The following is a brief bibliography of the personal development books that you can chose from when completing my self-care workshop.   You can select any one of the books below or any personal development book of your choosing.  We will work collaboratively to build new habits into you life that will allow you to be happier, healthier, and more focused.  Contact me for more information.

Please remember that you are going to only select ONE of the books below or ONE that you chose.  Please do not try to do too much all at once.  You may just overwhelm yourself.  There is something called the "rudder issue" that we will work on together to identify.   The rudder issue is that one thing that you can change in your life that may positively affect many other aspects of your life.  

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Dr. Stephen Covey

This is a very comprehensive book that deals with the whole person: body, mind, heart, and spirit.  He address the theoretical concepts for rooting yourself in being your own life coach as well as the very practical seven habits that provide a framework for living a productive and happy life.  The seven habits he discusses are:  1. Be Proactive  2. Begin with the End in Mind  3.  Put First Things First  4.  Think Win/Win  5.  Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood  6.  Synergize and  7.  Sharpen the Saw. 

You Can Be Happy No Matter What - Five Principles for Keeping Life in Perspective by Dr. Richard Carlson

Dr. Carlson five principles for keeping life in perspective are:  1.  The Principle of Thought  2.  The Principle of Moods  3.  The Principle of Separate Realities  4.  The Principle of Feelings and 5. The Principle of the Present Moment.  Together these principles help to manage life situations so you can be happier and more focused.  Dr. Carlson is also the author of Don't Sweat the Small Stuff and other personal development books.

The 10 Dumbest Mistakes Smart People make and How to Aoid Them by Dr. Arthur Freeman and Rose DeWolf

The authors classify the 10 "dumbest" mistakes in the following categories:  1.  Chicken Little Syndrome  2.  Mind Reading  3.  Presonalizing  4. Believing your Press Agent  5.  Believing (or Inventing) Your Critics  6.  Perfectionism  7.  Comparisonitis  8.  What-if Thinking  9.  The Imperative Should and 10.  Yes-Butism.   Most people will recognize some of these classical thinking mistakes that they make in their own life.   The authors also explore "cures" for our negative automatic thoughts and provide 25 techniques to clearer thinking.  Automatic thoughts are those that you do not solicit but pop into your head and can cause you to make "dumb" thinking mistakes. 

The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron

As and artist and writer Ms. Cameron speaks about the artist in all or us and brings you on a journey to self-discovery.  Her book, with an accompanying workbook, is broken down into twelve chapters which all start with the words "Recovering a Sense of."  The concluding words of each chaper are: 
1.  Safety  2.  Identity  3.  Power  4.  Integrity  5.  Possibility  6.  Abundance  7.  Connection  8.  Strength
9.  Compassion  10.  Self-Protection  11.  Autonomy and 12. Faith.

Co-Active Coaching, Second Edition by Laura Whitworth et. al.

This book is designed for training professional life coaches but can be applied to assist you in becoming your own life coach.  There is a "tool kit" section that we will work on together to see what works for you.  The Homework Inquires are not meant to find the "right" answer but are designed to put you in the "mode of reflection, discovery, and learning."   The Assignment section are tasks that help you become more aware of your thought process or to change some behavior.  The Structure  section offer options to remind you to take action on a commitment you make to improving yourself.  The book also comes with a CD that demonstrates the life coaching process.

What Color is Your Parachute? by Richard Bolles

Mr. Bolles updates this book annually and has a wealth of information for job seekers or those wishing a more rewarding career.  I believe the chapter entitled Tweny-Three Tips for a Successful Job-Hunt and appendix A, The Flower Exercise - A Picture of the Job of Your Dreams are particularly helpful in this changing and challenging job market.  He also list numerous web sites that can be of assistance in your job search or a change of career. 

Making a Living Without a Job by Barbara J. Winter [Chapters 1-6]

Ms. Winter wrote this book for people in small business or considering starting a small business but anyone can benefit from reading and appying the concepts in the first six chapters.  The titles of the first six chapters are:  1.  Becoming Joyfully Jobless  2.  Doing First Things First  3.  Finding Your Lost Passion  4.  Uncovering Your Assets  5.  Overcoming the Obstacles  6. Taking Care of the Boss.  Chapter 6 is referring to taking care of you as your own boss is a small business.  If you have a hobby that you love or a passion for some activity Ms. Winter's book may help you to find a new career.  Her insights into personal self-care are refreshing.  
                                                                           
Ten Easy Exercises to Manage Stress - Training You Brain for Self-Care by Tom Connolly.

My stress management home workshop will be available in July of 2009.

Please read the other pages on this site.  You are on your way to a HAPPIER AND HEALTHIER LIFE!