Audible Book Review: Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill (Original Classic Edition)

 

Up until the moment when I sat down to write this review, I didn't realize the Audible version I downloaded was the Original Classic Edition of Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill. What readers should be aware of is that some of the material may not be suitable for or may be offensive to a modern audience. If you are looking for the updated version, they have it available in paperback. 

In this classic, bestselling personal development book, Hill shares his steps to riches, also widely known as his Principles of Personal Achievement. Using real life examples like Andrew Carnegie, Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, Benjamin Franklin, and Edward C. Barnes, Hill shares the importance of setting a goal and using autosuggestion to influence your mind, along with ways to put your desires into action. Hill discusses the importance of removing negative thoughts, avoiding evil, and how to outwit fear.

Having read the Original Classic Edition, I certainly want to take out the paperback version that I own and read the updated one, using it alongside the workbook I have. Hill's philosophy was revolutionary at the time and inspired a variety of future life and business coaches in one way or another. 

They made a movie from the book titled, Think and Grow Rich: The Legacy. While I haven't watched the whole movie yet, I've seen clips. This clip might best explain what you can expect from Hill: 

If you are looking to embrace how positive thinking, goal setting, and the application of Hill's Principles of Personal Achievement can work in your life, start by reading Think and Grow Rich.

Product Details

• Unabridged Audiobook
• Language: English
• Publisher: Gildan Media, LLC

This review contains my honest opinions, which I have not been compensated for in any way.

Blogging from A to Z 2022 - Unbeatable, Unlimited, & Unwavering

Welcome to Day 21 of the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge (2022) I will be discussing topics of interest to those who identify as women this year. The Book Connection is lucky number 78 in a list of more than 140 bloggers who are participating in 2022. I encourage you to check out the list and visit other blogs with topics of interest. 

UNBEATABLE, UNLIMITED, & UNWAVERING

The word "unbeatable" might make one think of champions; athletic champions, social rights champions, or academic champions. I like to use it in another way. When I don't let something get me down, I'm unbeatable. When I keep on plugging away despite the odds, I'm unbeatable. When someone tells me I can't and I decide to show them I can, I'm unbeatable. Some call that persistence. Some call that wherewithal. Some probably call it crazy. I just can't be any other way.

Unlimited thinking helps us achieve our goals. If instead of putting obstacles in our way or determining before we get started the reasons we can't accomplish a task, how about being open to dreaming big and envisioning ourselves achieving our goals? Sounds easy, but it's not. We have to take it in baby steps, but the more we do it, the more it will become habit for us.

Unwavering support is important to all of us. It is so much easier to face life when we know we have support along the way. Whether it be from family, friends, or colleagues, that unwavering support helps us succeed and push beyond our comfort zone.

In what ways are you unbeatable? How can you use unlimited thinking to achieve a goal? Who offers you unwavering support?

Blogging from A to Z 2022 - Energy

Welcome to Day 5 of the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge (2022) I will be discussing topics of interest to those who identify as women this year. The Book Connection is lucky number 78 in a list of more than 140 bloggers who are participating in 2022. I encourage you to check out the list and visit other blogs with topics of interest.

ENERGY

There are two types of energy--positive energy and negative energy. One is productive and beneficial. The other is self-limiting and creates stress. Now, we all know stress can create nasty problems we don't want: headaches, fatigue, muscle pain, and sleep problems to name a few. 

This recent article from Verywell Mind talks about ways to create positive energy in your life. Coupled with that, you need to eliminate negative thoughts and habits. So much easier said than done, but an important piece of the puzzle. 

One negative habit I'm working on is letting go of the past. I have the memory of an elephant. I recall so many past offenses and mistakes. Remembering them, however, serves no purpose. Allowing myself to experience the freedom of forgiving others and myself will help me learn and grow as a person. 

There are other ways to bring positive energy into your life. MindValley talks about them here. One of the most inspiring places for me is the ocean, which I find hilarious since I'm afraid of water and drowning. There is something so refreshing and peaceful about walking with your feet in the soft sand or listening to the waves crash into the shore. I can't seem to find that peace anywhere else. 

What are some ways you bring positive energy into your life? Where is your favorite place for inspiration and peace? 

Book Spotlight: Next Year in Jerusalem! by Dr. Barbara Becker Holstein

You may be wondering why I chose the title Next Year in Jerusalem! for my new novel.

Why not Forbidden Romance or Romantic Travel or Spiritual Awakenings or Lust, Memories and Old Friends on Facebook? After all Natalie and Maggie are two women, both caught up in issues that many of us face: a somewhat dull but faithful husband; a bad marriage leading finally to a divorce; a desire for adventure; unsatisfied spiritual longings. They have a great friendship with each other, something research keeps confirming, keeps us young and emotionally happy, but life is far from easy for either women.
So again, why would I focus on a strange title that comes out of a book written thousands of years ago?

Here is one of the reasons. Next Year in Jerusalem! is actually a phrase that shows up at the end of the Haggadah. Those of you who are not Jewish may wonder what that is. The Haggadah is a book that the Jews have used for thousands of years to celebrate and relive the Passover experience. Many people know that the central theme of the story is how the Jews, who were slaves in Egypt, were finally able to escape and began their long journey of 40 years to get to the promised Land, which was Israel. However, what a lot of people don’t realize is that this theme is universal and can be taken metaphorically for all of us. That is why when the Haggadah ends with the fourth glass of wine being drunk, and the words, Next Year in Jerusalem! the phrase becomes so significant.

Read an excerpt!

Natalie didn’t tell David (her husband)about her other dream, the one about Jack, the Jewish fellow from Chicago who’d been around to save her from despair after she decided she wasn’t moving to Iraq. A diamond salesman, Jack now lived in London and traveled back and forth to Israel all the time.

Natalie prided herself on staying in touch with lots of people from her past. Jack was one of them. Occasionally they e-mailed and he’d friended her on Facebook two years ago. Although they hadn’t written recently, if he read her Facebook page he would know she was going to Jerusalem. What if he tried to see her? What if there was still an attraction? Would she tell David? Would he care? Would she act out?

Her life with David was so good and stable and predictable. And boring!

Did I just say boring?

No, she must have meant solid. Or did she mean solid?

Oh, I’m a wreck. I’m miserable and I can’t sleep, she continued to obsess. What about that cute secretary at the college? The one who has a sparkle in her eye whenever she talks to David? How old is she? Forty-two? Divorced and sexy. How would I know if something’s going on there?

I’m going crazy lying here, she began again. Where’s the Xanax? Already packed. Oh, that was dumb.

Purchase Next Year in Jerusalem at Amazon!

Dr. Barbara Becker Holstein, internationally known positive psychologist, inspires thousands with her ENCHANTED SELF®. Around the world people benefit from her techniques to enhance well-being, and to live up to their potential. Known for her ability to make complex psychological concepts easy to understand and to implement, she has now turned her talents to novel writing. “A great fiction read is a great escape, and yet, it is more! It is the gateway to new ways of thinking and behaving.”

Dr. Holstein received her Doctorate in Education from Boston University and her BA degree from Barnard College. Dr. Holstein has been a school psychologist and taught first and second grades. She is in private practice with her husband, Dr. Russell M. Holstein, in Long Branch, New Jersey. Find her at www.enchantedself.com and www.next-year-in-jerusalem.com.


Her previous books include:
THE ENCHANTED SELF, A Positive Therapy
Recipes for Enchantment, The Secret Ingredient is YOU!
The Truth (I’m a girl, I’m smart and I know everything)
Seven Gateways to Happiness: Freeing Your Enchanted Self.

Guest Blogger: How to Improve Your Relationships with Wise Speech by Dr. Ron Alexander, Author of Wise Mind, Open Mind

Today's guest blogger is Dr. Ron Alexander, author of Wise Mind, Open Mind: Finding Purpose & Meaning in Times of Crisis, Loss & Change.

In his groundbreaking book, Wise Mind, Open Mind pioneering psychotherapist, Dr. Ronald Alexander shares his innovative program for using mindfulness meditation, creative thinking, and positive psychology to transform times of crisis or change into opportunities for greater personal awareness, clarity, and creativity. His original three-step plan includes, learning to let go of resistance to change, learning to tune in to your soul’s deep wisdom or core creativity; and then learning how to move forward based on your newly acquired insight.


How to Improve Your Relationships with Wise Speech


Adapted from Dr. Ronald Alexander’s new book, Wise Mind, Open Mind: Finding Purpose and Meaning in Times of Crisis, Loss, and Change (New Harbinger Publications, 2009)

Recently there has been a great deal of media focus on Mel Gibson’s abusive outbursts against his girlfriend. As a psychotherapist working with couples and families I know that there are always two sides in any relationship although no one has the right to verbally or physically attack another individual. Even though directing angry and hurtful words at another is not necessarily life threatening the emotional wounds they create can be just as deep as physical abuse.

From both a Buddhist (non violent) and a healthy psychological view, if you have an unwholesome intention and are consciously choosing to manipulate or hurt others, you’re limiting your own capacity for change and stunting the creative unfolding of your own life. Your energy is being wasted on the futile effort of trying to force the external world to conform to your vision. The mental and emotional effort required to maintain these actions is enormous. Having wise intention is more than merely ethical; it’s necessary for psychological well-being and clear thinking.

The greater our facility with language, the more tempting it can be to try to control situations through our words. Insults and sarcasm can dominate and intimidate others, and someone who’s very verbally gifted may use these techniques to manipulate others in a subtle or not-so-subtle way. Gossip unfairly gives us power over others. Left-handed compliments designed to make someone doubt himself and feel weak, or carefully constructed insults designed to humiliate another person while preventing him from recognizing that he’s being ridiculed publicly, are common weapons in the arsenal of one who doesn’t exercise wise speech.

Wise speech requires mindful attention to the power of your words and the messages underneath them. Recognize that your tone of voice, facial expression, and body language matter, and drop any defensiveness that arises in you when someone points out the discrepancy between the literal meaning of your words and the message you’re sending with your eyes, crossed arms, or disrespectful tone.

Direct, honest communication even if it’s uncomfortable is vital if you want to have more productive and respectful conversations. Often, I’ve counseled executives who had no idea just how intimidating or disrespectful they were when speaking to employees. When in a panic, they tended to respond with aggressive speech meant to frighten others into changing their behavior in order to placate upper management. This approach shuts down productive communication, reducing the manager’s ability to see the larger picture, make better decisions, and effectively influence his or her team. Good leaders carefully hone what they say, mindfully expressing themselves.

When we cultivate wise speech, we don’t fear saying something wrong. However, we’re more attuned to the quality of our words and their effect on others. We speak up and say, “You seem upset by what I just said. Have I hurt your feelings?” inviting the other person to let go of his suffering. Wise speech fosters good relationships and partnerships and prevents future crises.

Sometimes, we should speak up in order to influence someone to change, but wise speech requires that we do so kindly and respectfully. Although it may seem well meaning, being blunt or tactless with another is unkind and usually motivated not by a genuine desire to help that person but by the need to feel superior and be intimidating. Wise speech is gentle, never cruel or harsh. It enhances the situation by inviting everyone to improve it instead of shutting down the communication process.

To speak the truth respectfully, you must let go of your desire to pressure others into doing what you want. At some point, you may discern that no matter how often you say the same thing with kindness, honesty, and compassion, you’ll never affect the other person the way you’d like. Part of wise speech is letting go of your attachment to having your words change the way others think, feel, or behave.

But not only do we need to be conscious of the words we say to others but also the ones we direct at ourselves. Despite their popularity in our culture, cynicism and pessimism have been shown to be poor tools for creating a sense of well-being, although they may provide an illusory sense of power for a short time. The cynic who claims, “I know the system isn’t set up to allow people like me to achieve my goals,” isn’t empowered but trapped in an unwholesome state of mind where his only choices are anger, sadness, and other unwholesome emotions. There can be no true joy or contentment in believing that what lies ahead will, in all certainty, generate more suffering.

Often people who are verbally abusive have the personality diseases of insecurity, inferiority, helplessness and hopelessness. When I’m coaching or counseling my clients I teach them is how to become mindfully aware of their unwholesome emotions so instead of being completely immersed in an experience that they’re unwittingly manipulating, they’ll experience a sense, however fleeting, that they’re doing something unwholesome. An uncomfortable thought such as, “I’m trying to make him feel guilty so that he does what I want him to,” or “I ought to let her know that I disagree, but it’s easier for me to say yes and work behind her back to do what I really want” may arise. Instead of quickly dismissing it, they allow themselves to experience any guilt or shame that arises. Then they consciously and bravely explore why they feel the need to resort to manipulation and control. This discovery process gives them the strength to accept the situation exactly as it is, even if they don’t like it, and use positive means to influence it for the better.

Wise speech has nothing to do with how cleverly we can use words to hurt or intimidate others and establish our power. It requires speaking with honesty and respect for the listener and ourselves, and trusting that a wholesome interaction will lead to a positive outcome.

Ronald Alexander, Ph.D. is the author of the widely acclaimed book, Wise Mind, Open Mind: Finding Purpose and Meaning in Times of Crisis, Loss, and Change. He is the director of the OpenMind Training® Institute, practices mindfulness-based mind-body psychotherapy and leadership coaching in Santa Monica, CA, for individuals and corporate clients. He has taught personal and clinical training groups for professionals in Integral Psychotherapy, Ericksonian mind-body healing therapies, mindfulness meditation, and positive psychology nationally and internationally since 1970. (www.openmindtraining.com). For full details about the Wise Mind, Open Mind virtual blog tour, visit http://bookpromotionservices.com/2010/09/08/wise-mind-open-mind-ronald-alexander/

Alphatudes by Michele Wahlder - Book Review and Giveaway

We hear a lot about positive thinking these days. But how easy is it to focus on the positive? What tools are available that can help you make a permanent change toward thinking positive?

A good place to start is Alphatudes: The Alphabet of Gratitude by Michele Wahlder.

Alphatudes uses the alphabet to provide readers with simple ways to focus on the positive. From acceptance to laughter, and from passion to voice, this book will give you twenty-six easy ways to discover the secret of gratitude.

This distinctively sized book (7.7 x 7.4 x 0.5 inches) is the perfect gift for a loved one, friend, or graduate. It is also a wonderful gift for you if you're serious about living a life that focuses on the positives.

It also comes with a free download of "Grace and Gratitude" by Olivia Newton John.

Discover Alphatudes and you'll learn how to have an "attitude of gratitude".

Read the Reviews of Alphatudes: The Alphabet of Gratitude!

“I really loved this book. Its presentation is so simple and it drew me in immediately. Then I began reading the many alphatudes and realized how valuable they can be to one’s daily life, helping anyone keep focused on truth and life itself. It’s a must on everyone’s bookshelf.” – James Twyman, best-selling author of The Moses Code

“Alphatudes: The Alphabet of Gratitude demonstrates just how easy it really is to count your blessings. This book provides a fun and practical method for increasing your awareness of the many opportunities for gratitude that exist in your life right now.” —Mike Robbins, author of Focus on the Good Stuff

“Michele Wahlder has created a practical and delightful method for opening the heart to the joy and benefits of gratitude. Whether in the simplest experiences of everyday life or in the most elevated spiritual encounters, it is up to us to choose to find the good, and then to turn our hearts to that gift in gratitude. Alphatudes shows us how to accomplish that in a systematic way that solidly roots the attitude of gratitude in the depths of consciousness and soul. This book is a gift to all who would lift and open their hearts to the blessings concealed within.”
—Alan Morinis, author of Everyday Holiness & founder of The Mussar Institute



Michele Wahlder, MS, LPC, PCC, is an internationally recognized life coach, career counselor, speaker and gratitude enthusiast. She is the founder of Life Possibilities, LLC, a company that champions people to become the highest vision they hold for themselves in their lives, careers and relationships through the vehicles of coaching, seminars and books.

Wahlder delights in helping her clients discover their strengths, passions and purpose so that their outer lives authentically reflect their hearts’ desires. She has worked with numerous organizations, including Match.com, Fitness magazine, Lucent Technologies and Girls, Inc., to improve individual performance and organizational effectiveness.

Wahlder is a popular guest on television and radio, including WFAA-TV’s Good Morning Texas, KDAF-TV’s The 33 News and CBS and CNN Radio. Wahlder received a bachelor’s degree in Communications from Tulane University, holds a master’s degree in Counseling Education from Texas Woman’s University, is licensed by the state of Texas as a Licensed Professional Counselor and is certified through the International Coach Federation as a Professional Certified Coach. She has been honored as the Global Career Spokesperson for Bayer’s Global MS Awareness Campaign.

Wahlder understands firsthand the challenges associated with surviving a life-threatening illness and has allowed the experience to make her a stronger, more compassionate and grateful person. She continues to volunteer for several nonprofit organizations that offer adults and children opportunities to enhance their lives and pursue their dreams. A native of Alexandria, Louisiana, Michele Wahlder lives in Dallas, TX, with her fiancé Michael, “bonus daughter” Zoe, and Portuguese water dog Moses.

You can visit Michele online at http://www.lifepossibilities.com/ and http://www.alphatudes.com/



Here's how to enter to win 1 of 2 copies of Alphatudes?


1) Mandatory: Follow this blog or let us know you are already a follower. Comment must include a working email address so that we can contact you if you win.

2) Get three additional entries for blogging about this contest. Leave a comment (with link) here telling us where you blogged about it.

3) Get two additional entries for tweeting about this contest. Don't forget to let us know here that you tweeted and leave us a link.

4) Get two additional entries for posting about this contest on Facebook. Leave us a link here.

This giveaway will run from today until 11:59 p.m.(Eastern) on March 31st. A winner will be announced in early April.

This contest is open to all residents of the United States and Canada.

Recipes for Enchantment: The Secret Ingredient is YOU! by Dr. Barbara Becker Holstein--Book Review

A series of entertaining and thought-provoking stories awaits you in Recipes for Enchantment: The Secret Ingredient is YOU! by Dr. Barbara Becker Holstein.

This book of short stories reminds me once again why I enjoy Dr. Barbara's books. All of these stories focus on the positive aspects of life, inspiring you to do the same. You'll meet Joey, a young cancer patient whose attitude and perception of events help him to believe he'll be well again. Then there's Mr. Diamond who completed his circle of life by returning to the city he once had to flee. Read how Bernadette Hoyer's memory of a childhood pet reminded her of a great act of love from the father she had lost. And meet The Mysterious Rabbi who shows the meaning of serving others. With contributions from Bernice Becker, Leslie Brittman, Emily Doherty, Bernadette Hoyer, Doreen Laperdon-Addison, Sherri Rosen, Ellen Saposnik, Sylvia Schultz Margolin, Tzvia Singer, and Claire Wintram this story collection will find you feeling better about your life and motivated to keep finding the positive side of things.

Dr. Barbara also provides commentary after each story, exercises, and discussion questions to help you make the change toward a more positive way of life.

If you long to change your point of view, if you want to find more joy in everyday living, if you seek a life filled with ENCHANTED MOMENTS, you'll want to read Recipes for Enchantment!


Title: Recipes for Enchantment: The Secret Ingredient is YOU!
Author: Dr. Barbara Becker Holstein
Publisher: The Enchanted Self
ISBN: 1-58820-362-X
U.S. Price: $14.95

Look for my reviews of other titles by Dr. Barbara: The Truth, the Girl's and Mom's edition of The Truth, and Delight. You'll also find my 2007 interview with Dr. Barbara here.

Delight by Dr. Barbara Becker Holstein--Book Review

More than just a collection of stories celebrating Jewish traditions. More than the personal reflections of a woman seeking to fill a void. Delight is a journey to enlightenment that you'll never forget.

In this book by Positive Psychologist Dr. Barbara Becker Holstein, women can find a way to celebrate life in a meaningful way. Holstein takes readers along on a journey from her lack of involvement in the Jewish faith to her complete commitment as a member of the Judaic tribe, sharing with readers the delight she discovered in the revelation that we are all connected. And at the end of a story, Holstein draws readers into her discovery by providing them musings, ponderings, and reflections on how they, too, can discover delight.

When I read the back cover of this book I immediately grew concerned. What did a book about Jewish traditions have to do with me? Could a woman with little knowledge of Judaism and its traditions relate to any experience within its pages?

Delight had everything to do with me. And yes, I could relate--totally.

Dr. Holstein speaks with candor about what set her upon this journey, her fears, her insecurities, and how these experiences helped her to understand about the connection we have to each other. The ponderings, musings, and reflections after these stories allow the reader to fully grasp the message being relayed and provide an opportunity for her to practice learning how to find delight.

If you are seeking a way to find joy like you've never known, you must read Delight. It will help nourish your mind, body, and spirit in ways you might not expect.


Title: Delight
Author: Dr. Barbara Becker Holstein
Publisher: AuthorHouse
ISBN: 1-4208-2554-2 (sc)
U.S. Price: $11.95

If you liked reading about this title, you might enjoy my review of another book by Dr. Barbara, The Truth, My Secret Diary, I'm Ten, I'm Smart, And I Know Everything, which can be found at http://thebookconnectionccm.blogspot.com/2007/08/truth-by-dr-barbara-becker-holstein.html

Positive Psychologist and Author, Dr. Barbara Holstein Talks about The TRUTH

We're going to start August off with a bang. Dr. Barbara Becker Holstein, Ed. D, just released a new book in June titled THE TRUTH, My Secret Diary, I'm Ten, I'm Smart, and I Know Everything. Dr. Holstein is a leading positive psychologist who focuses on helping women to be happy, and live meaningful, purposeful lives by reclaiming their talents, strengths, and even lost potential. In addition to her private practice, she conducts seminars, lectures, tele-classes and workshops, and appears on radio and television. Dr. Holstein will chat with us about this book and her work as a positive psychologist.

Welcome to The Book Connection Dr. Holstein. It is a distinct pleasure to have this chance to speak with you.

I'm thrilled to join you.

Let's start off by getting to know you better. Can you tell us a bit about yourself and your work?

I am a Positive Psychologist in private practice in New Jersey. I've had a practice, shared with my husband, Dr. Russell Holstein for 25 years. I've also been a school psychologist, and I taught 1st and 2nd grades. On a personal note, I love mystery stories, laughing, being with people who are interesting and pleasant, eating great food and meeting strangers. I am really passionate about helping women led better, happier lives.

What is a positive psychologist?

A positive psychologist focuses on, along with treating a person's problems, talents, potential, and resilience in the client. A positive psychologist is eager to strengthen a person's sense of hope and optimism and is looking often at what is right about the person rather than what is wrong.

Are they different from other psychologists?

Yes, in the sense that many psychologists have been trained to look for pathology and treat it. Positive Psychology augments and broadens that position in the treatment room.

How would people go about finding a positive psychologist if they needed one?

I would suggest calling the American Psychological Association in Washington, D. C. or the state psychological agency in the state you live in. They will have names.

Your first book (The Enchanted Self, A Positive Therapy) was published in 1997. What made you begin writing self-help books?

When I had my 'aha' moment examining the answers women gave me to my case study questionnaire about growing up and the messages that linger in us as adult women, I knew I had to write a self-help book. I just couldn't sit quietly on the truth I had discovered. That truth was that women have so much more capacity for happiness, positive states of being and joy than we recognize in ourselves or that society recognizes and/or reinforces. I realized that unless I took my discovery public I would be part of the cycle, already hundreds of years old, of not giving women all the information that they needed about themselves. I couldn't do that! I had to share and I called what I discovered and how to find it in yourself, THE ENCHANTED SELF(R).

Ten years later, you have four published books, a radio program, a wide-read e-radio magazine, and you appear on television in New York and New Jersey. Why do you think positive psychology is so popular and necessary in today's society?

We live in a very negative culture in terms of what we hear on the news. We also live in a culture geared to externals rather than the internal parts of ourselves. Positive Psychology helps people to find what is best about themselves from the inside out, not the outside in. When we work with who we really are and we don't get caught up in externals values such as how thin we are, we have a chance for true happiness and to really live lives of meaning.

Let's talk about THE TRUTH, My Secret Diary, I'm Ten, I'm Smart, and I Know Everything. Can you tell us what this book is about?

My new book, THE TRUTH, My Secret Diary, I'm Ten, I'm Smart and I Know Everything, is a delightful, humorous secret diary, written by a girl who is 10-11 years of age. She is wise and yet so innocent. She makes us cry and laugh and remember ourselves. Behind this very easy read is the psychological message to the women reading THE TRUTH that they can and must recapture the fire and passion of their girlhoods not only for themselves to flourish and be happy, but for the next generation to also have the gifts of good emotional and spiritual health.

Women love the book and so do girls, ages 10-14. Women find it a pure delight-a hot fudge sundae with a secret message inside and no weight gain, while girls recognize themselves and finally feel totally understood.

With everything you've done and written about in your previous books and articles, why did you feel inspired to write THE TRUTH?

I felt complelled to write THE TRUTH because women do have an unique path back to happiness that has been sorely overlooked. That path is themselves and in particular, the parts of themselves that had sparks of energy, enthusiasm and wisdom way back into childhood. Here's how I put it:

THE TRUTH... how do we carry the truth from girlhood to adulthood? That priceless 'truth' that we all recognize as kids? How do we walk over that bridge into growing up, carrying the Truth? Remember that truth? It was filled with an appreciation for affection, a capacity for humor, a love of new adventures, a delight in just being alive. It recognized wisdom and what was right as well as what was wrong. How do we recognize THE TRUTH in our children and help them carry their most precious selves into adulthood?

What if we could pass the gift of our early wisdom and brilliance along to our children, giving them permission to hold on to their most precious jewels. What if we can rekindle it in ourselves so that we are filled with passion and energy?

You've taken a unique approach with THE TRUTH, using the diary of a ten-year-old girl to share an important message with your readers. Why did you choose this format?

Because it was through 'the girl's' voice that I could most honestly portray what I was trying to recapture and to ignite in the reader.

As I read the excerpts of THE TRUTH, I was laughing just thinking about my own childhood and what it will be like to watch my daughters grow up. How important was the ingredient of humor in this book? How did you manage to weave in the message you want your readers to take from this book while keeping it a light and easy read?

Humor was very important. We have to be able to laugh at ourselves and yet at the same time have compassion for all our adventures and misadventures.

As far as how did I weave in the message, I just let 'the girl' come alive. She really did become her own beacon of light and she lead the way as the book developed as to what she would be sharing with us and in what form.

If you had to describe THE TRUTH in only one sentence, what would it be?

THE TRUTH, I'm Ten, I'm Smart and I Know Everything! is a fun read in which you laugh, cry, identify with the girl and learn once again how to have fun, enjoy the delights of life, be honest, and best of all find yourself again in a marvelous way that can be enjoyed by all--including your kids.

Should we expect more books from you in the future? Are there any writing projects you are currently working on?

Yes, defiantly expect more books. I'm already more than half way through the sequel to this book in which the girl becomes 12-14 and boy does she still have a lot to say and to teach us!

Is there anything else you would like to add?

Just that I am so eager for mothers and daughters to read this book and can't wait for your reactions. Please feel free to write to me at drbarbara@enchantedself.com

I thank you for joining us today Dr. Holstein. THE TRUTH sounds like a book everyone should read. I wish you continued success and much happiness in the future.

Thanks so much. I loved talking to you!

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