The Circle Within:

Magical artwork and mandalas!

Chris Baschon is an amazing teacher of the art of mandalas and a talented artist. Visit her site to be inspired, order a beautiful piece of artwork, and to learn more about mandalas.

"Reader's Circle seeks to renew the spirit of dialogue that animated the coffeehouses of early modern England and the salons of Enlightenment France.

Are you looking to start or join a book club? Welcome! We're a book club networking site serving the US, UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand with listings for local groups, author events, and phone chats."

Reader's Circle currently has 814 book listings and 189 authros available for over-the-phone visits with groups that have selected their book."

Girlfriend Celebrations - Strengthening Women's Friendships

"Girlfriend relationships are powerful–they give us strength and keep us grounded. But in the daily rush of living, we often become “unplugged” from this source of energy.

GirlfriendCelebrations.com is here to help you reconnect! We created this site as a resource, gathering place, and forum for women interested in forging, honoring, and strengthening female friendships."

Divine Caroline - Fabulous collection of stories, wise words, tips. and reviews.

"We knew early on that we wanted to use a woman's name. It so happens that one of our founders has a dear friend whose name is Caroline. She's a warm, smart, adventurous woman who you'd like instantly. "Caroline" rhymes with Divine - a word that describes every single woman we know who's working to compose a life. So we went with it. But the site isn't about any "one" woman. It's about every woman and the bonds that connect us even though we've never met."

Have you got a great recommendation? Let us know about it!

Imagine finding just the right gifts for all the women in your life – and spending less that $20 per person! Imagine gifts that keep on giving each time you come back to them. And imagine giving gifts that uplift, inspire, nurture and bring put smiles on the faces of your loved ones!

As I approach the holiday season it occurs to me that some of my greatest treasures are books and what a cool gift to give. With this in mind, I came up with my top-ten list of gift books for 2008 (See article at DivineCaroline). The list represents a blend of fun, deep, rich, and playful titles. I’ll be checking off my holiday list with these books. Perhaps there are some gems here to help you with your list. Note: each book is followed by a review from another author worth checking out!

1. Of course, the number one title on my list is The Woman’s Field Guide to Exceptional Living: Practical Steps for Living a Big, Bold, Beautiful Life!. “Corrie Woods offers an irresistible invitation and resourceful guide to living a life boldly, creatively, and happily. She provides a wealth of ideas, practices, and tools that are inspirational, practical, and motivational. This book makes a life-affirming and positive contribution to any reader!” Angeles Arrien, Ph.D., Cultural Anthropologist, author of The Four-Fold Way and Signs of Life.

2. Crones Don’t Whine: Concentrated Wisdom for Juicy Women, Jean Shinoda Bolen, M.D. “This juicy, witty, lovely book, shining with Wise Women candor is the perfect gift for any women over 50. I savored it like a rare, well-ages wine, and I know you will too.”  Susun S Weed, author of New Menopausal Years the Wise Woman Way.

3. The Art of the Moment: Simple Ways to Make Time for Yourself, Veronique Vienne and Erica Lennard. A lovely little book filled with captivating photographs and inspiring words.

4. Creating a Charmed Life: Sensible, Spiritual Secrets Every Busy Woman Should Know, Victoria Moran. “In this book you will be rewarded with dozens of powerful practical strategies that will help you bring out the charmed in your life.” Richard Carlson, Ph.D., author of Slowing Down to the Speed of Life.

5. BOOM Thinking: The Gutsy Guide to Breaking Out of Old Mindsets, Cheri Britton. “Cheri Britton’s book has the power to rock YOUR world with its fun, true, down to earth take in how to reinvent your thinking. Bravo Cheri!” Suzanne Falter-Barnes, author of How Much Joy Can You Stand?

6. Women Empowered: Inspiring Change in the Emerging World, Phil Borges. “A deeply inspirational work. Phil Borges has brought us face to face with heroes 'remote and mostly unknown women' on the edge of a slow but steady transformation, bringing social and economic justice to women and girls worldwide."  Isabelle Allende

7. The Life Organizer: A Woman's Guide to a Mindful Year, Jennifer Louden. "You are not holding in your hands a book. Instead, imagine a set of sacred nesting dolls that you open, one by one, each delighting you more than the last. As you get to the precious one in the center, you find your own heart. It whispers, `welcome home.'" - Dawna Markova, author of I Will Not Die an Unlived Life and co-creator of Random Acts of Kindness.

8. Living Artfully: Create the Life You Imagine, Sandra Magsamen. “Living Artfully is bulging and vibrating with creative illuminations, inspired action-taking and insightful reflections on the art and joy of being splendidly human. Sheer delight!” SARK, author of Sark's New Creative Companion: Ways To Free Your Creative Spirit.

9. Life Is a Verb: 37 Days to Wake Up, Be Mindful, and Live Intentionally, Patti Digh. "Patti’s guide for the last 37 days of life will turn every one of your next 3700 days a fully lived experience. If you had some unsolved fear for death, that would be your season ticket to have a free ride on the train with the author. I have never seen such a simultaneously practical, esthetic and soul-caressing book in my life." - Kichiro Hayashi, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus, Aoyama Gakuin University, Tokyo.

10.  Live Boldly: Cultivate the Qualities That Can Change Your Life, Mary Anne Radmacher. “Once again, Mary Anne has offered her exquisite blend of insight and intention in one phenomenal resource. A book that makes you think, dream, and act differently. This is a brilliant resource that will go on my list of "highly recommended" books for creating purpose and passion in your life.” Deanna Davis, author of The Law of Attraction in Action: A Down-to-Earth Guide to Transforming Your Life.

But wait ... that's not all!  How about...

Finding the Deep River Within, Abby Seixas

Back to the Garden, Patrice Dickey

Stop Being Stopped, Dr Karen Lee Paquette

Live With Intention, Adair Cates

Her Turn to Lead in America, Vickie Donlan

From the Kitchen to the Corner Office, Michelle Yozzo Drake

Money Shy to Money Sure: co-authored by Olivia Mellan & Sherry Christie

The Seasons of Change, Carol McClelland, PhD

Ah, so many fabulous authors and titles out there to choose from!

Oh, and here is a tip: what tops off a great gift book is a special note written inside the cover from you to your loved one!

Today I feel a fresh breeze in the air, a new sense of possibilities and a shaking off of the things that may hold me back. When I awaken to these precious, wide-eyed moments of awe and wonder in my life, I love that I can look around and see other women embracing the same kind of pizzazz attitude.

Nancy Mills, founder of The Spirited Woman, is just such a woman. She is a friend, a colleague, someone I admire tremendously, and a woman I am proud to collaborate with.

This month I am enthusiastically sponsoring

The Spirited Woman Newsletter.

It is a place where fabulous women gather and these are women I want to get to know. Of course, I want them to know about my book too!

Nancy, along with her Spirited Woman Blogger Team, have created one of the fastest growing websites for women and it's no wonder. There is such energy and fun and such a wealth of info coming our way from these dynamic women.

What about you? Are you tuned into your spirited woman side? A great way to nurture that is to visit Nancy's site and subscribe to her newsletter!

You can learn more about Nancy at Spotlight on Exceptional Women

I admit, it's kind of a cool thing when one of the best-selling authors of all time, Mark Victor Hansen, shares praise for my work in the world and my book.

Even better that his video endorsement is published at YouPublish.com, a terrific site that he helped to create and that is transforming the internet.

Watch the Video Endorsement

I've learned a lot from Mark: through his books, his mentorship, and his spark. Too, as I shared with him recently, his words landed in just the right time and just the right way for my daughter years ago.

I'd like to share a bit of the story I shared with Mark:

My daughter spent one year at a special program in Utah as a teenager to help her get through some tough times. Part of the program was designed to help her to reclaim self-esteem and her belief in herself through very hard work.
Part of the program involved listening each day to motivational tapes by the greats and reading books like Chicken Soup for the Soul (by Mark and Jack Canfield). She filled up with words of inspiration and empowerment day in and day out. I thanked God everyday that she was being supported, encouraged and inspired in such ways!
Today she is a beautiful and wise young women looking for ways to help others just as she has been helped. 

Mark's books have made a difference in her life. I know they have in mine, as well. I am so very grateful for that!

Imagine for a moment that standing before you is someone you adore, someone you cherish with all your heart. Perhaps it is your child, or a parent or grandparent. Or it might be a friend who has always been there for you, no matter what.

Pause to close your eyes, take a deep breath, and capture that well-loved face in your mind’s eye. Now, while envisioning that special someone, notice how full and warm your heart feels; notice how grateful you are and the sense of stewardship that flows through you.

When we truly hold someone close to our hearts, we treat them with the greatest respect and consideration, we tune into their wants and needs, we tend to them with loving care, and all the while we feel blessed for the gifts they bring into our lives simply by being who they are.

To these loved ones we freely acknowledge their beauty inside and out, we cheer them on when they stumble, and we truly celebrate their successes. Pleasing and nurturing them and being supportive of them rates high on our priority list. Because we cherish them, all our actions flow from an open, embracing heart and unconditional love.

Now, imagine that the person standing before you, this soul you adore, the loved one you cherish beyond measure . . . is you. Imagine receiving such complete respect, benefiting from that sense of care and stewardship, and feeling such gratitude. What if you were tuned in to your true wants and needs, what if you could smile at the beauty that is you without any “yeah, buts” popping up, and what if you placed you high on your priority list? How might that impact your life, your joy, your world?

When we think in terms of self-care, let’s not put the cart before the horse: love precedes care. Talking about ways to practice self-care is a moot point until we become deeply rooted in self-love. It is from those deep roots that we draw nourishment and sustenance to move into and through our lives in loving, self-tending ways. Ask yourself:in your day-to-day life don’t you take the best care of what you love most? Of course you do: you feel protective and engaged, heart and soul, in finding countless ways to express that love. The more self-love we feel, the easier it will be to take extraordinary care of ourselves.

What gets in the way of self-love? Obviously many things. As women we may find it much easier to love others unconditionally than to love ourselves. Some of us have stories that go like this . . . . Feeling beautiful is easy when your pant size is petite – It’s important to place everyone else’s needs before my own – Anyway, it would be selfish to focus on my own needs and on loving myself – If so and so loves me then I am lovable – I have made too many mistakes and therefore don’t deserve my love – I do love this part of me but I hate that part – I will give myself a break and some attention when I have jumped through every last hoop to prove I am worthy.

And on and on they go. After a lifetime of such confusing messages from our inner voice and the outside world, it’s no wonder self-love gets scooted under the rug and, hiding there, trampled upon.

Rather than letting our self-love collect dust in an unnoticed place, what if we pull it back out into the light and recognize it as sacred ground from which a love-filled, joy-filled life will flow? Sacred ground because without self-love, the foundation on which we craft our relationships with self and others, the very way we live our lives, is on shaky footing at best.

It can be easy for our self-love to hide out, withhold itself – because we do not see ourselves as good enough just as we are. When it comes to self-care, the steps we take may be half-hearted and inconsistent – because we bump into the underlying belief that we are not worthy of such loving attention. In contrast, when we feel self-love, we have a greater capacity to love others, we hold nothing back of ourselves and the gifts we have to share, and we radiate a feel-good energy. Exquisite self-care flows effortlessly from a woman who stands on the sacred ground of self-love.

The paths to greater self-love are many and diverse. They are heart paths and therefore different for each woman. There is no destination to “get to” along the path; the quality of the journey defines it, and you. A great way to set your intention and awareness on greater self-love is to ask, “How is self-love reflected in my life and my way of being today?”.

Though some women face barriers to self-love that are much bigger than others, we can all take steps in this moment to move in the direction of greater self-stewardship and self-love. Here are a few simple statements you may choose to weave into your day to promote enhanced self-love:

Get over having to be perfect. Leaving behind a manufactured image of beauty can be an ongoing growth edge. Play there. Stay there. Know that the greater your ability to accept your own flaws and imperfections and to recognize the beauty that is you, the better you’ll be at accepting that and seeing that in others.

If we are stuck on beating ourselves up, whether over a less-than-successful diet or a big mistake on our part, we are restricted in our ability to be loving towards ourselves.

Would you buy yourself flowers, give yourself a hug, ask for help, or give yourself permission to take a nap? Ask this question and then act on it in creative ways.

Of all the things we may want to do for others, words we may want to share, how we show up in the world is the most powerful thing we communicate in our lives.

Though it is easy to get caught up in the whys and hows – how did I get here? Why me? Where did this belief come from?  – it’s far more productive to just shift, just shift into more self-loving words and behaviors. Day by day you’ll feel your roots go deep, feel how solid your footing is, and freely express more and more of who you are. From this place holistic self-care will become the reflection of that self-love. Rather than being one more thing on your to-do list, self-care will be a natural aspect of how you live your life.

What, exactly, is holistic self-care? For many women, when they think about self-care the first thing that comes to mind is a massage or a bubble bath. Both are great, but there is so much more.

Holistic self-care encompasses all areas of our lives and asks from every vantage point, “What would represent the greatest self-care in this situation?” As an example, we might be evaluating our physical environment and feeling choked and cluttered, that our home really does not feel like home, or longing for a special corner where we can be creative. By asking, “What can I do to upgrade the space I live in to reflect exquisite self-care?” we begin to see solutions that transform the space we live in into space we love. And we learn – we know – that by doing so we are enhancing our overall well-being. 

As another example, it can be transformational on other fronts to look through the lens of holistic self-care as we evaluate and craft lifestyle and health choices. What about our relationships, our finances, our work, our spiritual practices – how would we upgrade our lives if we viewed each through the lens of holistic self-care? Ask yourself, “What facets of my life could use some cherishing, loving, nurturing? The possibilities are as diverse as we are.

The practice of holistic self-care gives us a new way of being in the world. Coupled with self-love it provides a rock-solid foundation from which to design and live passion-filled, joy-filled lives.

Free Downloads for Your Listening Pleasure

• Self-Care 2.0 - How to Take Great Care of You in a High-tech World! - A seven minute audio program in which Corrie shares practical tips to help you unplug and breathe a bit deeper. 7 minutes.
  

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