I had a bit of a wake up call last Christmas when the “Screen Time” app on my phone shared I was spending up to 4+ hours a day on my phone. I thought I had pretty good boundaries around technology, but the proof was in the numbers.
Now, some of those 4 hours were spent listening to Spotify and doing work tasks, but still…if I kept that habit up, I’d be spending almost a full month and a half — 24 hours a day, 7 days a week– on my phone.
When I started to think about all the ways I could be spending that time instead…
…Or better yet, all of the times I’d caught myself saying I didn’t have enough time to do the things I really wanted to be doing– I knew I needed to take action.
One of my main intentions at the start of 2019 was to spend less time on my phone & social media and more time reading. I’ve swapped the time I was spending online with immersing myself into books and it’s been so much more enriching for my mind, body and spirit.
If you’re looking for a way to ease out of your media habits or just looking for a good read, here are a few of my favorite books so far this year (in no particular order):
+ It’s About Time: Finding Magic, Power and Ease in Your Life (Leslie Keenan)
This book is single-handedly rocking the worlds of each & every person I’ve shared it with. My clients have been in tears within the first few pages. Becca Piastrelli and I recorded a podcast episode about it. It’s shifted the way I organize my schedule and spend my time (and I have spent years exploring time management). Using the 12 steps of AA, Keenan looks at the ways we relate to time in terms of addiction. It’s About Time is like no other book available on the subject. If you struggle with time and constantly feel overwhelmed and overcommitted, this book is healing at a very deep level. I highly recommend checking it out.
+ The Great Cosmic Mother: Rediscovering the Religion of the Earth (Monica Sjoo & Barbara Mor)
I’m not much for organized religion or the “goddess” lingo that’s super trendy right now, however, this book is an exploration of women’s ancient history and the roots of religion, particularly the Goddess religion that is “humanity’s heritage”. This book shows clearly that the “religion of the Goddess”–which is tied to the cycles of women’s bodies, the seasons, the phases of the moon, and the fertility of the earth–was the original religion of all humanity. (And it has blown my mind.) It’s ignited my desire to create more opportunities for us to connect and commune as we once did, while reclaiming the innate wisdom of our bodies and our pleasure. This is not your run-of-the mill feminist manifesto, this is a work of art that looks deeply to a time when we honored, loved, and cared for the Earth as she cares for us.
Thought provoking, intelligent and filled with plenty of exercises to take action on her teachings, Tara Mohr, a groundbreaking women’s leadership expert and popular conference speaker, gives women the practical skills to voice and implement the changes they want to see—in themselves and in the world. While there are a lot of resources on women’s leadership available at the moment, Mohr brings a truly unique & powerful voice to the topic. She directs women to the many ways we’ve been trained to play small through lineage and society and offers practical, useful solutions to change them. I believe every woman, young and old, deserves to have their perception shifted by Playing Big and am even sharing it with my step-daughter as she graduates high school this year.
+ If Women Rose Rooted: A Journey to Authenticity and Belonging (Sharon Blackie)
I’m currently reading this in preparation for the work I’m doing in Ireland and it is exquisite. Through the transforming power of myth & story, Blackie’s work focuses on exploring & deepening our relationship with the land and with place. It is a book for any woman who has ever lost her way and who sees a wasteland at the heart of modern existence and longs to live a more authentic, rooted life once again.
+ WomanCode: Perfect Your Cycle, Amplify Your Fertility, Supercharge Your Sex Drive, and Become a Power Source (Alisa Vitti)
Hands down one of the best books I’ve read (and re-read several times) on women’s health. Written by my teacher, Alisa Vitti, WomanCode is groundbreaking and informative and educates women about hormone health in a way that’s relevant and easy to understand. And the five-step protocol can markedly improve health and overall quality of life. I recommend this book to all of my clients who want to maximize their potential and leverage their bodies for the highest levels of success and well-being available to them.
I hope you enjoy these, love, and I’d love to hear what you think as you dive in. 🙂
Sending love, Stephanie
Comments