I’m delighted that this week, we’re highlighting Live Inspired. Written by me and dedicated to you, the Inspired Living Cafe community, this book is a unique collaboration. Back in the spring, we held a contest asking, “What does Living Inspired mean to you?” In addition to the stories that I have written, many of your quotes were selected to be part of this book. I want to thank all of you who took the time to participate in the contest. You inspired me!   

It is my hope that after reading this book, you’ll feel encouraged, uplifted, and ready to live inspired. So if you’re ready to stretch your mind, gladden your heart, and nourish your soul…then let the journey begin!

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MJ Ryan wrote Giving Thanks: The Gifts of Gratitude, our featured book of the week. In it she writes, “Gratitude connects us to others and feeling gratitude allows us to be our best selves. When we are truly grateful, we can count on living the life we want.” 

Today, as we enter into the Thanksgiving Season, I’d like to ask you: What gifts has gratitude given you?

I’ll go first: Gratitude has allowed me to change my attitude, to open my heart, and to see that life is truly beautiful, even during the storms. When my mind begins to feel burdened, I can change the direction of my thoughts by counting my blessings.

OK…now it’s your turn! Tell me: What gifts has gratitude given you?

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This week, we’re looking at WalkTheTalk.com’s newest book series: Passports To Success. These small, compact books are great for on-the-go. They remind us that less is truly more. Reading these little books got me thinking…what would I title my own personal passport to success? I decided that I’d choose Live the Life You Have Imagined.

So let me ask you, Inspired Living Cafe community, what phrase, saying, or quote do you consider to be your passport to success?

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This week, we’re looking at Awakened Mind: One-Minute Wake Up Calles to a Bold and Mindful Life by David Kundtz. This book contains short, two-page chapters on many topics. Today, I’d like to share with you quotes from two chapters on Happiness:

“To be happy is to be able to become aware of oneself without fright.” Walter Benjamin

“Perhaps the most important thing we can undertake toward the reduction of fear is to make it easier for people to accept themselves, to like themselves.” Bonaro W. Overstreet

Today, I hope you’ll awaken to the happiness that’s around you!

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This week, in the Inspired Living Cafe newsletter, we’ve highlighted The Leadership Secrets of Santa Claus: How to Get Big Things Done in Your Workshop All Year Long. We wanted to make sure that everyone had an opportunity to learn about this wonderful book now, since we’re officially rolling into Santa Season.

We’re now entering a festive time of year when holidays are all around us. There’s Columbus Day, Halloween, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving…And I just found out that today, October 14, is National Dessert Day! My favorite desserts are chocolate chip cookies and chocolate cake. Basically, anything chocolate. To celebrate National Dessert Day, tell me what your favorite dessert is!

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Life-Changing Affirmations: A 30-Day Plan for Spiritual Transformation is the featured book this week. As the introduction says, “These thirty life-changing affirmations and meditational prayers are powerful spiritual tools for reorienting your emotional compass from down to up.”

Let me ask you, dear Inspired Living Cafe community, what personal affirmations do you tell yourself when you need to reorient your emotional compass from down to up? What words give you comfort? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

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Are you finding joy in your life? As Mac Anderson reminds us in Finding Joy, “Life can be complicated, but happiness is simple.”

I tend to find joy in the little things: gathering around the dinner table for a home-cooked meal, taking a walk in the evenings, reading a new book. Let me ask you, “Where do YOU find joy?”

And if you haven’t seen it yet, take a minute to watch the Finding Joy movie. Just click on the picture to the left, then click on Watch The Movie. It’s a movie that will bring a smile to your face!

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I wish I had known about this book when I was growing up. Recognizing that adolescence can be a time of confusion and turmoil, Be Who You Want to Be: Dealing with Life’s Ups and Downs, for Girls Only! speaks to young girls’ hearts. In the book Karen Casey writes from a young girl’s perspective on how to handle problems with friends, parents, and school. I consider this book an excellent resource for any young girl.

If I could give my younger self advice, it would be “Don’t take things so seriously. Don’t worry so much… Things have a way of working out.” Today, I’d like to ask you, “If you could give your younger self advice, what would it be?”

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Socrates said, “Let him that would move the world first move himself.” In Teens With the Courage to Give, we find stories of thirty amazing teens who have moved themselves and the world around them.

Here’s an excerpt from Lo Dietrich’s touching story:

“When I was three months old, I was diagnosed with a disease called cystic fibrosis. Not much was known about the disease at that time—fifteen years ago—so I can just imagine how scary it was for my parents. I’ve never known what it would be like to live without this disease, but I do think about how much fun it would be to get up one morning and run outside to play. I realize that will never happen—I will never experience that kind of freedom….

I accept what I have. I know I can’t change the fact that I have cystic fibrosis. Instead of sitting around feeling sorry for myself, I stay busy trying to keep up with my friends, playing sports, and raising funds for CF so kids in the future who have this disease will have a cure.

One of our family’s favorite events is called Great Strides, sponsored by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. It’s an annual nationwide walk that local CF chapters host. My mom and I co-chaired Great Strides in Tulsa last year, and my dad and Jane helped.”

To start Great Strides in your area, contact www.cff.org

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In The Ten Golden Rules, timeless wisdom from ancient Greek philosophers has been condensed into ten memorable and easy-to-understand rules that can enable us to have rich meaningful lives. The first rule is

Examine Life: Engage life with a vengeance; always search for new pleasures and new destinies to reach with your mind.

Today, how can you engage your life with a vengeance?

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