Recognize significant moments by taking time, through ritual or celebration, and you will deepen your experience, create powerful memories, and reap profound rewards. You will transform moments and experiences that might have been missed, in the quick passage of time, into sacred milestones. -cw

There has been much in the news over this past year about "the little book that could" (Mountain Xpress review), The Woman's Field Guide to Exceptional Living.

I am taking time today to celebrate my first year as a published author. As part of that celebration I'll share some of my favorite features and mentions:

• One just in today! Diva of the Month. I've always wanted to be a Diva! Thanks Lori at Foundation Coaching!

• Mark Victor Hansen's very cool video testimonial

• One of my favorite reviews of the year recently came out by Womenwriters.net. Here is a excerpt:

"Unlike many self-help authors, Woods boasts an impressive pedigree of practical work experience as a life-coach, women’s retreat leader, change facilitator, and personality-analyst. Luckily she’s used that varied experience to create a short self-help book. Yes, you read that correctly. It is short, only 179 pages long, and blissfully free of long-winded case histories and ponderous introductions to basic concepts."

• Comments from women I admire mean so much to me ...

"The Woman’s Field to Exceptional Living is beautiful to look at and a pleasure to hold. The real treat however comes within its pages as Corrie Woods presents nurturing and practical suggestions for stepping out of the ordinary and into your fullest life." – Victoria Moran, author of Creating a Charmed Life

"Corrie Woods’ message—and the positive way she delivers it—not only reminds us that our lives are full of possibility, but also gives us practical tools for stepping into a richer, fuller–and yes, happier–way of being in the world. Wonderful!"  - Abby Seixas, author of Finding the Deep River Within     

"It’s a feel good book that does wonders for the heart." - Dotsie Bregel, founder of The National Association of Baby Boomer Women

• Yes, awards are fun too!

One of my bravest moments of the year came when I stood in front of a camera to share a bit about my book. You can view the video in my archives.

This was a big stretch!

You can always check out the latest at The Book.

Ah, that is the real value of ritual and celebration. You intentionally take time to savor, to make sacred, and to relish. It can support closure or pop the lid on something new. Further, it can create a rich, powerful memory to cherish for a lifetime.- cw

In what ways can you celebrate 2008?

Is your life flat or full? Is your life one-dimensional
or multi-faceted?

Do you see life in black and
white or in technicolor? - cw

2008 has been a year of playing with perspective for me. Am I clearly viewing something or are my filters on high alert? We all view life through filters, but the thicker the filters, the more distance between us and the experience.

Playing with this idea while reflecting back upon some peak moments in 2008 brings the following photos to mind. I won't share the story or the setting, just the image.

I invite you to sit for a spell and soak them up. Without my interpretation, I wonder what comes up for you?

My wish, for you and I both, is that 2009 rolls out  with plenty of beautiful, intriguing, peak moments, and that our vision is crystal clear to appreciate them all as they unfold.

One person, one woman, can light up the world! - cw

A Year of Exceptional Women

What began as a desire to share with my readers news about women doing cool things, has evolved into a stellar line-up of extraordinary women and a web project that shines of collaboration.

I have carefully selected women whose work in the world I admire and who have deep roots and big hearts. Unlike so many projects on the web, there never has been and never will be an affiliate twist to this. What I mean by that is that women do not pay to be featured, and I do not pay for their collaborative efforts. It is all about win/win and enthusiastically supporting each other in fun and flow ways.

This project has given me the opportunity to meet wonderful women, to spread the word about great books, practitioners, and causes, and to play in a bigger sandbox. Very fun and I'm just getting started!

There are currently 28 women featured at Spotlight on Exceptional Women and many more are up and coming. 

I am taking time today to look back over these Exceptional Women pages and to marvel at all the good that is being done in the world by this small collective. Too, I am opening up to new women entering my life who can contribute to, inspire, and touch us in meaningful ways in 2009.

If you have suggestions, get in touch!

One person's belief in my gifts and greatness can set miracles into motion. - cw

2008 has been a year of so many surprises and so many wonders. As I look back, I am struck by the people who have supported me, believed in me, and who, in a variety of ways, have chosen to play with me.

Here is one example:

There is this amazing woman who I have known in some measure for years. She and I experienced life as southern girls/women in Birmingham, Alabama. We've walked unique paths, trail-blazed our way through the world in off-beat and impassioned ways, and we've seen life through the lenses of two different generations.

I have come to admire and adore this woman because of the courageous way she shows up in her life, because of her passion for life-long learning, growing, and evolving, and because she has that special something.

When I first approached Marilyn about my wild idea to write my first book, The Woman's Field Guide to Exceptional Living, she was able to see clearly past the unpolished writer and straight into the heart of a woman passionate about helping others. She said just the right words at just the right time to both encourage me and make me step up to the plate.

That support at a critical moment helped me to move forward rather than to shrink back. It truly set miracles into motion.

I pause today to appreciate the impact of wonderful people in my life, like Marilyn McGuire, and to set my sights on being that kind of person, that kind of miracle-maker, for others in 2009.

The greatest gifts so often come in the gnarliest packages. - cw

In 2008, thanks to fascinating health challenges, I ...

• discovered the healing and inspiring benefits of mandalas

• carved a whole new place in my heart for those who suffer from chronic illnesses

• had my mind blown and my health catapulted to new levels at a magical place called Sanoviv

• learned, yet again, the benefits of sitting still and listening to the language of my body

• was reminded of the beauty that comes when I focus on all that I can do rather than on the few things I cannot

• was powerfully reminded how blessed I am to be surrounded by such loving friends and family

• learned just how strong I am and that I know how to reach for help when I need it

and, in 2008, thanks to fascinating health challenges, I

• played tug-o-war with patience and impatience and patience won out (most of the time)