Too many experts who write a book feel that the book is the same thing as their expertise or their business, as if it were a math equation like this: My book = my business No. If you think this way, you will observe the following: You will feel that your book has to be the perfect representation of everything you know about your area of expertise. You will labor longer and harder than necessary in a misguided attempt at perfection. You will be more likely to sift through years worth of notes than write something that solves a problem for your reader—for your ideal customer Do not make... Read More

It is sweltering hot – dangerously hot – in many areas of the States. Right here, on my block, it hit an all time high yesterday of 103 degrees! I ran whatever errands I needed to \’run\’ at a crawl with a bottle of ice water in one hand and a \’spritzer\’ (a.k.a. spray bottle filled with ice water) in the other! And i wondered how people managed – heck how I managed – before air-conditioners. Yes, people. There was a time when we managed to get through the summer without air-conditioners! How did we get through those long dog-dayso f summer and... Read More

Although there is some exaggeration, this really has some truth to it. The two major disagreements we have had over our 35 years of marriage revolve around two things – loading the dishwasher and how to find our way to a new location when driving. Now, I know these aren’t earth-shattering problems – I’m very fortunate to be happily married to a wonderful man. The first one we resolved – my husband is the neater of the two of us, and his method for loading the dishwasher results in 100% more dishes fitting in than when I do it – so, he does all the loading of... Read More

No matter what stage of life you’re in, the end of summer is a time of transition. During the month of August parents will be getting children ready for the new school year. Many folks will be on vacation thinking about the return to home, work and ‘real’ life. Lots of teens will be leaving home and heading off to college. And still other folks may be dreaming about how to use retirement to enrich their lives come fall. What do they all have in common? An organized plan will make all these transitions a bit easier. Let me ask you a few questions: Is your environment chock... Read More

Sometimes you don\’t have a friend to go out and about. Your inner voice whines about the traffic or the loneliness, which are actually true, and you just can\’t seem to gear up. How about if you go for just an hour and before the traffic? Last weekend, I wanted some inspiration and entertainment. I had a busy weekend of shoulds and still needed something just for me. I actually wanted to go SOLO because of my schedule and rhythm. At the last minute, I went to a museum, even though, PEOPLE say don\’t go on the weekends. It was so easy and fun. I stopped in an outdoor food court... Read More

What Is the Cost of Waiting? In 1975, NYC went nearly bankrupt. In an attempt to save money, it was decided that the city would not paint the bridges that year so they could use the money somewhere else. The next year, the “somewhere else” again expected to receive the bridge money . . . and got it – and for another year, the bridges were not painted. By the time the money was allocated back to the bridges, instead of just the cost of paint, there was serious damage to the infrastructure that ultimately cost 10 if not 100 times more in repairs – to say nothing of the impact on traffic... Read More

Who doesn\’t love a wedding? But with months and months of planning, it only lasts a short while – and then there\’s the marriage. If history is prologue, neither former first daughter, Chelsea Clinton, nor longtime boyfriend, Marc Mezvinsky, had great role models for marital bliss. And that\’s even without the religious issues – she was raised Christian and he\’s Jewish. This much publicized union is affirmation of America\’s shifting religious landscape. There has been a gradual increase in interfaith marriages over the past two decades and more than... Read More

Today, like any other day, I walked out to my mailbox and found an envelope from my elderly father. I can\’t remember receiving much mail from Dad in the past; it has always been Mom who sent me things. But it was Dad\’s handwriting, and I have been worried because he hasn\’t been well. I opened the letter not knowing quite what to expect. Much to my surprise, I found the following letter along with a handful of photographs that had been enlarged: Dear Julie, I am enclosing several enlargements of old slides I found in the back of the garage. I thought you and the others... Read More

Author: Fred Mandell, PhD & Kathleen Jordan PhDwww.BecomingaLifeChangeArtist.com Reviewed By: Anne Holmes Becoming a Life Change Artist is written for Baby Boomers looking for a new spark in life, or a path toward reinvention. It is also for anyone affected by the current economic downturn, as that has caused people everywhere to re-examine their goals. In this book, the authors address seven key competencies which they\’ve identified as being shared by the most creative minds in history, including legendary artists like Leonardo da Vinci, Claude Monet, Pablo Picasso, Andrew Wyeth... Read More

Author: Edited: Emily W. Upham & Linda Gravensonwww.emilyupham.com/book/ Reviewed By: Anne Holmes Emily Upham tells us in her preface to this book that the first thoughts of creating it came to her came to her as she was realizing that her performance career as a classical pianist was soon to be lost to her forever, as a result of health challenges. In mourning a career which had meant to much to her, she realized that her generation, the baby boomers, has arrived at the second half of life, and that this half would be laced with loss. As she puts it, “The generation of women forged by... Read More