December 2020 Spiritual and Self-Help Book Picks

Posted on by Tammy

NOTE: Every month, bestselling author of “The Universe is Talking to You,” and founder of Elevated Existence, Tammy Mastroberte, chooses her picks for new books, audios and card decks in the spiritual and self-help field. None of these picks are sponsored or paid for — they are her honest picks that she shares with others!

“101 Ways to Be Less Stressed: Simple Self-Care Strategies to Boost Your Mind, Mood, and Mental Health,” by Dr. Caroline Leaf
Bestselling author and neuroscientist Dr. Caroline Leaf helps readers change their life by changing their mind with 101 simple ways to reduce stress. With simple strategies for mental self-care, we can change the way we think and how we live our lives.

It is so important that we focus on mental self-care and reducing daily stress, since mental toughness and resilience will get us through difficult times and help us achieve success in every area of our lives. Using the incredible power of our minds, we can persist and grow in response to life’s challenges.

Badass Habits: Cultivate the Awareness, Boundaries, and Daily Upgrades You Need to Make Them Stick,” by Jen Sincero
New York Times bestselling author Jen Sincero gets to the core of transformation: habits–breaking, making, understanding, and sticking with them.

Badass Habits is a look at how our habits make us who we are, from the measly moments that happen in private to the resolutions we loudly broadcast (and, , often don’t keep) on social media. Habit busting and building goes way beyond becoming a dedicated flosser or never showing up late again–our habits reveal our unmet desires, the gaps in our boundaries, our level of self-awareness, and our unconscious beliefs and fears.

This new book includes interviews with people who’ve successfully strengthened their discipline backbones, new perspective on how to train our brains to become our best selves, and offers a simple, 21-day, step-by-step guide for ditching habits that don’t serve us and developing the habits we deem most important.

Breakup Bootcamp: The Science of Rewiring Your Heart,” by Amy Chan
Amy Chan hit rock bottom when she discovered that her boyfriend cheated on her. Although she was angry and broken-hearted, Chan soon came to realize that the breakup was the shakeup she needed to redirect her life. Instead of descending into darkness, she used the pain of the breakup as a bridge to self-actualization. She devoted herself to learning various healing modalities from the ancient to the scientific, and dived into the psychology of love. It worked. Fast forward years later, Amy completely transformed her life, her relationships and founded a breakup bootcamp helping countless women heal their hearts.

In this book, Chan directs her experience as a relationship columnist and as the creator of Renew Breakup Bootcamp into a practical, thoughtful guide to turning broken hearts into an opportunity to break out of complacency and destructive habits. Dubbed “the Chief Heart Hacker,” Amy Chan grounds her practical advice and tried and tested methods rooted in cutting-edge psychology and research, helping first her bootcamp attendees and now her readers most effectively heal and reclaim their self-love.

“Daily Calm: 100 Daily Reminders to Help You Build a Mindfulness Habit,” by Padraig O’Morian
The Daily Bell is a mindfulness reminder – a sort of ‘thought of the day’ – that mindfulness expert Padraig O’Morain sends out to his 15,000 subscribers every morning, and he has done so for the last 5 years. Following on from the success of this, Padraig has compiled 100 brand new reminders and easy exercises into this new book. By picking up the book and dipping into the short exercises, readers will learn to integrate mindfulness into your life, improve personal resilience and build up a regular mindfulness habit.

“Divine Abundance Oracle Cards: A 52-Card Deck,” by Tosha Silver
From the author of “Outrageous Openness” and “It’s Not Your Money,” comes a new oracle card deck that helps readers put her teachings into practice.

Tosha Silver’s message about money is counterintuitive, fresh, and different from the norm. So many people push toward their goals, chase the means to meet their needs, and yearn for an ever-elusive feeling of security. Fear and worry are constant. Tosha takes a radical new approach: offer those desperate wishes and financial fears directly to Love, to the Divine itself–whatever that means to you. The result can bring freedom, spaciousness, and yes, even a sense of security unavailable any other way. Aligning with Divine Source as the foundation of All is the key.

Drawing inspiration from her book “It’s Not Your Money,” this deck contains 52 quotes that will help readers reflect on their relationship to money, career, and abundance.

“Happiness Becomes You: A Guide to Changing Your Life for Good,” by Tina Turner
Tina Turner’s new book is deeply personal and inspiring revealing the wisdom behind her journey to joy, while providing a practical guide to finding happiness in one’s own life. She shows how anyone can overcome obstacles in life–even transform the impossible to possible–and fulfill our dreams. She shows how we, too, can improve our lives, empowering us with spiritual tools and sage advice to enrich our unique paths. She illuminates the practical principles of Buddhism and how they have helped her elevate from despair, adversity, and poverty to joy, stability and prosperity.

“Happy Habits: 50 Science-Backed Rituals to Adopt (or Stop) to Boost Health and Happiness,” by Karen Salmansohn
Forming new habits can improve your mood and invigorate your daily routine, but we have to figure out which ones to adopt or drop. How can we successfully create habits—and what new habits will actually increase our happiness and fulfillment?

“Happy Habits” presents 50 habits that span body, mind, relationships, work, home and play. Salmansohn shares the tools we need to master fundamental habits (daily meditation; practicing gratitude), surprising happiness-boosting techniques (crying regularly; strategic complaining), and tips for easily incorporating new habits into your daily life. Filled with fascinating studies and simple rituals, this illustrated guide offers fun, accessible ways to uplift your life.

“Hard Work for Breakfast: How to Make It and Make It Look Easy,” Nick Cannon
Part biography, part philosophy, part inspiration, and all comedy, “Hard Work for Breakfast” shares the so-crazy-they-must-be-true stories from Nick Cannon’s remarkable life, from being bullied on the school yard as a skinny, nerdy kid in the projects to making millions of dollars right out of high school (with zero experience!), becoming the youngest CEO in television history, attracting millions of loyal followers, and marrying one of the most famous women in the world—all the while expanding his brand and media empire at warp speed with no end in sight.

Revealing a touching and hilarious look into his family life with Mariah Carey and their twins, Nick also gives us a fascinating glimpse behind the curtain of modern celebrity and entertainment with equal doses of wit, candor, and self-deprecation. From style, to sex, to business, to managing setbacks and obstacles, to his next adventure—becoming a billionaire by forty—Nick offers a powerful message about life, success, and “having it all.”

“It’s Never Too Late: Make the Next Act of Your Life the Best Act of Your Life,” by Kathie Lee Gifford
When Kathie Lee Gifford stepped down as cohost of the fourth hour of the Today show with Hoda Kotb, you might have thought her best days were behind her. It turns out, she was just getting started. As Kathie Lee says, “I’m not retiring; I’m refiring!”

Taking us from her Chesapeake Bay childhood when she first heard God’s calling, to her skyrocketing fame with Regis, to her decision to leave television for Nashville, Kathie Lee inspires us to pursue what really matters. Because it’s never too late to forgive, to dance the cha-cha, or to make a difference in the world.

God placed His dreams in your heart for a reason. And like Kathie Lee, you might just discover the best is yet to come. Whether you’re an empty nester, newly single, navigating a career change, or just eager for any change, Kathie Lee helps you hear God’s loving calling because It’s Never Too Late to . . .

Begin Again
Make Sparks Fly
Leave a Good Thing
Have a Party
Change the Ending, Then Change It Again

“Lessons on Success: 17 Principles of Personal Achievement Through Action and Attitude,” by Napoleon Hill
Napoleon Hill’s 17 Essential Principles of Personal Achievement have served as an encouraging and illuminating guide for those seeking to improve all areas of their lives for more than half a century. In this new book, readers will get keyed into Hill’s distinct thought process—this is THE complete and unabridged mind-power method for achieving your goals.

After interviewing dozens of industrialists, diplomats, thought leaders, and people who are at the top of their game, Hill distilled what he learned and converted his study into seventeen core lessons that will set you up for success in every facet of your life.

“Living Your Dreams: Your Personal Success Program,” by Mark Victor Hansen
Discover the proven concepts, powerful skills, easy-to-use techniques and step-by-step action items needed to define your dreams and live them―whatever they are from bestselling author Mark Victor Hansen.

No one knows more about how to live their dream than Mark Victor Hansen. He achieved his success when he was well into his 40s―knowing that dreams don’t have deadlines. After reading this inspiring book, you’ll know it too!

Now a sought-after dynamic keynote speaker and entrepreneurial marketing maven, Mark has spoken to over 6,000 audiences worldwide and is best known as the co-author of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series, and brand setting world records with over 500 million books sold.

With a guidebook and a personal goal planner, readers will learn:

Believe It to Achieve It
Positive Self-Talk
How to Turn Problems into Opportunities
The Fundamental Secrets of Prosperity
How to Gain Financial Freedom
To Create a Dream Team
Achieve Total Well-Being
Develop a Winning Spirit
10 Instant Steps to Success

“Mindfulness Workbook for Stress Relief: Reduce Stress Through Meditation, Non-Judgement, Mind-Body Awareness and Self-Inquiry,” by April Snow LMFT
Ease stress and achieve balance through the healing power of mindfulness — a powerful and proven method for reducing stress and its negative health effects. This Workbook shows you how to relieve tension and find calm using soothing, restorative techniques like meditation, non-judgment, self-inquiry, and mind-body awareness.

Featuring helpful exercises and simple meditations, this hands-on stress management workbook delivers a wide variety of effective mindfulness tools that you can add to your self-care toolbox like breath awareness, body scans, mindful walking, and more.

It includes:

A beginner-friendly focus that covers a spectrum of everyday situations and science-based solutions.
Engaging mindfulness-based exercises that are proven to help relieve stress, anxiety, chronic pain, and sleep issues.
How to address stress triggers in many areas of daily life like relationships, at work, and beyond.

“Release: Create a Clutter Free and Soul Driven Life,” by Peggy Fitzsimmons
Most of us are overwhelmed by stuff that is not essential to our lives and is out of alignment with our true spiritual nature. Although our souls are inherently free, we also have an ego mind that orients us toward fear, scarcity, self-preservation, and holding on. With the ego mind in the driver’s seat of our lives, we accumulate clutter. Physical clutter is the most obvious, but we are also burdened with mental, emotional, energetic, and relationship clutter.

All forms of clutter reflect the same thing; a soul not being true to itself. This book provides practical strategies to release clutter in your inner and outer environments and create a more soul-directed life. It introduces the skills of presence, mindfulness, resonance, and inspired action to put you on the road to freedom; free to live with only the things that help you share your love with the world in your unique ways.

“Take Care of Your Type: An Enneagram Guide to Self-Care,” by Christina S. Wilcox
Discover the self-care tips specifically designed for your Enneagram type from popular Enneagram expert Christina S. Wilcox. Many of us have used the Enneagram of Personality to understand ourselves on a profoundly intimate level. But despite what our Enneagram type reveals, it’s not always easy to know the best ways to take care of ourselves according to our unique personalities.

In this book, Christina uses her knowledge of the Enneagram to illuminate how each of the nine Enneagram types can practice better self-care. Answering questions ranging from “What is the best morning routine for my type?” to “What boundaries are important to set based on my individual personality traits?” this handy guide filled with beautiful color illustrations will help you re-center and reconnect with yourself amid the stress of daily life and will leave you feeling happier and healthier in mind, body, and spirit.

Elevated Existence December 2018/January 2019 Book Picks

Posted on by Tammy

Each month, a ton of new spiritual and self-help books hit the market. It’s easy to get overwhelmed or miss out on some new releases.

I created Elevated Existence Monthly Book Picks to help narrow down your search, and make sure you don’t miss some great options!

Here are the picks for December 2018 and January 2019. They are listed below in alphabetical order. Click on each title to go directly to Amazon and find out more about the book.

“The 5-Minute Recharge: 31 Proven Strategies to Refresh, Reset, and Become the Boss of Your Day,” by Lynne Everatt and Addie Greco-Sanchez
Science has proven that you have the power, through your habitual ways of thinking and behaving, to renovate the space inside your head, making it brighter, more resilient, and a more enjoyable place to be. In “The 5-Minute Recharge,” the authors share 31 techniques (backed by research) for thriving and at work and in life, including a mental fitness technique that is better than magic mushrooms; the best way to grow new brain cells and ensure you continue to look good in your genes as you age; the easily accessible trait that’s associated with the high-performance personality; what George Clooney can teach you about tapping into your inner wisdom; and the Navy Seal tactic you can use to trigger relaxation even in tense situations.

“The 30-Day Money Cleanse: Take Control of Your Finances, Manage Your Spending, and De-Stress Your Money for Good,” by Ashley Feinstein Gerstley
In just one month you can create lasting happiness in your financial life while also doing what you love. Ashley Feinstein Gerstley changed her relationship with money for good and is now helping others align their money with their own values; change their money mindset; and find more money for the things they love.

Even with a finance education and years of expertise in financial services, Gerstley was still stressed out about her personal finances. Why was she unhappy? She understood that, as a society, we don’t discuss matters of money enough. Many of us even punish ourselves with blistering budgets. But “The 30-Day Money Cleanse” turns all those ideas around. Following the author’s advice, you will learn to Clear yourself of negativity and create a new mindset of abundance in only 30 days!

If you want to eliminate money stressors; finally know where your money is going; break panic-inducing, bad money habits; learn the basics of how and where to invest; and make a plan that you can not only live with but enjoy, then this is the book for you!

“Crystal Bliss: Attract Love. Feed Your Spirit. Manifest Your Dreams,” by Devi Brown
Feeling worn out, unmotivated and uninspired? You can change your energy with help from Mother Nature using crystals.

Devi Brown walks readers through the crystal selection process, cleansing and preparing them for use, and incorporating them into meditation and healing practices. You will discover how to banish negative vibes, manifest wealth, promote good health and open your heart to love.

“The Divine Energy Oracle: A 63-Card Deck to Get Out of Your Own Way,” by Sonia Choquette
In this new oracle card deck, Sonia Choquette is helping users to become more Divinely awakened. It’s designed to connect one with Divine Energy, and each card offers a “personal invitation to become more Divinely awakened and empowered,” while also addressing the soul shift necessary in order to achieve what they desire.

“By following the guidance on the card you pick, you’ll find the answer you need to best meet every situation in life,” Choquette says in the guidebook. “Each card offers small, manageable steps that you can achieve day by day, steadily advancing toward your highest goals on a spiritual level. In the process, you’ll get out of your own way and begin to experience the personal success and satisfaction that you seek in your life, as well as bring your special gifts and energy to the planet.”

“I’ve Been Thinking . . . The Journal: Inspirations, Prayers, and Reflections for Your Meaningful Life,” by Maria Shriver
As a follow-up to her bestselling book, this inspiring, interactive journal by Maria Shriver encourages readers to explore what they’ve been thinking, the same way she explored it for herself in her book. She created a journal that encourages readers to write about themselves and what truly matters in their own lives.

With a new introduction, creative thought-provoking prompts, and complete with many of Shriver’s own prayers and quotes, I’ve Been Thinking is gives readers the space to reflect on what a meaningful life looks like to them.

“The Journey into Yourself: A Retreat to Deepen the Realization of Your Essential Nature,” by Eckhart Tolle
In this new audio, Eckhart Tolle invites you to join him on an odyssey beyond the “horizontal dimension” of thought and into the often overlooked “vertical dimension,” somewhere beyond the reach of the mind. According to Tolle, the vertical dimension might be better understood as the current moment or the Now—all that ever actually is. And this includes the self—the real you.

Recorded in front a live audience at the Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, New York, this program presents a rarely heard talk from Eckhart’s early teaching career. With this you will encounter over eight hours of practical, thought provoking, and occasionally hilarious teachings for becoming who we are beyond the physical. This includes why the phrase “life is a dream” is more accurate than you might expect; piercing the veil of self-made suffering; the gentle and fierce aspects of embodied Presence; why setbacks and discomfort are the most potent teachers and more.

“Life Admin: How I Learned to Do Less, Do Better, and Live More,” by Elizabeth Emens
Desperate to survive in her household with two young children and an endless to-do list, and to help others along the way, Elizabeth Emens set out on a journey to conducted interviews and focus groups to gather popular tips and tricks, admin confessions, and other secrets of admin-happy households.

Life Admin tackles the admin problem in every one of its forms, from everyday tasks like scheduling appointments and paying bills, to life events from planning a wedding or birth to a funeral. Emens explores how these labors are created, how it affects our lives, and how we might avoid, and redistribute admin whenever possible.

“Millionaire Success Habits: The Gateway to Wealth & Prosperity,” by Dean Graziosi
Renowned business coach and entrepreneur Dean Graziosi takes you from where you are to where you want to be in life in this newly revised and updated book – with all new chapters on productivity. Using the simple tools taught in the book, readers can learn how to reshape their daily routines and open new doors to prosperity. With Dean’s 30-day Better Life Challenge you can catapult yourself into your new life.

This book is not about finding more time in your day. It is about switching those things that are not serving your future with successful habits designed to assist you on your journey. In this text, you’ll:

Dig deep to identify your “why”–the true purpose that drives you and why you want to succeed.
Expose and overcome the “villain within” that holds you back.
Unlock the biggest secret to being productive.
Believe in your own massive potential–so you can make it a reality

“Mind Detox: Discover and Resolve the Root Causes of Chronic Conditions and Persistent Problems,” by Sandy C. Newbigging
Suffer from physical or emotional conditions? Stuck with the same patterns in your life? Don’t know why you react the way you do and can’t seem to help it? Much of our chronic, repetitive behaviors, and emotional trauma can be traced to unresolved events stuck in the unconscious mind.

In Mind Detox, Sandy C. Newbigging reveals a simple 5-step method for detoxing the unconscious mind and resolving those life problems. He explains how to turn back time to find the significant emotional event, the main experience, that shaped the core beliefs that trigger your chronic conditions and patterns, and describes how to reflect on why this event was a problem at the time. Then he teaches to meditate on the experience in light of your present-day self, allowing you to create new results about what happened.

He also offers guidance on how to use EFT in conjunction with the Mind Detox method, and practical healing tools like the “decision destroyer.” You will also learn what the most common unhealthy beliefs are that negatively impact health, wealth and happiness — and how to heal them — and success stories of how Mind Detox successfully cleared skin conditions, erased chronic pain and healed digestive disorders.

“Sleep Rituals: 100 Practices for a Deep and Peaceful Sleep,” By Jennifer Williamson
Do you have trouble getting — and staying — asleep? Healthy sleep rituals can help set the mood for a satisfying slumber and help you drift off in peace, and Jennifer Williamson offers 100 easy rituals for you to choose from in this new book. These include sleep-friendly recipes, like nutmeg-spiced warm milk; soothing practices like dry brushing; relaxing yoga poses, such as Child’s Pose; breathing exercises, such as alternate nostril breathing; calming meditations; and soothing writing exercises. They are made to mix and match for a completely personalized bedtime experience.

“Success Habits: Proven Principles for Greater Wealth, Health, and Happiness,” by Napoleon Hill
Napoleon Hill, author of best seller “Think and Grow Rich,” has been celebrated for his role in the self-help genre, and in this never-before-published work, Hill shares all his principles of success — key habits that provide the basis for a life altering success. Hill explains his fundamental rules that lead to a successful life.

The book is filled with Hill’s personal anecdotes written in an understandable, conversational style. His understandings apply to every facet of life, inspiring readers to achieve their own ambitions and create the positive change in their lives they have always dreamed of.

“You Are a Badass Every Day: How to Keep Your Motivation Strong, Your Vibe High, and Your Quest for Transformation Unstoppable,” by Jen Sincero
If you have ever had trouble staying motivated while moving towards badassery, You Are a Badass Every Day by Jen Sincero is the companion to keep you renewed, optimism, and driven. Realign your mind and keep an unwavering focus with one hundred exercises, reflections, and cues that will teach you how to maintain the breakthroughs catalyzed by Sincero’s iconic books “You Are a Badass” and “You Are a Badass at Making Money” going.

Owning your power to achieve to badassery is just the first of a few steps in generating the life you deserve and this book will help you power through obstacles, overcome the doubts that hold you back, and keep that determination inside roaring while you achieve your goals.