The Courage Map: 13 Principles For Living Boldly

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The Courage MapPublisher: TCK Publishing
Published: May 10, 2020
Copyright: 2020
Pages: 139
Form: Paperback
Author: Site | Facebook | Twitter
Buy: The Courage Map: 13 Principles to Living Boldly

Why do some people make brave decisions that steer them to lead exciting, rewarding, and impactful lives while others watch from the sidelines?

In this book, you’ll discover 13 principles for living boldly. You’ll learn to tap into your inner courage and use it to chart a course to a better future and a better world. get ready to face your fears, stand in your truth, and embrace life to the fullest!

Written in her unique and fearlessly quirky style, The Courage Map provides direction and guidance for readers who seek to lead a life of courage, meaning, and impact.

“Every day I see people doing great things in the world. What do they have in common? The courage to go after their dreams and make a positive impact. Franziska’s book shows how that message can support you in running your life and business based on courage, love, and kindness instead of fear.”
-Sir Richard Branson

My Thoughts on The Courage Map

 

In The Courage Map, author Franziska Iseli takes us on her journey through the Silk Road. Along the way, she guides us through 13 Principles to develop courage and live life out loud despite our fears. The first and my favorite principle is STORIES.  As our lives take shape we all begin to identify as the stories we tell about ourselves. And so often we cling to the negative stories we’ve developed to justify and excuse why we may not be where we want to be in life. Or to soothe ourselves for regretting not having had the experiences we wish we had. Some of us are perpetual victims, some of us believe for one reason or another we are undeserving of our desires and nothing could be further from the truth.

Unfortunately and fortunately the stories we tell become our beliefs. Every one of us can CHOOSE to change our stories at any moment. For me, this is the foundation in building and developing courage and I’m glad the author led with this. Franziska Islei does a wonderful job of walking the audience through each of her courage-building principles and I love that the author uses her personal journey along the Silk road to give the reader real-world examples of how to put each principle into practice. Unlike many self-help books, the author doesn’t just say. “do it this way”.   She offers examples and real stories to illustrate her points and the effects they had and can have in our own lives.  The fact that the book is based on the real-life experiences of the author gives it an added layer of depth and authenticity.

Going Deeper

At the end of each chapter, Iseli suggests new thoughts and ideas we can adopt in regard to each principle in the form of ‘Travel Tunes’.   There is also a list of thought-provoking questions for us to work through at the end of each chapter to help us dive deeper into the material and our own courage-building journeys. This book will guide you through building your very own courage map. In addition to the book, you can download a free copy of The Courage Map Journal for yourself here. For anyone wanting an even more in-depth experience, the author offers a course on her website. I personally have not taken the course but I enjoyed the book and found it inspiring and useful.  I’ve begun adopting some of the ‘Travel Tunes’ for myself and look forward to living life more courageously.

Find more of my book reviews here and here!

Book Review: The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory

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Book The Wedding Date
Publisher: Penguin Randomhouse
Published: January 30, 2018
Copyright: 2018
Pages: 310
Form: Paperback
Series: The Wedding Date #1
Author: Site | Facebook | Twitter
Buy: The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory

I vow to take thee as my date, to pretend to have and to hold, from rehearsal dinner to reception end, till Sunday do us part.

Agreeing to go to a wedding with a guy she gets stuck with in an elevator is something Alexa Monroe wouldn’t normally do. But there’s something about Drew Nichols that’s too hard to resist.

Drew has never found it hard to meet women–or to know just when to leave them. But now, on the eve of his ex’s wedding festivities, he is minus a plus one…until a power outage strands him with the perfect candidate for a fake girlfriend.

From the best man’s toast to the bouquet toss, Alexa and Drew have more fun than they ever thought possible. But before they know it, Drew has to fly back to Los Angeles and his job as a pediatric surgeon and Alexa heads home to Berkeley, where she’s the mayor’s chief of staff–and neither of them can stop thinking about the other.

They’re just two high-powered professionals on a collision course toward the long-distance dating disaster of the century–or closing the gap between what they think they need and what they truly want…

MY THOUGHTS

While out perusing the shelves in the book store I was drawn to this book. I’d never read a romance story featuring a mixed-race couple before, but I was game so I picked up a copy of The Wedding Date from Amazon. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and managed to finish it in a couple of days. Once I got started it was hard to put down.

The meet-cute of Alexa and Drew is fun and their chemistry is immediate. I love the odd circumstances of their meeting and their easy banter. I was glad when Drew plucked up the courage to ask Alexa to be his ‘fake girlfriend’ because of their interactions with each other. Though they are both extremely attracted to one another, their conversation is an easy and fun volley. You can tell that there is a level of comfort and almost familiarity between them. Which, to me, only added to the chemistry.

THE CHARACTERS

I love Alexa. She is strong, intelligent, and passionate about every aspect of her life. Especially her work and relationships. The only thing that really bothered me sometimes about Alexa was her internal dialogue. She constantly thinks she’s not ‘good enough’ for Drew, and she compares herself to white women a lot. This shit irks the hell out of me. I understand having insecurities but I can’t say I’ve ever wondered if I was ‘good enough’ for any man, so I just can’t relate. And I feel Alexa, was doing this specifically because Drew is white and a Pediatric Surgeon. Never mind her own professional accomplishments. Also, the incessant comparisons to white women. His attraction is to her, period. If he wanted another, I’m sure he could find another but he chooses to spend his time with her. No one else should even exist in their relationship. She also has a tendency to overreact.

Drew is funny, sweet, smart but boy he could be obtuse and obnoxious at times. There were instances where Alexa wants and needs serious answers from him and he thinks it’s appropriate to respond with a joke. Also, I don’t know if it was meant to be funny, but he treats his so-called best friend, Carlos, poorly at times. My feelings hurt on his behalf, making me wonder if men really relate to each other like this? He wants to be the center of attention and can sometimes be immature in handling relationships with friends and lovers. Drew needs to grow up a bit and face his feelings head-on and stop running away from commitment.

OVERALL

Despite my grievances about the characters, overall I enjoyed this book. The Wedding Date was my first foray into romance featuring an interracial couple and it was a nice introduction. I’m definitely looking forward to reading more. This book was fun and flirty and its couple had great chemistry and conversation. It was a quick, fun read!

Have you read The Wedding Date or any other novel by Jasmine Guillory? If so please let me know in the comments what you thought!  For more book talk click here and here!

February 2020 Book Haul!

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February 2020 Book Haul

The Bibliophile Chronicles: February 2020 Book Haul!

I’m sharing my February 2020 Book Haul with you all. I’m thanking the stars that I picked up the love of reading from my Mother at a very young age. There is always a book that I’m in the middle of reading. I don’t complete as many books as I’d like to in a month, but I am still constantly reading. Since my focus is shifting to other things like spiritual growth and my journaling YouTube channel, my reading time is limited. But I am still grabbing and buying books that are of interest to me, fiction and non-fiction. Below are the books I bought in February and the summary of them.

Quantum Physics in Minutes by Gemma Lavender

February Book Haul
Quantum Physics is the most fundamental — but also the most baffling — branch of science. Allowing for dead-and-alive cats, teleportation, antimatter, and parallel universes, as well as underpinning all of our digital technology, it’s as important as it is mind-bending. This clear and compact book demystifies the strange and beautiful quantum world, and hence the nature of reality itself.

Contents include Schrodinger’s cat, inside the atom, the particle zoo, the Higgs boson, Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle, God playing dice, relativity, the Big Bang, dark energy and matter, black holes, the fate of the Universe, the Theory of Everything, quantum gravity, string theory, the multiverse, instant communication, quantum computing and cryptography, superconductivity, quantum biology, quantum consciousness, and much more.

Written as a series of mini-essays with 200 simple diagrams to help to understand, there can be no easier guide to this notoriously confusing subject. At last, it’s possible for non-specialists to understand the quantum theory and its central role in the birth of the universe and the very existence of life.

The Chosen by J.R. Ward

The Chosen In The Chosen, Xcor, leader of the Band of Bastards, is convicted of treason against the Blind King.  He is facing a brutal interrogation and torturous death at the hands of the Black Dagger Brotherhood. Yet after a life marked by cruelty and evil deeds, he accepts his soldier’s fate.  His sole regret the loss of a sacred female who was never his: the Chosen Layla.

Layla alone knows the truth that will save Xcor’s life. But revealing his sacrifice and his hidden heritage will expose them both and destroy everything Layla holds dear.  Even her role of mother to her precious young. Torn between love and loyalty, she must summon the courage to stand up against the only family she has for the only man she will ever love. Yet even if Xcor is somehow granted a reprieve, he and Layla would have to confront a graver challenge.  The bridging the chasm that divides their worlds without paving the way for a future of even greater war, desolation, and death.

As a dangerous old enemy returns to Caldwell, and the identity of a new deity is revealed, nothing is certain or safe in the world of the Black Dagger Brotherhood.  Not even true love or destinies that have long seemed set in stone.

Creative Visualization by Shakti Gawain

Creative Visualization

Introduced by Shakti Gawain to more to than seven million readers worldwide.   Creative visualization is the art of using mental imagery to produce positive changes in your life. Gawain’s clear writing style and vivid examples make Creative Visualization easy to read and apply to your personal needs and wants. This groundbreaking work has found enthusiastic followers in every country and language in which it has been published.  Gawain’s simple yet powerful techniques are now used successfully in many diverse fields.  Including health, education, business, sports, and creative arts. Whether you read it for general inspiration and empowerment or to achieve specific goals, Creative Visualization remains a profoundly powerful resource from a uniquely warm and wise teacher.

Sacred Woman: A Guide to Healing the Feminine Body, Mind, and Spirit by Queen Afua

The Sacred Woman

Queen Afua is a nationally renowned herbalist, natural health expert.  She is a dedicated healer of women’s bodies and women’s souls who practices a uniquely Afrocentric spirituality. Her classic bestseller, Heal Thyself, forever changed the way African Americans practice holistic health. Now, with Sacred Woman, she takes us on a transforming journey of physical and ancestral healing.  Written to restore the magnificence of our spirits through sacred initiation.

Queen Afua begins by helping us to discover our unique “womb-an-ness”–and to honor the womb as the center of our consciousness and creativity.  Giving us a twenty-one-day program for womb purification and spirit rejuvenation we are summoned to enter the Nine Gateways of Initiation. She blesses us with the exact tools we need to bring our beings into true harmony with the earth and the cosmos. Through extraordinary meditations, affirmations, and rituals rooted in ancient Egyptian temple teachings we learn how to love and rejoice in our bodies. By spiritualizing the words we speak; the foods we eat; the spaces we live and work in; the beauty we create in our lives; the healing energy we transmit to self and others; the relationships we nurture; the service we offer; and the transcendent woman spirit we manifest.

With love, wisdom, and passion, Queen Afua guides us to accept our mission and our mantle as Sacred Women.  To heal ourselves, the generations of women in our families, our communities, and our world.

 

Book Haul Video

For more book recommendations click here and here!

Currently Watching, Reading, Listening!

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Currently Watching, Reading, Listening!

What’s going on Jreamers? I came here to share with you all what I am currently watching, reading, and listening to for the summer! This summer has been great for entertainment all around.  At least for me and I am ecstatic to share with you what has my attention and why! So let’s jump right in and get started!

Currently Watching

Currently Watching

Euphoria

In my currently watching, reading, listening list, Euphoria is at the top. I actually just finished this series up and I thought it was PHENOMENAL! Zendaya plays 17 year Rue. She is a struggling recovering drug addict who is fresh out of rehab after an overdose. She immediately begins using again and then meets Jules who she is completely enamored with. Though Rue is the central character, we are introduced to a whole host of characters who struggle with their own issues. The events and absolute shenanigans that go on in this show make me wonder what kind of normal ass High School I went to. I mean people had struggles, but I do not remember this level of conflict and strife.

The story is completely entrancing and immediately draws you into these people’s lives. Overall I really enjoyed this show. It is NOT for everyone, but I personally thought it was great and am anxiously awaiting the second season. Also, they just need to go on and run Zendaya her Emmy for her role as Rue. She SLAYED it!

Currently Watching

Pennyworth

This show is a little newer and I just started it. So far there have only been three episodes but I was all in shortly into episode one. Pennyworth follows a young Alfred Pennyworth, most famously known and the mysterious butler of Bruce Wayne aka Batman. Alfred has recently been released from the Army and starts up a security firm. Though he keeps falling into security jobs that aren’t necessarily ideal, he is quite skilled in his new profession. I just love how unassuming and clever this character is and am looking forward to the rest of the series. If you’re into a bit of mystery and some kickassery I’d suggest giving this one a go.

Currently Reading

Currently Reading

I Will Teach You to be Rich

After falling into a few videos on YouTube about people’s books that helped to change their lives I decided to grab this one. I Will Teach You to be Rich by Ramit Sethi was suggested multiple times and one YouTuber I watched even interviewed the author of the book. It is not a get rich quick kind of book. But the author lays out a six-week plan to give you the foundation to get your financial life in order. He doesn’t believe in cutting costs for the things you love but instead gives advice on how to make your money and credit cards work for you instead of against you.

The Six Week Plan:

For Week One: Optimize your credit cards, learn exactly what to say to get overdraft fees waived, and rack up rewards. And Week Two: Set up no-fee, high-interest bank accounts that won’t gouge you. On to Week Three: Open a Roth IRA or a 401(k). Then on Week Four: Learn how to save hundreds of dollars a month and still have enough to buy what you love. For Week Five: Automate your accounts so they work together. And finally Week Six: See how investing is the single most important way to get rich-and create a portfolio of your own.

I’ve just begun this book but I’m looking forward to employing some of the advice to put me in a better financial position now as well as for my future!

The Law and the Promise

I am a huge fan of the wisdom of Neville Goddard and I am constantly re-reading his works. His books and lectures help me to keep my mind focused. I particularly love The Law and the Promise because it’s a book full of stories of how ordinary everyday people put the law into practice and got exactly what they imagined. If you are unfamiliar with Neville and his work, he is an old school mystic who gained notoriety in the 50s and 60s for teaching people how to use their imagination to make their dreams come true.

Know that we are always creating every second of our day. Neville teaches us to consciously create the things we want rather than worry about a problem and create it instead of what we truly want.

“Worry is a misuse of the imagination.” – Dan Zadra

It’s all about the connection between our thoughts and feelings. I have put the law into practice with great results and am astounded every time. So I go back to this book often for guidance and inspiration because I am determined to step into the life I want.

Currently Listening

Currently Listening

No.6 Collaborations Album by Ed Sheeran

Ed Sheeran’s No. 6 Collaborations Album is the collaboration album I never knew I needed! Ed does it again and I am in love with his music and this album. He has a very eclectic mix of artists featured on this new CD and there isn’t one track that I do not like. However, I absolutely have my favorites. I think I feel a lot like Ed as he expresses his feelings of isolation and social awkwardness in tracks like Beautiful People with Khalid

“Surrounded but still alone…”

and I Don’t Care with Justin Beiber.

“Don’t think I fit in at this party…”

And I swear Antisocial with Travis Scott was written about me. I had to be the muse for that track considering these lyrics,

“I’ve been lost out inner space…” because this is me all day long.

Besides the tracks I can relate to there is just some beautiful music on this album. Best Part of Me featuring Yebba is so simple and sweet and Cross Me with Chance the Rapper is so upbeat and fun. The lyrics in that one had me cracking up. I could go on and on about this cd, but I’ll end it by saying my absolute favorite track on the album is Put it all on Me Featuring Ella Mai. What an incredible song. The honesty and vulnerability of the lyrics just touch my soul. I absolutely feel these lyrics,

“I try to be strong, but I got demons so can I lean on you I need a strong heart and a soft touch, and ya the one when I want love.”

Just all damn year YES! I will be playing this album for years to come. This is not just a summer jam!

Summertime Entertainment

So that’s what I’ve been currently watching, reading, and listening to.  I can’t be the only one enchanted with entertainment this summer so tell me all the things you all have been enjoying this summer! You can also check out the video here. Hope everyone is having a great summer and loving and engaging in all forms of entertainment!

For another book recommendation you can check out this post, and this one if you’re looking for another show recommendation!