book is that I can still read it: I’ve marked the parts that I love and I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I recommend it to anyone. But I don’t think I’m really getting the underlying message. Not right now anyway. I hope I will when I read it again.

Favorite Quotes (and this is really why you should read this book. The quotes are incredible & invigorating): 

  • “You can manage your time like a ninja, make vision boards, and set quarterly goals till the future’s so bright you gotta wear shades, but if all those systems don’t work, then something’s…not working.”
  • “Success is messy. Career visions spill into lifestyle choices, mask into spiritual paradigms and ride on top of relationships. It’s all interconnected and paradoxical. And promising.”
  • “And I think I can protect myself without fucking anyone else over.”
  • “I would stand in my very immense power. And I would aim to do it free of vengeance, free of resentment, grateful for all that I had. Inside, I was purring like a panther in her tree. Smiling.”
  • “When you focus on building your natural strengths and doing what comes easiest to you, you gain a momentum in your life that feels efficient and exciting and hot. Like, sexy kind of hot, and deeply nourishing kind of hot; like your heart is on fire kind of hot. The kind of hot we all want to feel. Are you with me?”
  • “And, ironically, when you strive for mastery, you become more accessible. Aspiring to something greater always makes you more vulnerable.”
  • “(Nowhere in the definition of devoted do the words balanced, measured or normal appear.)”
  • “Becoming you is your purpose.”
  • “It’s illogical, grandiose, crazy and most certainly romantic. It’s faith. But these are the essential ingredients for breaking through mediocrity and cynicism.”
  • “Intend to shine. You can be modest about your great success; you can be honest about your fears; you can be proud and loud without the arrogance appetizer.”
  • “Mistakes happen. Big, dumb, stupid, lazy mistakes. Fat frickin’ messes that you will regret for a very long time. And no affirmation or predeterministic thinking will change the fact that you’ve done gone and fucked up. And when you get that real about it, you don’t need to waste energy protecting your ego or pouring on the sweetener. You can use that energy to clean up the mess and love yourself while you’re doing it.”

You should read this book…

  • If you like Danielle LaPorte’s tweets & website.
  • If you’re ready for a self-help book very different from most other books today!
  • If you’re ready for your head to spin from the luxuriously beautiful writing.
  • If the quotes above make you all tingly like they did make me!

Self Help Book Parade: Raw Food Made Easy

 Self Help Book Parade  5 Responses »
Apr 232012
 

Discovery: I’ve mentioned this girl plenty of times before, but let’s hear it one more time: Sabine Spaargaren of Some Like It Raw. My Go-To-Girl for anything nutrition. Friend & Vegan Goddess.

I’ve read her first e-book ‘Raw Chocolate Made Easy’, last year. That book contained some of the most epic recipes for sweet raw cacao treats; Sabine knows her stuff. So when she wrote her second book ‘Raw Food Made Easy’ I got it straight away. I’m experimenting with raw foods a lot; a high percentage of what I eat on a daily basis is raw*, so I wanted to learn more. Her e-book costs 14.99 and you can find it here!

Subjects: Everything is covered about Sabine’s experience with & knowledge of raw food. Her own transition into raw food, the benefits, FAQs. Important to mention is that she included the information from scientific research articles she has read regarding the different opinions on raw food: if & how it biochemically works. Don’t know how she did it, but she explained without making it too complicated for noobs as myself. I get a lot more about it now. So basically, it is 63 pages crammed with everything you might want to know about raw food. What’s not to love?

Kookiness (1-10): 1. This is just about a healthy lifestyle, albeit one that is fairly uncommon and may sound extreme to those who’ve never tried it or are unfamiliar with it. But what doesn’t make this book extreme or cooky is that Sabine stresses that it’s not about being radical and never eating cooked foods again. It’s about health, taking positive steps and your personal journey in that. Raw foods are good for you, it’s just up to you what you do with that.

Favorite Quotes:





You should read this book…

  • If you want to know more about the raw food diet
  • If you like the idea of a positive, relaxed writer explaining this to you.
  • If you want simple and delicious recipes for raw foods
  • If you like Sabine’s website. It’s basically just more of a good thing, but in E-book form!

*Bananas are raw food. Yum bananas.

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