Wellness Wednesday: Play to Your Strengths

Posted on June 2, 2010 by Elizabeth Cordes, D.O.

juggle-earth1 Each of us is something of a schizophrenic personality, tragically divided against ourselves. ~Martin Luther King, Jr., Strength to Love, 1963

Women are wonderful and peculiar creatures. Despite unprecedented opportunities in all spheres of daily living, women are becoming increasingly unhappy, less satisfied, and less fulfilled in their lives. We got lost on the path to “having it all” when we believed that the only way to do so was to be perfectly balanced and accomplished in all areas: wife, mother, career, civic, and social. Because of this distorted belief, women have experienced unnecessary feelings of failure, self-doubt, and shame. When presented with an assessment of strengths and weaknesses, most women will immediately look to remediate their weakness instead of looking to use their strengths to their advantage. While this approach may be the proper path to becoming “balanced”, it is unlikely to lead to happiness or contentment. The answer might be found in becoming strategically unbalanced; that is, by shifting our lives more heavily to our areas of strength.
In his book, Find Your Strongest Life, Mr. Buckingham provides a different model for “having it all” (defined as “drawing enough strength from life to feel fulfilled, loved, successful, and in control) then provides a set of different “Strength” based tactics to accomplish this. He utilizes an online strength assessment to help determine “the role you were born to play.” (www.stronglifetest.com) Overall, this book is very accessible, addresses numerous real-life situations faced by today’s women, and provides workable solutions and suggestions for all. The shift in focus from “Balance” to “Fullness” by focusing on “capturing moments that bring strength” feels both intuitive and empowering. This book will be beneficial for all women who are stuck in the search for “elusive perfection” amid the bounty of choices available to us.
What areas of your life make you feel strong? What could you do to capitalize more fully on your strengths?

You Can Heal Your Life

Posted on July 10, 2008 by malenalott

You Can Heal Your Life by Louise L. Hay

First line: “Life is really very simple. What we give out, we get back.”

I don’t doubt that metaphysics is real. It’s not about religion or even spirituality, though you could easily connect all the dots if you so wish. Hay’s philosophy espouses letting go of the past, loving ourselves, daily affirmations and other exercises to heal your life from the inside out. Including dis-eases. For those who believe in the mind/body/spirit connection, this will make sense, even if you may not feel comfortable at first looking in the mirror and telling yourself how fabulous you are, even when you are in physical or emotional pain. It’s not about ego, but about acceptance and positive results from positive thinking. While I’m not sure “holding on to the garbage of your past” can cause anal fistula and hemorrhoids, letting go of the past, with a nice glop of Preparation H, couldn’t hurt. Unfortunately, as we age we let the good mood of our youth sour, and tend to complain about the aches and pains instead of embrace the joy of the every day. For that reason alone, the book is worth the read.

For: Healing your life through new thought patterns.-Malena Lott

Buy it at Amazon.

Up for Renewal

Posted on July 8, 2008 by malenalott

Up for Renewal: What Magazines Taught Me About Love, Sex, and Starting Over by Cathy Alter

First line: “The noise was overwhelming.”

It’s a hard knock life for a single girl in her late thirties. Alter decided to do something about it, and found advice not on a therapist’s couch, but screaming out from the cover of magazines. How to Get A Man and Keep Him, How to Be Thin, How to Get the Room of Your Dreams. What are magazines, really, but calling cards for a better, glossier life? She pledged to take the advice of a set of magazines, Glamour, Real Simple, In Style, O the Oprah Magazine, among others, and do whatever the mags told her within a given monthly goal, including better health, adventure, sex and so on. Not only is the premise catchy, but Alter delivers on witty, well-written prose that doesn’t pull any punches. In real life she may suffer from a bad case of TMI, but in the pages of a book about magazines, we’d expect no less than some scandalous dirt on her life.

For: Self-help and magazine junkies who’ve wondered if you can really improve your life for the cost of a subscription. – Malena Lott

Buy it at Amazon.

More Notes from the Universe

Posted on June 13, 2008 by malenalott

More Notes from the Universe by Mike Dooley

First line: ”So-o-o-o-o-o-…How’s it going down on earth?”

Dooley-as-Universe (aka God) speaks to us in a playful, uplifting manner that, well, we might expect from a kind doting-dad sort of God figure. These mostly one-paragraph, one-pagers are little reminders about being who you are, loving yourself, not beating yourself up (or others) and reaching for the stars, because, according to the Universe, it’s yours for the taking. Dooley was featured in The Secret, and if you’ll remember the premise of that worldwide bestseller, it was basically, ask and you shall receive. Whether or not you believe in the “secret”, these humorous notes from beyond do wonders for the spirit. Most of them sound like messages my grandmother who raised me would have said. I think we all need more positive post-its, don’t you?

For: Feel good advice on days you do and you don’t really need that extra nudge. – Malena Lott

Buy it at Amazon.