going for gratitude

Imperfect Spirituality

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Use positive focus to promote a restful sleep and positive day Posted: 23 May 2012 05:06 AM PDT The moments before you fall asleep, can be among the most powerful and important of your day. They can be the catalyst for making your dreams come true. Or, they can be a time where you mentally run through all your anxieties, stresses, responsibilities and failings – dating back to your elementary school years, before falling into a sweaty half sleep. But, you can kiss that night-time anxiety good-bye and set yourself up for success during the day ahead by choosing thoughts that support and uplift your rather than stress you out. Instead of settling lackadaisically into that dreamlike state between consciousness and unconsciousness, use those minutes before sleep to focus your thoughts and buoy your spirit so that when you do drift off to sleep your unconscious goes to work creating positive beliefs and empowering feelings that will propel you into the day ahead. Three ways to create powerful thoughts and feelings before sleep Choose gratitude. Challenge yourself to find five things that you’re grateful for. Name them in your mind or aloud, and with each item pause and really experience the positive feelings of love and gratitude for this thing to roll through you. Stay focused. Give thought and emotion to each item. Do not go to sleep until you’ve come up with five. Remake the day. Visualize the day in reverse. Notice what worked and what didn’t and then use your imagination to remake those less-than moments into your ideal day. Use your imagination to shape a positive reality. Sleep with a mantra. Pick a power word. One that infuses you with energy and good feeling and possibility and repeat it as you drift off to sleep. Love is a good one. I like the energy of “yes” too. Or you can go with a quality that you’re working to attract into your life: peace, abundance, joy. Any one of these little practices can help you form thoughts that will guide you toward a restful sleep and good day. Remember, your subconscious is operating even when you’re not, so give it positive material to work with.

Read with your ears:

Listen with Your Ears to Viva Editions Audio Bestsellers! May 2012 People have busy lives. Sometimes you can only find time to read while you are commuting to work or taking the kids to soccer practice. Now Viva Editions offers you another way to improve your life with the addition of four of our bestsellers to our list of audio books. Apocalypse Not  Everything You Know about 2012, Nostradamus and the Rapture Is Wrong by John Greer, narrated by Bill Andrew Quinn A survey of three millennia of apocalyptic prophecies and the failed dreams and nightmares that have clustered around them.  Itchallenges the entire body of contemporary apocalyptic belief, religious and secular, and traces today’s apocalyptic belief systems back across history.  » Buy the Audio Book Here! The Fatigue Prescription  Four Steps to Renewing Your Energy, Health, and Life by Linda Hawes Clever, narrated by Traci Odom This book will engage you in finding your own remedies to your “over-whelm” and “under-joy.” Ithelps you track the critical choices you make every day that lead to fatigue and gives tangible advice on how to alter those ingrained habits. » Buy the Audio Book Here! It's Never Too Late to Be What You Might Have Been  by BJ Gallagher, narrated by Karen Commins A guidebook to getting the life you always wanted. Gallagher gives personal examples through interviews with people who have achieved their dreams with specific tips for readers to take away. Inspirational quotes seamlessly tie famous people’s wisdom with your neighbors’ wisdom, leaving the reader with feelings of support and a can-do attitude. » Buy the Audio Book Here! Change Your Life!  A Little Book of Big Ideas by Allen Klein, narrated by Marlin May Full of uplifting and inspirational quotes that will change your life if you take them to heart. Kipling once said that words are "the most powerful drug used by mankind." May the words in this book be the prescription you have been looking for to revise your life. » Buy the Audio Book Here! Viva Editions, an imprint of Cleis Press, 2246 Sixth St., Berkeley, CA 94710

Love your mother

Must-Have Gifts for the Mothers We Love May 2012 One of our missions at Viva Editions is to publish books for, by, and about moms, to make their lives richer, easier, more authentic and joyful. Whether it's a guide to creative nonfiction writing, a handbook on eco-friendly homekeeping or a workbook guaranteed to inspire, a Viva book will resonate with the mom in your life. In honor of the mothers we love, we are pleased to offer a special discount on the eve of Mother's Day. Use promotional code MDAY30 to save 30% on  vivaeditions.com books through May 30! More · Buy Use Your Words  A Writing Guide for Mothers by Kate Hopper USE YOUR WORDS introduces the art of creative nonfiction to women who want to give written expression to their lives as mothers. Written by award-winning teacher and writer, Kate Hopper, this book will help women find the heart of their writing. More · Buy Lemons and Lavender  The Eco Guide to Better Homekeeping by Billee Sharp Author Billee Sharp shares her freecycling, budget-savvy wisdom in this step-by-step handbook for revolutionizing spending habits and reclaiming quality of life. Lemons and Lavender is an inspiring and instructive guide to living the handmade life. More · Buy The Frugal Foodie Cookbook  Waste-Not Recipes for the Wise Cook by Lynette Shirk While the budget crunch means that we're all having to cut back on expenses, it doesn't have to mean gourmet food and a balanced diet. Four-star chef and budget gourmet, Lynette Shirk shows you how to creatively and cleverly use ingredients and leftovers to produce wonderful meals for any occasion. More · Buy The Power of WOW  A Guide to Unleashing the Confident, Sexy You by Lori Bryant-Woolridge Author Lori Bryant-Woolridge offers the first confidence-building primer that breaks down that elusive WOW factor. Through this comprehensive, user-friendly program, women of any age can learn to be healthy, sensual sexual beings with the approval or validation of anyone other than themselves. More · Buy The Gratitude Power Workbook  Transform Fear into Courage, Anger into Forgiveness, Isolation into Belonging by Nina Lesowitz The act and power of gratitude has a direct effect on our lives on a physical, spiritual, mental and emotional level. The secret to a happy and fulfilled life may rely on focusing on all the good, rather than what is lacking at the moment. The Thank You Power workbook is a tool for this transformation.  More · Buy The Lazy Gourmet  Magnificent Meals Made Easy by Robin Donovan The Lazy Gourmet is for anyone who dreams of dazzling guests with fabulous home-cooked fare, but fears that such a feat would require Thomas Keller's talent, Martha Stewart's ingenuity, Gandhi's patience, and Charles Manson's free time.  More · Buy It's Never Too Late to Be What You Might Have Been  by BJ Gallagher Dreams deferred are dreams that die — a process that can take the dreamer along with them. Gallagher believes it's never too late to revisit, and relive, one's deepest desires.  More · Buy Girlfriends Are Lifesavers  by Reeda Joseph Who do we turn to for the best advice, gossip, and fashion tips? Our friends! And listen, ladies we'd be nowhere without our girlfriends. So here it is — a book to celebrate our bff's who get us through life. Viva Editions, an imprint of Cleis Press, 2246 Sixth St., Berkeley, CA 94710