• Book Review,  Books

    You Are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life

    Reading Jen Sincero’s books is like receiving advice from a really cool, funny, and honest friend. She is not the kind of friend who would blow smoke up your ass to make you (or herself) feel better.  I literally laughed out loud multiple times while reading this book. How often do you actually laugh out loud while reading a book? I even laughed while reading the Resources section she includes at the back of the book. When’s the last time you even cracked a smile while reading the Resources section of any book? You probably don’t read the Resources section because you’re not as big of a nerd as I…

  • Books,  Personal Writing

    Letter Writing Exercise to Money

    One of the best books I read last year was You Are a Badass at Making Money: Master the Mindset of Wealth by Jen Sincero. It stood out to me because it made me look at my relationship with money. I had never thought about money in terms of having a relationship with it. Money was just this thing that I didn’t like to think about because I associated it with feelings of stress and anxiety. “If you ain’t got any money, it’s because if you treated the people in your life with the same regard you treat money, you’d be dining on a Thanksgiving dinner for one…” Jen Sincero,…

  • Book Review,  Books,  Personal Growth

    You Can Heal Your Life – Louise L. Hay

    “If we are willing to do the mental work, almost anything can be healed.” Louise L. Hay While all the self-help books I’ve read talk about the impact of our thoughts and how they manifest in our lives, this is the first book that talks at length about the mind-body connection and the impact of our negative beliefs on our health. At the beginning of the book, Hay shares her personal philosophy to provide context for what readers can expect while reading the rest of her book. Here are some of Hay’s guiding principles: “The bottom line for everyone is, “I’m not good enough.” “Self-approval and self-acceptance in the now…

  • Books,  Personal Growth

    Quotes and Lessons from The Four Agreements

    Being the self-help book nut that I am, I had to read Don Miguel Ruiz’s The Four Agreements. This book is often mentioned in Best-of lists. When I saw it at the bookstore, I was surprised how compact the book is. At 138 pages, it could be read in one sitting. Despite its compactness, there are a lot of nuggets of wisdom and level-headed advice on how to make changes within ourselves, resulting in personal freedom, happiness, and love. The four agreements are like personal codes of conduct. Be Impeccable with Your Word Don’t Take Anything Personally Don’t Make Assumptions Always Do Your Best They seem straightforward enough in theory,…

  • Personal Growth

    4 New Things I’ve Added to My Daily Routine to Enhance Self-Love and Personal Growth

    Largely confined to my home due to the COVID-19 pandemic, I have more time than ever to learn how to love myself and to grow as a person. I know. Yippee. It’s almost like the universe is nudging me to go within since there are so few available distractions outside. I’ve been reading a lot of self-help books and consuming loads of content related to personal growth, which is how I arrived at choosing the following activities to incorporate into my daily routine. Because I started these activities this month, it’s too soon to call them habits. I’ll certainly provide updates of my journey on the blog. Here are four…

  • Life,  Personal Growth

    My “Morning” Routine During Self-Isolation

    My “morning” routine since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic looks quite different than it did prior to living predominantly in self-isolation. I put “morning” in quotes because spending most of my days in self-isolation, in addition to not working, has flipped my sleeping schedule upside down. My night owl tendencies have surfaced full force. Lately I’ve been going to sleep between 5 am and 7 am. By the time I get out of bed, it’s early afternoon. I quite enjoy my morning-ish routine, as it provides some structure during a precarious time, and an opportunity to ease into the day by exercising self-care. My “Morning” Routine During Self-Isolation Here’s…