Book of the Month: December 2019
Title: Pause: Harnessing the Life-Changing Power...
Full Title: Pause: Harnessing the Life-Changing Power of Giving Yourself a Break
Author: Rachel O’Meara
Audience
Age Range: Adults, Seniors
Related Fields: Life Coaching, Psychology, Consultation, Business, Career Development, Career Management, Corporate Strategy, Education
Topics & Keywords
Pause, Transition, Life Goals, Career Goals, Job Fit, Feedback, Motivation, Productivity, Meditation
Best Feature
The focus on taking a moment to purposefully direct one’s life
Think Well's Thoughts
Pause: Harnessing the Life-Changing Power of Giving Yourself a Break by Rachel O’Meara is a book about the importance of purposefully choosing the direction of one’s life. Pause discusses this topic by delving into the author’s experience with the act of pausing and what lessons her own journey taught her, which she now actively shares with others. The book includes specific exercises to help readers cultivate the ability to pause so they can reflect on their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors and decide how to proceed forward from this place of carved out time and wisdom.
By familiarizing themselves with the concepts and exercises within, Life Coaches can assist clients in learning what it means to purposefully construct their lives. By reading about and utilizing the strategies inside, clients can create a regular routine where they check in with their goals to determine they are on the right track.
TW's Thoughts In a Nutshell: Pause is a book that showcases the importance of taking the time to evaluate the direction of life on a regular basis in order to make sure the road being taken is the one that’s been chosen
Book of the Month: November 2019
Title: The Little Book of Gratitude...
Full Title: The Little Book of Gratitude: Create a Life of Happiness and Well-Being by Giving Thanks
Author: Robert A. Emmons, Ph.D
Audience
Age Range: Teens, Adults, Seniors
Related Fields: Life Coaching, Psychology, Consultation, Business, Education
Topics & Keywords
Gratitude, Thankfulness, Fulfillment, Happiness, Health, Quality of Life
Best Feature
The suggested activities for creating and fostering gratitude based on the three stones definition
Think Well's Thoughts
The Little Book of Gratitude: Create a Life of Happiness and Well-Being by Giving Thanks by Robert A. Emmons is a book about the importance of recognizing all that one has in life in order to be truly aware of life’s bounty as well as to create a foundation for happiness and fulfillment.
The Little Book of Gratitude does this by defining gratitude as composed of three stones, providing activities for the concrete experience of gratitude, and discussing how to leverage those discrete experiences into an overall gratitude philosophy and practice.
By familiarizing themselves with the information within, Life Coaches can help clients begin to appreciate who they are already are and what they have already achieved while at the same time supporting them in building a bridge to where they want to go. By reading about and utilizing the strategies inside, clients can build their lives upon a strong foundation of recognition and appreciation that can support the journey ahead.
TW's Thoughts In a Nutshell: The Little Book of Gratitude is a book that shows happiness and fulfillment are created by being appreciative of what one has
Book of the Month: October 2019
Title: Emily Post's Etiquette, 19th Edition...
Full Title: Emily Post's Etiquette, 19th Edition: Manners for Today
Author: Lizzie Post & Daniel Post Senning
Audience
Age Range: Teens, Adults, Seniors
Related Fields: Life Coaching, Psychology, Business, Hospitality & Management
Topics & Keywords
Etiquette, Manners, Social Graces, Social Skills, Life Skills, Respect for Others, Respect for Self
Best Feature
The blend of social wisdom passed down through the ages combined with tips and strategies grounded in and created to address modern times
Think Well's Thoughts
Emily Post's Etiquette, 19th Edition: Manners for Today by Lizzie Post and Daniel Post Senning is a book about what it means to have social grace and how to achieve such grace by demonstrating a healthy respect for self and others through the application of manners and etiquette. The book includes tips and strategies to address the vast array of situations people will find themselves in over their lifetimes.
By acquainting themselves with the information within, Life Coaches can help clients explore and better prepare themselves for the many professional and personal situations they will find themselves in that require grace and social know-how. By reading about and utilizing the guidelines inside, clients can be sure they will have the kind of impact that makes people want to work with them professionally and interact with them personally.
TW's Thoughts In a Nutshell: Emily Post's Etiquette, 19th Edition is a book that takes the mystery out of behaving respectfully toward others and on behalf of oneself
Book of the Month: September 2019
Title: Budgeting 101: From Getting Out of Debt...
Full Title: Budgeting 101: From Getting Out of Debt and Tracking Expenses to Setting Financial Goals and Building Your Savings, Your Essential Guide to Budgeting
Author: Michele Cagan, CPA
Audience
Age Range: Adults, Seniors
Related Fields: Life Coaching, Psychology, Business, Financial Planning
Topics & Keywords
Budget/Budgeting, Saving, Debt Relief, Financial Responsibility, Financial Transitions, Planning for Retirement
Best Feature
The comprehensive list of financial subjects, each of which includes concrete suggestions to help promote monetary wellness
Think Well's Thoughts
Budgeting 101: From Getting Out of Debt and Tracking Expenses to Setting Financial Goals and Building Your Savings, Your Essential Guide to Budgeting is a book about financial responsibility and wellness. It centers around the cornerstone of financial health: budgeting. Budgeting 101 covers a large array of financial subjects; in each section, starting points for change are listed and concrete suggestions supplied.
By acquainting themselves with the information within, Life Coaches can better prepare themselves to help clients who want to improve their overall financial health. By reading about and utilizing the guidelines inside, clients can turn money into something that works for them rather than just something they work for.
TW's Thoughts In a Nutshell: Budgeting 101 is a valuable resource for both individuals who wish to learn about budgeting and financial responsibility as well as professionals whose job it is to support them in this important area of life
Book of the Month: August 2019
Title: Switchers: How Smart Professionals Change Careers and Seize Success
Author: Dawn Graham
Audience
Age Range: Adults, Seniors
Related Fields: Life Coaching, Psychology, Business, Education, Career Management
Topics & Keywords
Switching Jobs/Careers, Switchers, Transferable Skills, Experience , Plan A, Networking, Interviewing
Best Feature
The step-by-step plan to navigating a job or career switch
Think Well's Thoughts
Switchers: How Smart Professionals Change Careers and Seize Success is a book about switching jobs and/or careers. Switchers breaks down the switching process into identifiable steps that start with wanting to switch jobs and end with transitioning into the career best suited for you and your skills.
By acquainting themselves with the information within, Life Coaches can better prepare themselves to help clients whose primary goal is to make a job or career switch. By completing the exercises found inside, clients can improve their understanding of what it means to switch jobs and how best to navigate the transition.
TW's Thoughts In a Nutshell: Switchers is a valuable resource for both individuals wishing to make a job or career switch and professionals who seek to assist them through this important and significant transition
Book of the Month: July 2019
Title: Hyperfocus: How to Be More Productive in a World of Distraction
Author: Chris Bailey
Audience
Age Range: Adults, Seniors
Related Fields: Life Coaching, Psychology, Business, Education, Productivity/Efficiency Management
Topics & Keywords
Attention, Focus, Hyperfocus, Scatterfocus, Awareness, Intention, Purpose, Productivity
Best Feature
The breakdown of focus into two primary types, each with its own set of benefits
Think Well's Thoughts
Hyperfocus: How to Be More Productive in a World of Distraction by Chris Bailey is a book about attention, focus, and productivity. Hyperfocus breaks down focus into two types then defines the purpose of each and discusses ways in which both types can be leveraged in order to create a more purposeful, and ultimately more meaningful, life.
By becoming familiar with the concepts discussed in Hyperfocus, Life Coaches can assist clients in understanding how best to leverage their attentional resources. Clients, too, can expand their attentional awareness by learning ways in which to purposefully engage with each type of focus, depending on their immediate goals, and, thus, improve their ability to create the lives they most wish to create.
TW's Thoughts In a Nutshell: Hyperfocus is a helpful resource for learning when and how to purposefully engage in hyperfocus and scatterfocus so as to improve productivity and understanding as well as creativity and wisdom
Book of the Month: June 2019
Title: Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones
Author: James Clear
Audience
Age Range: Adults, Seniors
Related Fields: Life Coaching, Psychology, Business, Education, Health & Wellness
Topics & Keywords
Habits, Components of a Habit Cycle, Four Laws of Habit Making, Role of Environment in Success, Delayed Gratification
Best Feature
The emphasis on creating an environment that supports healthy habits and deters from engagement in unhealthy ones
Think Well's Thoughts
Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones by James Clear is a book about habits, including how to create good ones as well as how to ditch bad ones. Atomic Habits includes a useful structure for understanding what governs habit cycles as well as the criteria that must be met for the creation and maintenance of healthy habits.
By becoming familiar with Atomic Habits, Life Coaches can add another way of discussing habit making and breaking to their coaching repertoire. Clients, too, can add to their knowledge of habits by reading the book. Since Atomic Habit's focus on making the habit making and breaking process easy and accessible includes strategies for creating healthy habits, clients will have both good starting and comparison points for creating their own healthy routines. Moreover, since the book emphasizes the importance of creating an environment that helps promote a healthy lifestyle, clients can learn to structure their surroundings to work for not against them.
TW's Thoughts In a Nutshell: Atomic Habits is a useful resource for understanding habit creation and maintenance as well as an effective tool in the fight to keep the habits that work and ditch the habits that don't
Book of the Month: May 2019
Title: 1,500 Stretches: The Complete Guide to Flexibility and Movement
Author: Hollis Liebman
Audience: Professionals; Laypeople
Age Range: Teens, Adults, Seniors
Related Fields: Life Coaching, Psychology, Health & Wellness, Personal Training, Sports, Athletics
Topics & Keywords
Health, Wellness, Physical Fitness, Stretch, Flexibility, Movement
Best Feature
The categorization of stretches into the muscle groups they impact as well as the use of pictures to illustrate what the stretches look like
Think Well's Thoughts
1,500 Stretches: The Complete Guide to Flexibility and Movement by Hollis Liebman is a resource both for the person new to exercise and stretching as well as the person who considers such pursuits old hat. In this book, stretches are categorized according to the muscle groups they affect. In addition, each stretch is accompanied by a short description as well as a picture to illustrate what the movement is supposed to look like.
By reading 1,500 Stretches, Life Coaches can become familiar with a resource they can then recommend to clients who wish to improve their health and wellness. Clients can use 1,500 Stretches to enhance their physical fitness routines. In addition, since the book has easily understandable illustrations, they can work with their doctors to determine what movements will enhance their physical fitness and what movements should be avoided because of a health condition or injury.
TW's Thoughts In a Nutshell: 1,500 Stretches is a great place to begin learning about the importance of stretching in a physical fitness routine as well as a resource useful for revitalizing and renewing well-worn routines
Book of the Month: April 2019
Title: The Year of Less...
Full Title: The Year of Less: How I Stopped Shopping, Gave Away My Belongings, and Discovered Life is Worth More than Anything You Can Buy in a Store
Author: Cait Flanders
Audience: Professionals; Laypeople
Age Range: Adults, Seniors
Related Fields: Life Coaching, Psychology, Professional Decluttering & Organization
Topics & Keywords
Decluttering, Organization, Downsizing, Budgeting, Saving Money, Life Fulfillment, Goal, Strategy, Commitment, Plan, Self-Directed Change, Trigger, Alternative Habit and/or Behavior
Best Feature
The author's discussion of how she defined a want, set a goal, strategized how to be successful, and stuck with her endeavor for a year
Think Well's Thoughts
The Year of Less: How I Stopped Shopping, Gave Away My Belongings, and Discovered Life is Worth More than Anything You Can Buy in a Store is a book about one woman's journey from financial difficulty to financial security. In this book, the author identifies the reason she started her year-long buying ban, the exceptions she had to the no shopping rule (including being able to buy groceries for herself and gas for her car), and the benefits that came from her success. As part of her journey, the author discusses the challenges she faced when not shopping for a year as well as how this particular life change fit into a series of life changes she had started years before.
By reading The Year of Less, Life Coaches can learn more about how clients think and feel when they are embarking on a journey of change and self-discovery. Clients can also learn about the journey of change, including what it's like to decide to make alterations in one's own life and one's perspective as well as what benefits can be born of such a process. In addition, Life Coaches and clients can both benefit from seeing the basic rules of life change in action - operationally defining success, setting specific goals and parameters, discovering triggers for unwanted behavior and replacing the healthy function of such triggers with new, more appropriate behaviors, and reaping the benefits of success, not only in the form of reaching target goals, but also in the form of increased confidence that results from commitment and follow through.
TW's Thoughts In a Nutshell: The Year of Less provides the reader with a bird's eye view of what it's like to want to change and how to make such change happen.
Creatives' Book of the Month: March 2019
Title: Save the Cat!: The Last Book on Screenwriting You'll Ever Need
Author: Blake Snyder
Audience: Writers
Age Range: Teens, Adults, Seniors
Related Fields: Writers, Most Especially Screenwriters
Topics & Keywords
Writing, Screenwriting, Screenplays, Save the Cat! Moment, Genres, Beats
Best Feature
The breakdown of stories into story elements, known as beats, and story types, known as genres
Think Wells Thought's
Save the Cat!: The Last Book on Screenwriting You'll Ever Need is a writing resource full of helpful approaches to turn an idea into a screenplay (and, later, with a lot of effort and a little luck, a movie).
Save the Cat! is a book aimed at Creatives, especially ones who write screenplays though anyone who crafts a story, whether long or short, has something to learn from its pages. In addition, Life Coaches who work with Creatives stand to learn a lot about the arc of story and what it takes to make a story sell.
TW's Thoughts In a Nutshell: Save the Cat! is a system that breaks down stories into their nuts and bolts and helps an author decide where his/her story fits and what must happen in its pages for it to be successful
Journal of the Month: February 2019
Title: Moleskine Cahier Soft Cover Journal (Blank)
Maker: Moleskine
Audience: All
Age Range: Children, Teens, Adults, Seniors
Related Fields: Life Coaching, Psychology, All Others
Topics & Keywords
Journal, Soft Cover, Blank
Best Feature
The Moleskine Cahier Soft Cover Journal (Blank) is a portable journal/notebook that is easy to jot down your thoughts in while at home or on the go
Think Well's Thoughts
The Moleskine Cahier Soft Cover Journal (Blank) is the perfect portable resource for logging your thoughts and making notes anytime, anywhere. The Moleskine Cahier allows you to keep a record of things you want to remember, plan projects, and even clear your mind of mental tidbits crowding your thinking.
While guided journals and those with inspirational quotes receive a lot of the praise, blank journals are just as important of a resource. They keep thoughts collected and safe, without guiding them in any way.
TW's Thoughts In a Nutshell: The Moleskine Cahier Soft Cover Journal (Blank) is the perfect portable journal/notebook for those who like the feel of jotting down their thoughts on paper.
Books of the Month: January 2019
Titles: Various
This month, there are 31 titles in total. Each one is a January Book Blitz honoree. The full list can be found here: https://thinkwellcoachingandconsulting.com/blog/f/resource-of-the-month-january-2019
Authors: Various
A host of authors have brought us our 31 books of the month, each a January Book Blitz honoree. The full list, along with their related titles, can be found here: https://thinkwellcoachingandconsulting.com/blog/f/resource-of-the-month-january-2019
Audience: Professionals; Laypeople
Age Range: Varies
Related Fields: Life Coaching; Varies
This month's choices run the gamut. Most are aimed at both professionals and laypeople, though some are singularly aimed. In addition, age ranges and related fields vary. More specifics can be found with each individual book review. A comprehensive list of all books, with accompanying specific or general links to their reviews, can be found here: https://thinkwellcoachingandconsulting.com/blog/f/resource-of-the-month-january-2019
Topics & Keywords
There are a variety of topics and keywords throughout our titles, each of which is covered more in-depth with their accompanying reviews. A comprehensive list of all books, with accompanying specific or general links to their reviews, can be found here: https://thinkwellcoachingandconsulting.com/blog/f/resource-of-the-month-january-2019
Best Feature
Each book has a unique best feature. But what they all have in common is some element of wisdom or helpfulness. A list of the 31 titles as well as their accompanying links can be found here: https://thinkwellcoachingandconsulting.com/blog/f/resource-of-the-month-january-2019
Think Well's Thoughts
It was impossible to choose a single title from among this month's 31 books featured in TW's January Book Blitz. So, instead, all 31 have been honored as resources of the month.
TW's Thoughts In a Nutshell: Sometimes, great books come at you individually. Sometimes, they come to you in a bunch. This month, we are bringing you a bunch, which is a summary of the 31 books, which were each featured individually this past month. A link to the full selection can be found here: https://thinkwellcoachingandconsulting.com/blog/f/resource-of-the-month-january-2019