“The Center of Me: The Journey to Finding Your Inner Coach” by Laura L. Barry is a worthwhile guide to becoming your own personal cheerleader in life. She encourages readers to be grateful and “celebrate” what we’ve learned instead of beating ourselves(something I used to do to myself with all my time and energy). “We need to take full responsibility and be held accountable, but we don’t have to beat ourselves up.”
The key points I enjoyed in this book are as follows.
- Investigate emotions, patterns and situations instead of ignoring or exacerbating issues.I am able to do this more and more when I either make a mistake or feel unsure about my next step. It’s amazing what we can realize about ourselves if we stop and look at the bigger picture as well as ask ourselves serious questions.
- Become authentic and use your “choice” to fix or walk away from people and relationships.This can be difficult if like me you want people to like you and not make others feel bad. I used to think of others before myself a lot and all that did was allow me to ignore my own priorities.
- Embrace your resistance, explore and discover what is behind it to move forward. When changing your thoughts notice resistant habits. “Remember, resistance is a form of fear.” I remember how hard it was for me to accept the idea that I was lovable and imperfectly perfect. It was as if those bullies from the past were still controlling my thoughts. I wanted change, but I allowed my fear and doubt to hold me back
- Be present, don’t get swept up in your past mistakes or the mistakes of others. This is something I used to spend a lot of time doing. I thought it was easier to focus on what I did wrong in the past than to focus on moving forward, but once I stopped focusing on the past I discovered that life is so much simpler by living in the present and preparing for my best future.
My favorite exercise was to write a letter to my younger self, thank her for doing the best she could and show compassion. Other exercises I enjoyed included discovering what nourishes me; mind, body and soul as well as what has the opposite effect and investigating resistance, attachment and personal stories that mold me and hold me back.
In the end, Laura reminds us that “Our minds are very powerful and we are much too tolerant of mind-wandering, blaming and criticizing. Being aware of our thoughts is very old wisdom.” I recommend her book if you are ready to be in control of your destiny.
Buy this book on amazon.com/CENTER-Journey-Finding-Inner-Coach/dp/0986147109
Learn more about Laura at laurabarry.org
FYI: I was NOT paid to write a review of this book.
***
If you’d like to see the campaign I’m working on visit Igg.me/at/go-sd or “The Grassroots Oasis” on Facebook.com/grassrootsoasis.
***
Want ideas for a healthy lifestyle free of depression? Read my D.I.Y. Therapy posts.
Looking for books that support your personal development? Read my book reviews.
*If you like this blog share it…
*** *** **
Preview this book on Amazon.com
….
Read this book before you buy at Bookemon.com/book-profile/word-art-and-affirmations/153646
….
Find this and more empowering books at Amazon.com/Leah-Oviedo/e/B007LMUEJ2
*** *** ***
Ads directly below this post are not endorsed by this blog.
Individual Empowerment 