personal growth book summaries

Archive for Self-Esteem

Discovering Your Self-Worth – despite the circumstances

By Nina East · Comments (0)
Tuesday, November 9th, 2010

Does life seem to be a struggle for you? Do you feel overwhelmed and frustrated much of the time? Do you wish you could experience something better? Fortunately, you can enjoy the exciting life you deserve…even when it seems like the world is against you.

Success is available to you despite challenging circumstances. It’s important to remember, also, that your self-worth is not defined by your circumstances.

What holds you back? Take some time today to question the beliefs you hold that limit your potential. If you look at a challenging circumstance as a wall that’s impossible to climb, you need a fresh perspective. Within you is everything you need to thrive and excel. The more you question the validity of your limiting beliefs, the more success you’ll experience in your life.

Think of a circumstance in your life that you believe is preventing you from something you want. Write it down, then get ready to challenge that limiting belief. If you do, you’ll begin to move toward the success you deserve.

Use these strategies to maintain a positive self-worth, regardless of your circumstances:

1.      Find the cause. What is the cause of the circumstance in your life? Sometimes, limiting beliefs can serve as warning signs that help you avoid danger. What can you learn from this so you avoid triggering a similar situation in the future?

  • If the cause of your situation is unclear, ask friends and family for their input. Others see your life from a different perspective, and their input can be valuable in determining the root of your difficulty.

2.      Get past the blame game. You can often be your own worst critic. Fortunately, negative self-talk often has very little basis in reality. Choose to replace the doubts of your inner critic with more productive thinking.

  • Once a negative thought has taught you its intended lesson, it has served its purpose. If you choose to hold onto those negative thoughts, they will begin to form a negative self-image in your mind. This unbalanced view of your talents and strengths holds you back.
  • Instead of dwelling on negative thoughts about your circumstances, learn the lesson and resolve to move on. Find out what you can do differently to avoid a repeat of your present situation. Then, when negative thoughts enter your mind, choose to replace your self-talk with productive thoughts instead. Read More→

Comments (0)
Categories : Confidence, Self-Esteem
Tags : ,

Do Princesses Wear Hiking Boots?

By Nina East · Comments (0)
Monday, October 18th, 2010

Do Princesses wear hiking boots?

You betcha!

This book is one in a series of girl-empowerment books by Carmela LaVigna Coyle, designed to let little girls know that yes, indeedy, princesses can do whatever they please, and that being a princess has nothing to do with outside trappings, but with inside feelings.  Feelings of goodness and worthiness, mind you – not entitlement, beauty or putting on airs.

hikingboots Do Princesses Wear Hiking Boots? Cole says she was inspired to write this book after her daughter asked her the title question.  It is written for pre-school level, so be prepared for the cute, whimsical rhyming. The text consists of a mother’s rhymed answers to her daughter’s questions about princesses, such as, “When princesses laugh, do they sometimes snort?  They have manners of every sort.”

What’s great about these stories is that they expand the idea of what it means to be completely and fully all of who you are – that self-esteem is based on accepting and loving you exactly as you are – the same message inherent in everything here at PersonalGrowthPrincess.com. Considering how many messages girls (and women) get about not being good enough, not being worthy, and, of course, that being pretty is what counts, this book is a wonderful counter-message.

Here’s a snippet from Carmela LaVigna Coyle’s biography:

“Hmmmm. An uncommon princess!? What’s that all about… well it’s about YOU!! And who you are on the inside. I wrote my first “published” book for my daughter Annie after she asked me the title question. “Do princesses wear hiking boots?” We were getting ready to go on a hike in the Rocky’s when she plopped down next to me wearing denim coveralls, a pink sparkling tutu, an old t-shirt, mismatching socks and a crown askew on her head. Before I could answer her question, she fired a second one; “Do princesses have to brush their teeth?” and then a third. (Can you believe it? Hand-fed a storybook title by a four-year-old? Happens all the time, I am told.) Quickly I discovered that she was trying to learn if she, herself, could possibly qualify as a princess.

The princess in my princess series climb trees, ride bikes-fast, plays soccer, dresses up (on occasion,) does chores, and loves to be outside in nature. Sound familiar? A princess doesn’t have to be fluffy and frilly to be the real deal… unless, of course, you like that sort of thing. Anything goes, my dears. “…A princess is a place in your heart.” And the best part? You decide what that is! Or not!”

I’m always drawn to these books, in part because of all the anti-princess messages I heard growing up (along with the “not yet worthy” ones), but also because of how they can impact grown women as well. Some members of Personal Growth Princess tell me that initially they were not drawn to the name of the program, because of the word “princess”, but once they read more about it and understood they were reacting from the negative conditioning they received as young girls, they jump on board. There’s something liberating about being able to think “princess” without thinking “wimpy”.

There are other books in the series, which seems to have become a runaway hit: Do Princesses Really Kiss Frogs? and Do Princesses Scrape Their Knees? and other titles.  The rumors are the latest book in the series, Do Princesses Have Best Friends Forever?, will be out near the end of the year.

What messages did you receive about who you were as a child? And was it OK to be interested in princesses? Could you kick butt and be girly?

Leave a comment below and share your thoughts.

Comments (0)
Categories : 5-Minute Book Reviews, Princess Stories, Self-Esteem
Tags : , ,

What is your personal passion signature?

By Nina East · Comments (2)
Thursday, October 14th, 2010

Do you know what your personal archetype is? Your personal passion signature?

According to Donna LeBlanc, author of The Passion Principle: Discover Your Personal Passion Signature and the Secrets to Deeper Relationshps in Love, Life and Work, there are 5 distinct ways we deal with our fears, tap into our passions and strengths, and relate to others.

Your passion signature is the way you express your passion and seek fulfillment. When you know your passion signature – along with the pitfalls that accompany them – you no longer react to the world around you, but instead are able to respond from a place of strength, a place of passion. Your self-esteem and your confidence increase because your are operating from your natural passion.

The five passion signatures LeBlanc describes are:PPcover What is your personal passion signature?

The Visionary

  • motivated by excellence
  • optimistic
  • born leader
  • wants to make the world a better place

The Warrior

  • thrives in leadership roles
  • enjoy leading people out of struggle
  • has a big heart, though it may be hidden
  • loads of integrity

The Lover

  • thrives in 1-1 relationships
  • great nurturer
  • loves to learn about other people and their lives

The Creator

  • great problem solver and negotiator
  • can see all sides of an issue
  • helps people find common ground and understanding

The Prophet

  • spiritual teacher
  • have new knowledge to share with the world
  • have psychic abilities, though may not have recognized them yet

Each signature, or archetype, also has what might be considered a shadow side – the way you behave when you are at your worst, in the throes of fear and reaction.

If you’re the Visionary, Read More→

Comments (2)
Categories : Confidence, Self-Esteem
Tags : , , , ,

Turning disappointment into joy [video]

By Nina East · Comments (2)
Saturday, September 18th, 2010

How many times have you been disappointed about something and had a hard time “letting it go”?

You might have been disappointed about the way something turned out…or disappointed in something about yourself…or disappointed that all your efforts didn’t pay off the way you were expecting.

One of the places disappointment shows up is when we haven’t achieved the success we wanted, or we aren’t “being” the person we want to be. That no matter how hard we try at something, we just can’t make it happen.

In the world of personal growth it often shows up as trying to be something you are not. This leads to all sort of issues – low self-esteem, frustration, lack of faith, depression, feeling like an imposter and fearing what will happen if people find out the ‘truth” about you.

Remember, though, that one of our mottoes at Personal Growth Princess is:

To be someone you are not is to waste the person you are.

Honoring who you really are – your talents, your skills, the things that make you happy, the areas you aren’t so strong in…all of it – is part of the process of turning disappointment into Joy.

And that, of course, is one of the keys to resilience and overcoming adversity.

I found this video that tells a perfect story of turning disappointment into joy – into truly overwhelming joy.
As you know, I’m an animal lover and donate a portion of all proceeds to animal rescue organizations, so it should be no surprise when you see the role a dog plays in this video.

What may surprise you is how moved you are by what you see.

As you watch…ask yourself, “Where am I trying to make myself something I’m not? What am I truly great at? What really brings me joy?”

I have no doubt you’ll find a remarkable and beautiful point of intersection between the skills you’ve gained by trying to be something, and the thing that really brings you JOY.

It’s only 5 minutes long. Trust me, you WILL want to watch all the way through.

Enjoy – and share your thoughts below in the comments section.

What would happen if you let go of who you think you “ought” to be, and instead reveled in knowing you are perfect just the way you are?

Comments (2)
Categories : Audio-Video Programs, Happiness, Life Purpose
Tags : , , , , ,

How Your Authentic Archetype Helps You Navigate Self Doubt So That You Are Free to Embody Your Brilliance…

By Nina East · Comments (0)
Friday, September 17th, 2010

Self Care Mastery presents an Interview with Nina East

NinaNewsletterPink How Your Authentic Archetype Helps You Navigate Self Doubt So That You Are Free to Embody Your Brilliance…I’m thrilled to announce I’ve been invited back to Self Care Mastery for another interview – this time on the topic of Self-Doubt.

We’re going to take a different approach than usual, incorporating the authentic archetypes (signature styles) from The Passion Principle by best-selling author Donna LeBlanc.

** The Passion Principle is the featured book summary this month! You can access additional resources by visiting the Member page.
You can also read a short description about the book and book summary on the announcements page.

Sign up to attend this free telesminar at Self Care Mastery!

Most books and articles on self-doubt spend 90% of the time describing what self-doubt is and 10% of the time giving suggestions for ways to deal with it.

The problem with most approaches to self-doubt is, at best they are inane, and at worst, they reinforce feelings of self-doubt. Most self-help material on self-doubt suggest strategies that deal focus on surface issues and willpower without going beneath the surface to what’s really going and identifying strategies and keys for growth specific to your signature style.

But don’t worry – we won’t stop there. We wouldn’t want to be guilty of the same 90%/10% problem! We’ll take a look at signature styles (archetypes) and how they influence us, as well as provide keys to growth that help reframe and transform self-doubt. We’ll also take a look at some of the latest scientific research on “positivity” – and what most people do that actually decreases their positivity and sense of well-being.

In this provocative (some might even say controversial) look at self-doubt, Nina East, certified coach and Founder of PersonalGrowthPrincess.com, will lead you in a realistic look at self-doubt and the state of the self-help industry’s ideas on how to overcome it.

Adela How Your Authentic Archetype Helps You Navigate Self Doubt So That You Are Free to Embody Your Brilliance…This teleclass/interview is hosted by Adela Rubio, a Conscious Business Mentor™ and Telesummit Producer/Host who helps conscious entrepreneurs authentically articulate their essential message and build a conscious business tribe. With five online telesummits under her belt, and more than 64 interviews with conscious business leaders, she is an expert at creating engaging and experiential online virtual events that position you as a thought leader while leveraging talent, time, and technology.

Sign up to attend this free telesminar at Self Care Mastery!

Comments (0)
Categories : Announcements, Self-Esteem
Tags : , , , , ,

Can a cookbook be a self-help book? [interview]

By Nina East · Comments (4)
Tuesday, July 20th, 2010

Seriously. Has anyone ever suggested to you that a cookbook could actually be a self-help book, too?

I had not heard it…until I met Deborah Nelson, author of From Rainy Days to Sexy Nights Cookbook: Simple and Inspirational Recipes to Fit Your Mood.DeborahNelson 199x300 Can a cookbook be a self help book? [interview]

Deborah is the spunky – fiery? – owner of SaucyWellness.com – with the tagline “healthy living one juicy bite at a time”. Her cookbook  is really about living a juicy life – savoring all aspects of your life – with a healthy eating twist.

Food affects everything – from self-esteem to happiness to your level of confidence.

Food creates the environment in your body – an environment of stress or an environment of peace. There are many other factors affecting stress, of course, but food is one that many of us turn to. Deborah’s goal is to help people turn to it in a way that serves their goals and soothes their souls, rather than a short term relief that creates longer-term challenges.

The recipes are divided into 4 categories: Rainy Days, Summer Sensations, Heal Me, and Sexy Nights. In the interview below she explains what these categories mean and how to use the food we select to alter our mood. She says that “food creates who you are – you choose your mood in the moment by choosing your food.”

Below is an interview I conducted with Deborah a couple of weeks ago. She has also generously agreed to provide a set of 5 recipes to members of PersonalGrowthPrincess, as well as a free complimentary consultation session. If you want some support on how your eating habits affect your mood, energy levels, weight and also your libido, I encourage you to take her up on it right away! Info is available on the Members page. (Please note, this is an additional fabulous bonus – on top of your regular monthly bonus tools.)

Listen to the interview and get another free recipe

Comments (4)
Categories : Confidence, General Musings, Recommended Resources, Self-Esteem
Tags : , , , , ,

Is the pressure to find your life purpose bringing you down?

By Nina East · Comments (3)
Friday, July 16th, 2010

If you focus on personal growth you have no doubt been bombarded with resources, tools, seminars, etc. to help you “find your life purpose”. It seems like everywhere you turn there’s something about “being on purpose”, “finding your calling”, having a “life with a mission”.

I think it’s admirable to pursue this, and having nothing against the personal growth professionals and authors who teach on this subject. But it has got me wondering…

What if you don’t know what your life purpose is?

What if you can’t find your life purpose, or can’t figure it out? Read More→

Comments (3)
Categories : Life Purpose
Tags : , ,

Self-Doubt – 2 Causes – 2 Solutions

By Nina East · Comments (3)
Friday, July 9th, 2010

There are two main elements influencing self-doubt. Fortunately there are also some simple ways to begin eroding your self-doubt and, consequently, build your self-esteem.

The frustrating paradox is that self-doubt actually creates unwavering certainty – certainty that you cannot do/say/be what you want, that you aren’t good enough, or that the risks far outweigh the possible gains.

bluequestionmark 150x150 Self Doubt 2 Causes 2 SolutionsThis is because of the nasty self-perpetuating cycle self-doubt creates. You doubt yourself in a particular area so you hold yourself back from doing/saying/being something. This in turn gives you evidence that you don’t “have what it takes”, which usually gets translated to “See? I’m not good enough”.

When asked about what affects or feeds their self-doubt, readers generally pointed to two things. Given the commitment to personal growth and self-improvement members and readers at PersonalGrowthPrincess.com have I wasn’t surprised at the insight. But because this seems to be a fairly universal issue, I also was not surprised that there were very few suggestions for what to do about it.

The first element feeding self-doubt is not trusting your inner guidance, your intuition. Or perhaps it would be more accurate to say the problem is not knowing whether what you are experiencing is really inner guidance, or a fear or anxiety speaking.

We often “know” something but don’t trust that knowing. After all, how do you know when you know? This is usually a result of not practicing using this information, but can also come from trusting your intuition and ending up with negative consequences. That can magnify self-doubt.

The key distinction is that inner guidance always Read More→

Comments (3)
Categories : Confidence, Intuition, Self-Esteem
Tags : , , , , , , ,

Can Jealousy Raise Your Self-Esteem?

By Nina East · Comments (0)
Wednesday, June 30th, 2010

If you’re like most people in western culture, you’ve been taught that jealousy is a bad thing. You may have even been told that experiencing jealousy means you are a bad or ungrateful person, or that being jealous makes you weak or less spiritual. For most of us, when we experience jealousy, we try to eliminate it or prevent it from ever coming up. Given that jealousy is a natural emotion, this is a pretty futile effort. 2girls Can Jealousy Raise Your Self Esteem?

There is an important distinction that needs to be made in order to have a more helpful understanding of jealousy, one which can actually raise your self-esteem…

Jealousy is a mental uneasiness about something or someone, usually triggered by seeing or experiencing something you wish you had or wish you could do. It is an awareness of difference, and a wishing for something similar to be in your own life.

Jealousy has developed a negative connotation in part because of general cultural perspectives, but also because of the inappropriate behavior that sometimes follows. We tend to get emotion and behavior mixed up, but, jealousy, as a feeling, does not have to be negative. In fact, it can be quite positive and empowering if you look at it the right way.

Resentment, on the other hand, has a bite to it. It involves a sense of indignation, of having been wronged by the other person, and even the belief that when they have something you do not, whether it be a skill, a relationship, or a tangible item, that it has somehow made you “less than”.

Words, and therefore feelings, are defined by other words. How you define something gives it its meaning. The word “resentment” is often used to define jealousy, but that doesn’t have to be so.

If you were to choose to eliminate the word “resentment” from your definition, and experience, of jealousy, what might be different?

If you believe that you are “less than” someone who has what you do not yet have, or if you believe their having it reduces your chances of ever having it, then you are experiencing Resentment, not jealousy. Resentment has a definite self-esteem lowering quality. Not only do you feel bad about yourself because you don’t have what the other person does, you may even feel guilty for feeling resentment, setting off a downward spiral of lower self-esteem.

What if jealousy were just a signal to you about something more you want to be, do, or have? The actual person who triggered the jealous response is not as important as the desire it brings up in you. Jealousy can give you clarity about what you really want. It can help you define precisely what you want to create in your life or business. The more clear you are about what you want, the easier it is to take productive action – and one of the greatest self-esteem boosters is taking effective action.

If you believed this about jealousy, how much more gentle would you be with yourself? How much more understanding would you be of other people? How much more likely would you be to get into action because you have a “possibility” mentality versus a “lack” mentality? How much higher could you raise your self-esteem by defining jealousy in a positive way, rather than trying to eliminate it?

Leave a comment below – I’d love to know what you think!

Comments (0)
Categories : Mindfulness, Self-Esteem
Tags : , , ,

Don’t Worry, Be Happy. Or is it the reverse?

By Nina East · Comments (2)
Wednesday, April 28th, 2010

Don’t Worry. Be Happy. Nice little song from the late 80′s. Significant for being the first a cappella song to reach #1 on the charts. Perhaps also significant for getting stuck in your head. (Sorry.)

I bring it up because of a recent study published in Psychological Science which examined the question:

Is the happy life characterized by shallow, happy-go-lucky moments and trivial small talk, or by reflection and profound social encounters?1131650 women 2 Dont Worry, Be Happy. Or is it the reverse?

Popular wisdom, all songs aside, might make you think that the social butterfly who can flit from small-talk conversation to small-talk conversation, would be far happier than the group of people clustered on the couches having a deep meaningful conversation.

Ignorance is bliss, yes?

Not so, says this study – which is more reliable than previous studies because it did not rely on self-reported behavior.

Researchers found that higher well-being was actually associated with having less small talk, and having more substantive conversations.
(“Substantive” meaning a conversation in which meaningful information was exchanged. More along the lines of “I hear your new job has been really demanding. Tell me about it” and less “Oh, I love that dress! Where did you get it?”)

Here are some other interesting findings from the study:

The happiest participants spent about 25% less time alone and about 70% more time talking.

The happiest people also had about 1/3 less small talk, and twice as many substantive conversations.

From the report: “Together, the present findings demonstrate that the happy life is social rather than solitary, and conversationally deep rather than superficial.”

Of course, this was not a cause-and-effect study, so we can only take the results as correlational.

It could mean that happy people are natural attractors of deeper conversations, making people comfortable enough to talk about things that actually matter.
Or, it could be that deep conversations actually make people happier.

This raises the interesting possibility that happiness can be expanded or developed by intentionally having more substantive conversations, and resisting the temptation to stay at the “cocktail party conversation” level.

I think women have known this for a long time. We feel better about ourselves when we connect with other people, and if we can share something meaningful and important, we feel even more so. That’s not to say that a fun shopping spree doesn’t get the happy vibes going…but my guess is there are some pretty important conversations going on between dressing room doors.

Whether happy people naturally have deeper conversations, or deeper conversations make people happier, it’s good to know that both work in our favor. Personal Growth Princesses like deep conversations. We crave knowing more about ourselves and more about what makes other people tick. Maybe we are the best-positioned to get happy?!

I’m curious – what’s your take on this? Do you feel a greater sense of well-being after you’ve had a meaningful conversation, or after a series of surface level chats? Leave a comment below and let us know.

Comments (2)
Categories : General Musings, Happiness
Tags : , ,
Next Page »

Get your free Gift Book Summary!

free self-help book summary for women
first name:
primary email:
Personal Growth Princess
Copyright © 2012 All Rights Reserved
iThemes Builder by iThemes
Powered by WordPress
Powered by WishList Member - Membership Software