The One Minute Coach by Masha Malka

Remember the song – “What a Difference a Day Makes”? If a day can make a big difference, is a minute helpful. What can you actually accomplish in a minute? You may think the answer is “not much”, but I’m here to tell you that you can accomplish plenty in a minute… with Masha Malka’s new book “The One Minute Coach”. Get ready to turn your life around in a minute.

We all have very busy lives and we know how hard it is to work anything else into our schedule. I sympathize with the lack of time. However, can you find a couple of minutes in your day? Some people will find time at breakfast, on the train to work, in the restroom or some other place. The location doesn’t matter – the important thing is to find a few minutes.

This book is set up in a layout that I’ve really come to appreciate. Masha gave you a series of short points and then action steps to help you actually move forward and to make a difference in your life. Each chapter contains a series of these points.

There are over 50 points and over 50 action steps in this book – so literally, there is something for everyone. She discusses the topics listed below.

• Freedom to be Who You Are
• The Secrets of People Who Are Successful
• Why Do We Suffer?
• The Secret to a Great Life
• Are You a Natural Leader?
• Time Management and Decision Making
• The Best Source of Wealth
• Is It Ever Too late?
  

To give you some examples of the talking points in the book, I’ll share some of my favorite sections.

• Freedom to be who you are – “Don’t say if I could I would. Say instead, If I can, I will.” - Jim Rohn.
• The Secrets of people who are successful – “Successful people make a habit of doing what the failing person doesn’t like to do.” - Thomas Edison .
• The most important ingredient to your success – “Calm self confidence is as far from conceit as the desire to earn a decent living is remote from greed.” – Channing Pollock.
• Are you guilty? – “Lack of forgiveness causes almost all of our self-sabotaging behavior.” – Mark Victor Hansen.
• How much do you love yourself? – Let’s talk about LOVE. More specifically, I would like to focus on self love. Why? Because you cannot give more than you have – in order to give and receive love, you have to first love yourself.
• Using words with good purpose. – Did you know that you can positively transform your environment just by changing the words that you use?
• Personal satisfaction at work – “We can change our lives. We can do, have and be exactly what we wish.” – Anthony Robbins.
• How much do you rely on logic? Do you make your decisions using mainly your logic or your intuition?
• Produce the results you are looking for – “The definition of insanity is doing the same things over and over again and expecting different results.” – Albert Einstein.
• What did you miss out on today? “If a man empties his purse into his head, no man can take it away from him. An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest.” Benjamin Franklin.
• The power of questions – “The quality of our lives is closely related to the quality of our questions.” – Michael Angier.
• Ask and you will receive – “Quality questions create a quality life. Successful people ask better questions and as a result, the get better answers.” Anthony Robbins.
• Excellence is not an act, but a habit – “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit.” Aristotle.
• Can one person change the world? – “You are where you are and what you are because of what you believe yourself to be. Change your beliefs and you change your reality.” Brian Tracy.
  

Each of these headings and sayings begin a two page section of the book. There is one page that gives an in depth explanation of the saying on the left page. On the right page, you see “action steps”. These action steps are included to help you see how to apply these principles in your life. It is very possible to change your life to make it better and you can change your life, once minute at a time.

I highly recommend this book. It is only about 130 pages, but it is packed with so many great thoughts and recommendations about how to get your life on track and how to excel. Like Brian Tracy said – we are each responsible for where we are in our lives and that means that we are the ones who have to put forth the effort to make a change.

In this day and time, there are many people who are facing trying times, but it is amazing how we can change our reality and our future by applying the points Masha Malka gives us in this power packed book. Newscasters keep telling us that we are in the worst financial situation in over 70 years, unemployment is soaring and the future looks very unsure – but if we make the most of our life, that is a great step in the right direction. Let Masha Malka show you how to start on the path to a more happy and successful life – one minute at a time.

The Freedom Formula by Christine Klosser

The Freedom Formula: How to Put Soul in Your Business and Money in Your Bank by Christine Klosser. Are you an entrepreneur who wants to include a spiritual element and attitude to your business? This is the book for you. Some people feel that you can’t run a “spiritual” business and make money, but Christine Klosser feels that it can be done. She also focuses on being a “conscious” entrepreneur. Do you run your business with a higher and more focused consciousness?

This is the freedom formula – (S+C+D+I) x E = F

That stands for – Soul + Connection +Design + Implementation x Energy = Freedom

How many of these elements do you use in your business?When we talk about the “soul” of your business – we’re talking about YOU. The person who “birthed” the business is the soul of the business – it’s your baby. We often say that we put our heart and soul into building our businesses, but Klosser takes it further in her book.

There are four components to a conscious business.

1. A Conscious Business Makes Money – It may be hard for some people to believe, but you can look out for your clients and still make money. We don’t have to sacrifice our lives and our needs to succeed. Both aspects are desirable and we can build a successful business that treats clients well and allows the owner to have a life.
2. A Conscious Business Makes a Difference – A conscious business should make a difference in the lives of others. Don’t just treat them well, but actually make a positive difference in their lives. This doesn’t mean that you have to be a doctor to make a difference. Do you offer a product or service that makes their life easier or that makes their life more enjoyable? These are ways to make a difference in their lives. Another aspect of this is knowing when you should refer the client to someone else. Do you know another business person that is better qualified to serve them? Then you should make the referral. Think about it like this – if you need to compromise what you think is right to make the customer happy, they aren’t right for you. Be true to yourself.
3. A Conscious Business Calls You to Be Fully Who You Are – Can you be true to yourself and not hide parts of your personality in your business? This is the sign of a conscious business. Being true to yourself and using every aspect of yourself is what will help you succeed. One big side benefit is that giving your whole self gets rid of any competition. If YOU are the element that brings success to the business – then no one else can possibly replace you. Klosser says “Success is supposed to be easy. When you’re simply being you and doing all that comes naturally as your Divine self, success flows.” I have to ask, can it possibly be that easy? Klosser seems to think so.
4. A Conscious Entrepreneur Trust in Their Divine Plan – One major element of this is to squash the negative thoughts and feelings that can creep in, especially with an unusually pesky client. It is important to stay focused on your Divine plan for your business and keep moving forward. No matter how bad the moment or the day is, its only a blip in the overall plan. This part of the plan requires you to reconnect with God – your source – your spirit – whatever you call the divine guidance in your life.

One of the elements I really liked were the “Action Guide Exercises” that are interspersed throughout the book. These are usually short and to the point, but to do them right will require thought and action on your part. There are many very good business elements in this book and it definitely helps the entrepreneur to stay focused on the bigger picture and the greater good. However, if you are not inclined to include your religious or spiritual beliefs in your business life, this book probably isn’t for you.

Before making the final decision to purchase this book, I’d recommend going to Amazon and click on the “look inside the book” link. This gives you the chance to read the first chapter. If you like Klosser’s approach and it resonates with you, I highly recommend that you buy it and read the rest.

Book Promo 101: Learn the Basics of Book Promotion by Nikki Leigh

This review was done for one of my book by Lillian Brummet. Her details are at the bottom of the review.

Book Promo 101: Learn the Basics of Book Promotion

Only a small part of a writer’s career, no matter what genre they focus on, is the act of writing – most of the writer’s schedule is filled with record keeping, office work and marketing. The first year after a book is published is often referred to as the “honeymoon period” because this is when the authors direct contacts have been exhausted. Typically, sales drop off and the author becomes disenchanted with the thought of facing more promotion activities for a seemingly “dead” book. Sadly there are only a few in the industry that seem to understand that a marketing plan should last the life of the contract for that book, sometimes longer.

Nikki Leigh has graciously put together a series entitled Book Promo 101 and the first book of this series has just been released. This first installment is an overview of the basic process and tools that are involved in book promotion activities. The author will go into each of these tools in more detail in the upcoming books in this series. This is a great way to have a brief understanding of what each of these tools are, why they are employed and some great tips on how to avoid using them ineffectively.

There are, what looks to be more than 50 contributors to this book. Virtually every page has a contribution from authors, educators and others that are involved in the world of writing. These insiders tips are very helpful; I was impressed at the amount of comfort that is felt through reading these personal experiences. The contributors’ willingness to admit errors, discuss
emotions and share their favorite resources is refreshing.

Readers will find lists of questions for them to use to define what their needs are and how they plan to reach society with their message. Find out if you need services, such as a professional full time publicist, and learn about alternatives that are available for you to consider. There is an excellent sample conversation in the chapter dealing with bookstores that will definitely be of service to readers.

In total there 208 pages in the print book which is a generous 8 x 10 book. It contains 16 chapters along with Appendices that offer extensive lists for review sites and best selling book sites. Book Promo 101 was released in March 2008 by Write Words Inc – an imprint of Cambridge books. (The ebook is standard size 5 x 8 and over 400 pages.)

The author, Nikki Leigh, has been involved in marketing businesses, books and web design for over 15 years. She has 4 novels and 4 non-fiction business books that are available for readers to investigate through their favorite bookseller. She also runs several bogs, offers virtual book tour services to her clients and facilitates classes in character development.

ISBN#: 978-1594314985 (e-book)

ISBN#: 978-1594314698 (print)

Rating: 5-out-of-5 stars

~ Lillian Brummet: co-author of the books Trash Talk and Purple Snowflake Marketing, author of Towards Understanding; Host of both the Conscious Discussions talk radio show & the Authors Read radio program (www.brummet.ca)

For more information about Book Promo 101 - visit www.nikkileigh.com/book_promo_101.htm

NIghts in Rodanthe by Nicholas Sparks

I have to start by saying that I don't usually read "chick" books, but this book is set on the Outer Banks of North Carolina and I love that area. One of my books is set about 20 miles south of Rodanthe (Lilah and the Locket by Nikki Leigh).

I love almost anything set on or near the coast, so I had to take a look.

The story is about a mother who is worried about her daughter. The daughter recently lost her husband and she's having a hard time dealing with her life and her young children after her husband died. So, her mother feels that its time to share the details about a very special weekend she spent in Rodanthe. Although, she probably won't share every little detail.

Our heroine - Adrienne - is still hurting from her husband leaving their marriage, her and their children. She assumes that she won't find love again and the future doesn't look especially good. A friend of her's owns a bed and breakfast in Rodanthe, on the secluded Outer Banks of NC and she offers to be the hostess for a weekend when her friend has plans out of town.

There will only be one guest that weekend - an attractive man who is facing problems and a crossroads in his own life. Dr Paul Flanners is traveling to Rodanthe to meet with the husband of a patient who unexpectedly died on the table during surgery that should've been safe. An investigation revealed that he wasn't negligent, but it is still hard to face the situation and to face this woman's husband. Even though it is hard, he feels that he should respect the man's request and he travels to Rodanthe.

We learn that Dr Paul has been a dedicated doctor who worked hard to build a thriving practice, often to the point of ignoring his duties to his wife and son. He has reached a point in his life where he is rethinking previous choices, sold his home, sold his practice and is heading out of the country to work with his son in a remote area.

Both of these people are dealing with a lot in their personal lives and maybe a new friend and a new perspective is just what they need. Add an impending storm and we have the recipe for an interesting weekend.

Adrienne and Paul get along from the start and its clear that there is an attraction, but they are each hestitant to act on that attraction. After this weekend, they won't see each other again.

Shared conversation, working to prepare the house for the storm, and quiet dinners bring these two individuals closer and eventually, they stop fighting the attraction. Will it only be a couple of days of bliss? Will they see one another again? Why doesn't Adrienne's daughter know about this special man that entered her mother's life? Wil Adrienne's story help her daughter move on?

You will have to read the book to discover the answers or you can watch the new movie with Diane Ladd and Richard Gere. I was on the Outer Banks as the film crews were moving in, so I know that at least parts of the movie are filmed on location. The locale is gorgeous and I'm familiar with the house where the story takes place. I hope you enjoy your trip to Rodanthe, through the pages of the book or through the movie.


Below are some books that I personally own about the Outer Banks in case you want to learn more and my Cape Hatteras murder mystery is included :

The Forbidden Daughter by Shobhan Bantwal

I thoroughly enjoyed Shobhan Bantwal's first book, The Dowry Bride. It was well written and the glimpses into Indian culture were fascinating. Learning that paying or not paying a dowry could be a matter of life or death was shocking to me and she handled it very well in her book. So, I've been looking forward to reading her second book.

This weekend I took time to read The Forbidden Daughter and my wait was rewarded. The book is about female infanticide. That is the practice of killing female babies and unborn female babies. I've heard various reasons for female infanticide in India and that is one of the elements of this story. Are women less worthy or important than men? The characters have a variety of feelings about this question. Another element is the financial angle to performing abortions along with the social repercussions.

Isha Talik is drawn into this web of lies, deception and money when her obstetrician informs her and her husband that their unborn child is a girl. In an off handed comment, he says that he's willing to perform an abortion if they want to be rid of this child. Isha and Nikhil vehemently insist they will have their child, but they realize Nikhil's parents will want them to abort the child. The couple have one daughter and Isha knows her in laws treat her daughter Priya as less worthy than her male cousins. When the news is shared with the elder Taliks, they insist the child must be aborted.

This debate rages and is only interrupted late one evening when the family receives news that Nikhil was stabbed to death at his job. Isha, Priya and the in laws are all shaken by the news of Nikhil's death. The news is especially devastating to his parents because Nikhil was their only son and he had no sons to carry on the family name. Life for Isha and Priya is tougher each day and after her father in law beats Priya, the young, pregnant widow walks out of the house - with almost no money and only some of her possessions.

Isha and Priya are taken in at the local convent and make their home in a small, bleak room and they wait for the birth of her daughter. The day after Diya is born, Isha is seen by the doctor who helps the convent. He was a student at the college Isha attended and he had a crush on her in school.

Doctor Harish Salvi becomes a very good friend and his affection for Isha and her children continues to grow over time. Isha is reunited with her sister in law Sheila. With Sheila and Dr Salvi, Isha finds the support she needs.

Over time things begin to look better for Isha and her family and her support network grows again. But, the story isn't over and Isha must deal with a couple more concerns before the end. Isha and her closest confidantes realize who killed her husband and why. She has evidence of his wrong doing and the time stamp on the computer disc makes it very obvious, who is responsible for his murder. Will they go to the police? Will the murderer pay for his crime? Who else will have to pay for this man's actions?

I don't want to ruin the story for anyone, but I highly recommend this story. You will grow to admire, you will admire and cherish Dr Salvi and you will care what happens to Isha's daughters. This book is a wonderful work from a talented author who share her knowledge of India with us.

Shobhan Bantwal is touring with Promo 101 Virtual Tours in October. Visit www.virtualblogtour.blogspot.com for more details.

Bounce! by Barry Moltz

Bounce! Failure, Resiliency and Confidence to Achieve Your Next Great Success by Barry Moltz

We all love to share our success stories in business. But, there is so much to learn from our failures. One key to learning from our failures is to be prepared for failure, develop the humility to deal with problems and to develop the keys that we need in order to be resilient.

Bounce! This seems to be the year where people discuss resiliency and how to bounce back. I’ve personally reviewed four or five books about improving our lives, making needed changes and moving on. The full title of this book is Bounce! Failure, Resiliency and Confidence to Achieve Your Next Great Success. Its an inspiring title and the book is very good. When we think of failure, we need to also think about bouncing back and starting over

In the United States and in other countries around the world people are facing very tough economic times and it doesn’t appear that will change drastically in the near future. We see huge companies failing and/or being taken over by the government or being sold on a pretty regular basis. If multi billion and multi million dollar businesses are failing, doesn’t it make sense that other businesses consider that failure is possible and to be ready for the possibility? No one is saying that failure is inevitable, but develop the mindset and skill set that make it easier for you to face failures and the situations we encounter as a business faces tough times.

Barry Moltz built his original business reputation at IBM. That’s where I initially heard about him, but he decided to leave IBM and start his own business venture. At one point in the book, Moltz mentions how his stature and income increased each year while he was at IBM and he had the mistaken opinion that the trend would continue even when he left IBM. That’s something I’ve heard from people who left a fulltime job to begin their own business. That can be one of the first things to rattle a new entrepreneur. The steady paycheck and job security disappear overnight.

Moltz gives the example of a rubber band ball that is created by wrapping rubber bands and creating a ball. Each band increases the size and strength of the ball. Through the pages of Bounce!, he shares the key “bands” we need to create sufficient bounce. They include:

Environmental and Cultural DNA – Attitudes in your country and associates about success and failure have an impact on how you view these elements of business.

Humility – Humility has the ability to lift us up or to pull us down. If you fail, will you wallow and brood over it or will you understand that people fail and pick yourself up and move on?

Face Your Fear of Failure – Failure is always possible. No matter how qualified or prepared we are in business, it is always possible to fail. Its best to be prepared for that possibility. If we never fail, that’s wonderful. But, if it does happen, be ready to deal with it.

Give Up Shame About Failure – This is not simple, but it is necessary. Once you decide to stop feeling shame over failure, tackle the things thrown at you by others. Some people will be obnoxious about any failure, but you need to be convinced it’s a temporary situation and move forward.

Failure Offers a Choice – How many people do you know that are stuck in a “no win” situation because they decide to stay in a failing business instead of admitting defeat? Give yourself the choice to say, “It’s not working” and get out of a losing situation. Make the choice to fail and move on to something better.

Be Careful About the Risks You Take – As your decision making skills improve, you are better qualified to make careful decisions and to limit the potential for risk and failure. Make sure that you understand the full risk and the full benefit of any major decision you are going to make.

Refine and Improve the Process to Improve the Outcome – Business goes through cycles and its important to understand that the processes we use make a difference in the outcomes we get.

Develop Patience About Success and Failure – We must be realistic and many times we don’t succeed as quickly as we hope. So, patience is needed. Set realistic goals and work toward these. Even when progress is slow, goals and benchmarks enable us to see the progress that is being made.

Develop Your Own System to Measure Your Success and Failure – Most people realize that just having money is not a guarantee of happiness. Decide what you need to feel successful. No one else’s idea of success should guide you – what makes you happy? Once you know that answer, strive to be happy.

Place Value on Action and Progress – Read the book, but then realize that you need to make things happen. Your experience is a great way to build confidence and the humility to face the tough situations and to move on to bigger and better things.

Those points are the key elements that the book covers and is built around. The longest chapter in the book, is Chapter 5 Forget the Archetypes: Messy Lines Teach Humility. At first glance this was interesting and a bit confusing because we all know that strong entrepreneurs need confidence, to be self assured and to be strong. So, why did Moltz include such a long chapter about humility? He discusses ego and how it does and does not help a business person. He discusses how humility is crucial is facing problems and failures in a way that helps us start over and rebuild or future.

There is so much great information in this book, but I highly recommend that no one skip the last chapter, Read This Book – Then Throw It Away. He makes great points including the fact that planning is great and needs to happen, but we also know that you will never succeed or fail until you take the leap and actual work to make it happen. Anyone who is waiting for the “perfect” time to start will be waiting forever. There is never a “perfect” time.

Do sufficient research and planning and learn to make sound decisions. Then develop true and positive humility and move forward. It’s also critical to realize many great people have failed, some failed in huge ways. The great people, large and small, are the ones who pick themselves up and start over. There is always another possibility and another opportunity. Will you move on and find your next opportunity?

Polarizing Your Life Toward Perfection by Philip F Harris

The Little Book That Will Alter Your Life

Many books about how to move yourself to a better place have hit the market since the phenomenal success of The Secret. They deal with the Law of Attraction, manifesting, and much more. Polarizing Your Life Toward Perfection helps you take an honest look at your life and what happened to create the person that you have become. Its not just a book about – “I want”, “Give me” and that sort of mentality. Philip Harris gives you the tools that you need to create a more positive, happy and successful life. It truly is “the little book that will alter your life”. So much information packed into a small book. Isn’t there a saying about the best things coming in small packages? This is a great example of that idea.

Harris provides various examples of things we do, say and think which has a negative impact on our life. He lists many phrases and words that we shouldn’t use. Many of the examples show how a small change in the wording we use, can make a big difference in our outlook. Learn which phrases you should not use and the easy ways to adjust our thoughts. It may sound silly, but there are many great ways that we can “look on the bright side” and “be more positive”. The first two chapters provide many ways to do this in your life.

Once you start to work on the way you think and talk about things, its time to take a look inside yourself. There are a variety of people in your life and who have played a part in your life over the years. Your beliefs, job and health are all things that affect who you are and how you feel about things. Chapter 3 is titled “Life Assessment”. Simply, this chapter is about helping you evaluate the people and things in your life – to determine what does and does not work for you. In some cases, you can evaluate a person or situation and adjust the way you view it. In other cases, you need to make changes in your life. This chapter helps you with this assessment.

When we look into a mirror, we assume that we are seeing a true reflection. However, consider this. The reflection you see is affected by your beliefs, your mind, your job, your relationships and much more. How often have you been around people who are negative? When you look in a mirror with those comments fresh in your mind, do you see yourself differently? Even if its only a stray gray hair or lines around your eyes that someone talked about earlier, this is an example of ways that your reflection is affected by these outside forces. The good news is that Harris also provides a chapter about “How to Change the Image in the Mirror”. You can change your perception of yourself and that reflection.

No book on changing yourself would be complete without a section about how to alter the things you put into your body. Polarizing Your Life contains chapters about your body and the environment that you are in. Learn ways to change your environment to improve your life. Your diet can have a big impact on how your feel and how your body functions. Harris provides many ways to improve your diet, your health and your environment – all of these things go a long way in polarizing your life.

The chapter about visualization provides great insights. Do you limit your success by approaching visualization in the wrong way? If you start with “I want”, “I need” and similar phrases, you can limit your success. Harris provides many illustrations of how our phrasing makes us focus on the negative things in our life and this makes it more difficult to achieve a better life. Another thing to consider, do you vocalize appreciation for the things you have? Even for people who don’t have much, you should be appreciative for the things you have.

You will be amazed by the wealth of life changing information that Philip Harris has packed into this small book. If you’re interested in “the secret”, the law of attraction, manifesting, visualization, being in tune with the universe and creating a better life for yourself – this is a must read.