The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom by Miguel Ruiz

In our society there seems to be a collective ache for civility and integrity in our politics, workplaces, and homes.  Yet we're deluged with examples of just the opposite.  Whether it's a talk show radio host degrading women or a governor pedaling influence, we wonder how to teach our children integrity and civility with adults behaving badly.

Don Miguel Ruiz comes from a Mexican family with a long tradition as healers.  He actually became a surgeon as an adult.  Then he had a near death experience that pushed him to re-examine his beliefs.  In his book The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom he shares an ancient code of conduct from his Toltec ancestors.

The four agreements he lists are basically four rules for living a happy, peaceful life. Be impeccable with your word.  Don't make assumptions. Don't take anything personally.  Always do your best.  For each agreement he expands on what the impact of carrying it out in one's personal life would look like.

There are a plethora of excellent self-help and spiritual books out there, but this is one of the easiest and simplest to follow.  Imagine if politicians, government officials, corporate executives, ministers, mothers, fathers, uncles, aunts etc. followed these guidelines.  For inspiration and hope Ruiz lays it out pretty simply.

Born in Southern Sudan to a loving, middle class family, Alek Weklived simply and happily in the company of her family.When civil war broke out between Southern rebels and a pro-Muslim government in Sudan, Alek and her family were forced to become refugees, leaving their home in order to escape same fate of the millions that were killed during the war.Eventually and with great difficulty, Alek and her family were able to secure refugee status in London. It was in London that Alek was "discovered" by a scout, but the road to becoming supermodel was a difficult one for Alek.If she did land modeling jobs at all, it was often to portray the "exotic black African" woman. Alekquickly grew tired ofrejections from editors and photographers based on the color of her skin. With the help ofher tenacious agent, Alek began put pressure on the industry to trulychangestandardimages of beauty.Today we know Alek as a famoussupermodel, but she is also a cultural hero and a survivor. Read more about Alek's amazing story inAlek:My life from Sudanese Refugee to International Supermodel]]> http://blogs.kcls.org/booktalk/2011/12/alek-my-life-from-sudanese-ref.html http://blogs.kcls.org/booktalk/2011/12/alek-my-life-from-sudanese-ref.html Inspirational Memoir & Biography Alek Wek refugee Sudan supermodel Thu, 08 Dec 2011 19:56:44 -0800

This Is Not the Life I Ordered : 50 Ways to Keep Your Head Above Water When Life Keeps Dragging you Down by Deborah C. Stephens

Most people experience difficulty in life. Sometimes it seems that one person gets more than their fair share. Almost everyone gets more than they want. In This is Not the Life I Ordered, the four authorsdescribed really tough challenges they faced such as losing a spouse at a young age, getting shot on a tarmac in South America, and facing cancer.

Even though their lives were tough they discovered some tools for gaining courage. One of these was to meet monthly around a kitchen table. In sharing their worries they eased them a bit, gained courage, and shared helpful ideas.

One of the main ideas that runs through the book is when a person gets caught in feelings of "woe is me" if he/she takes action they're less likely to get mired in negative feelings. Wit, humor, and spunk permeate the narrative. These women also encourage everyone to live with a sense of gratitude.

After they describe their process for forming a group and working through problems, they give tips to others for starting their own group. They suggest exercises to be done as a groupand ideas for journaling. For anyone wanting tips for making it through tough times with dignity and grace this is an excellent guide.

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"Sum"took my breath away. These brief vignettes describe potential scenarios for the afterlife. Eagleman superbly creates forty, independent, highly imaginative possibilities for our future afterwe die.In one story, the molecules from the human body transcend the universe after leaving the human body. In another, all sinners reach heaven, while the saints are frustrated and perplexed. Rather than debating the merits of a higher being, some of these stories include some version of God, some don't. He describes how our spirits could live on in the memory of others, and how our current view of "reality" may be a cosmic optical illusion.

One of my favorite stories has you re-living your life in themed chunks after death, including spending6 days clipping your nails, and 6 weeks waiting for a green light.

Eagleman is a neuroscientist by day, and his blend of science and imagination make for vivid reading. He is able to build complete and complex theories of alternative universes in the space of two or three pages. This is no small feat for any author. This is a stunning look at the possibilities of the unknown.

That's kind of what Unstuff: Making Room in Your Life for What Really Matters by Hayley and Michael DiMarco is all about: examining your life from many angles and figuring out why we've collected such an over abundance of stuff in our lives. And then how to get rid of it.

The duo, who are authors that own a small publishing company, set out in a motor home for three months. They wanted to find out how little "stuff" they could live with and thereby enrich areas of their lives that were too stuffed to enjoy. The chapters examine financial stuff, emotional stuff, physical stuff and more, and how they learned to happily live with less.

But what makes this book somewhat different from other declutter books is that is comes from a biblical perspective. The authors use scripture as a basis for and to illustrate many of their ideas. Freeing yourself to be more pleasing to God is one of their main arguments for "unstuffing." They believe that the more people focus on themselves and the acquisition of stuff, the less time they have for their family and friends, their church and community, and for play and for prayer.
If your desk, your bookshelf or your life is feeling over-cluttered and you are seeking encouragement, this may be the book you are looking for.

Kralik was at a really low point in his life on December 22, 2207. Divorced, overweight, his business failing, and reeling from a break-up with his girlfriend, he found himself in despair. On a walk in the mountains,cataloging all his failures, he heard a voice in his head say "Untilyou learn to be grateful for the things you have, you will not receive the things you want." He then came up with an idea. He decided tofind one thing to be grateful for each day, and he would write the person he was grateful to a thank-younote. This would also help him use up an oversupply of stationery in his office.

Kralik's first thank-you note was to his son, who had given him a single-cup coffeemaker for Christmas. The next note was to his (ex) girlfriend thanking her for her Christmas gift.

Remarkably, each of these thank-yous brought back even greater gifts. He ended up rebuilding his relationship with his son, from whom he had become distant. He began to realize how much he loved hisgirlfriend and was able to rekindle their relationship. Taking the time to think about his gratitude, and let others in his life know what they meant to him,reconnected him with many old friends and brought him new ones.He realized the value of simple kindness and generosity in his daily life. Kralik evenrebuilt his failing business, bringing it back from financial disaster.

This small bookholds an important and inspiring message, and one that may bringyou a sense of hope and gratitude, even if you are at a low point in your life.It's also a lesson in how to writegreat thank-you notes. Who knows - it might turn your life around.

Every wonder what a woman who is 106-years-old might have to say about living a good life?Well in It is Well with My Soul: The Extraordinary Life of a 106-Year-Old Woman Ella Mae Cheeks Johnson reflects on her 106 years. She's experienced a wide range of history in her life.

Born the child of former slaves in the Jim Crow era, she lived to attend Obama's presidential inauguration in 2009. In this autobiography Ella Mae reflects on herlife beginningwith her experiences during her early childhood through to her current life asa great-grandparent. Not only has she outlived most of her peers, but she's lived an amazing life of service.

Ella Mae earned her master's degree in social work in 1928. She did this as a black woman living in the south. When W. E. B.DuBois came to speak at her university he encouraged an uprising among the students to fight inequities and mistreatment of blacks. Ella Mae stayed out of school for six months to participate in the protest.

Despite the fact that she was orphaned at four-years-old and grew up at a time when both her race and her gender gave her a disadvantage, she nevergave up on living the life she believed in. In both her work as a social worker and as an advocate for the disadvantaged, she has helped many people improve their lives.When asked the key to living a long, happy life, she said it was compassion for other people and giving without expecting anything in return.

Even at 106 she tries to do things to help other people and make this a better world.The story of the Good Samaritan has guided her actions throughout her life. It is clear after reading her story that all is "well with her soul".