Don't Sweat the Small Stuff for Women: Simple and Practical Ways to Do What Matters Most and Find Time for You [ABRIDGED]

Rating:
Summary: A breath of fresh air!
Review: Do you let all the small stuff in your life make you miserable? Are you ready to look at your "issues" about cleanliness, perfection & being stoic? When you get upset, does it last forever?

Thanks to our foremothers, we women have, for the most part, never had it so good! We have more independence, options & conveniences - so why are we sweating our way through our rich, full lives?

As Kristine Carlson writes in her Introduction: "...when Richard asked me to write solo for the first time...part of me wanted to hightail it as fast as I could in the other direction!...I knew, after some contemplation, that this would be a challenge and a part of my own spiritual journey that I simply could not refuse..."

It's all common sense & as we so well know, we women must have permission - Kristine Carlson gives us that in timely essays about everything imaginable from getting down & dirty to letting go of our perfect plans; from protecting our inner flame to saying no without feeling guilty. Wondering what to give this summer's Brides? This one is perfect! Enjoy the essays, connect the dots & Don't Sweat the Small Stuff!

Rating:
Summary: Protecting Yourself From the Irritations of Life
Review: How do women become so wise and resilient? And why do we sweat the small stuff so much? Is there some balance, some moment when you realize that most of it is all small stuff?

Kristine Carlson is married to Richard Carlson and together they show great insight into the everyday life. Their books can seriously start to change your life if you use the principles they present in these easy-to-read compact books. I especially like their "Don't Sweat the Small Stuff in Love" book and I think it helped me improve my own relationship considerably by making me realize that one of the most important needs humans have is to be listened to. I had never really thought about what the other person needed in conversation, always so busy jabbering on. Wow, that was quite a revelation to me and it changed my entire view of conversation.

Expect real revelations from these books. They are more than enlightening. Sometimes a simple awareness of an issue can trigger an entire thinking pattern that will help you make changes. When reading this book a highlighter is essential!

Kristine discusses why you should set aside time every morning to reflect. See, that is a good excuse to spend a little time in the morning chatting online? Right? Ok, well I think that she actually meant spending time alone thinking about your day.

As you move into your day, you try to get organized and at times the entire day feels like it is falling apart. Have you noticed that if you pick up the house in the morning, the entire day is more enjoyable? Kristine gives herself an hour each morning to clear the path of her day. She spends time each morning organizing her life. I loved her thought about laundry. A gentleman she met makes folding clothes a Zen meditation. Ok, so I am not burning candles while I fold towels, but I try not to be as stressed about it all.

Some of her ideas include:

Make Peace with The Mundane - Sometimes life just IS.
Ground Your Energy in Nature - Take a walk in the evening.
Protect Your Inner Flame - Nurture yourself.

Plan an Inspiration Flow Day - Just go with the flow...oh, what fun this type of day is. It is very freeing and you do just what occurs to you. I write the most reviews on these types of days. They might include reading a great book, watching a movie, sitting outside with the cats, making dinner, writing in a journal, exercising. On other days, you might feel like just leaving the house for most of the day and forgetting about that load of laundry, those dishes, etc. Just escaping can be most freeing.

Walk Through Open Doors - A positive attitude shows you more open doors.

Let Go of "Perfect" Plans - have a sense of humor when things don't work instead of crying your eyes out. Dissapointment is so hard to take when you have very high expectations.

Climb Your Mountain One Step at a Time - set goals, but take it one step at a time.

Save Pot Stirring for Cooking Dinner (I really liked that one!)
Gather and Let Go
Define Your Small Stuff

This is a collection of essays that will inspire you and you will learn to appreciate people in your life, swallow your anger, take time for yourself and nurture your friendships.

Use this as a way to make your own list of things you want to change in your life.

Then:

Go run in a rain puddle
Light Candles while you watch a movie
Think about Beautiful Moments
Start a Journal
Say something inspirational to a friend
Tell someone in your life you love them
Let some things go, don't obsess so much (ok, but it is hard to do!)

Define what is not really important then imagine it drifting away on a small boat, down the river in front of you. After all, who has time for all that baggage.

Read this book to help you see the really important things in life.

Great Insight! You might even want to buy a few copies for
all your friends. That reminds me to add a few to my
wish list!

Rating:
Summary: Happier Women
Review: This cheerful book aims to make us stop and smell--if not roses--whatever is sitting in front of our noses. It is just like the other series of "Don't Sweat" books but with a women-minded twist. It offers meditations designed to make us appreciate our lives, keep our emotions in perspective, and cherish other people. I also highly recommend "Open Your Mind, Open Your Life: A Little Book of Eastern Wisdom" by Taro Gold. If we all followed the guidance in these books, we would be happier, more harmonious women.

Rating:
Summary: Happier Women
Review: This cheerful book aims to make us stop and smell--if not roses--whatever is sitting in front of our noses. It is just like the other series of "Don't Sweat" books but with a women-minded twist. It offers meditations designed to make us appreciate our lives, keep our emotions in perspective, and cherish other people. I also highly recommend "Open Your Mind, Open Your Life: A Little Book of Eastern Wisdom" by Taro Gold. If we all followed the guidance in these books, we would be happier, more harmonious women.

Rating:
Summary: Lightweight Advice
Review: Well-meaning, I suppose, but very lightweight advice. Take a hot bath. Breathe deeply. Drink decaffinated tea. Please. Nothing new here. A nice little book for someone who's pretty oblivious to the world around them. Sorry to be jaded; but nothing here that would seriously stop the sweating! Maybe it would stop mild perspiration, but not real sweat!