Overcoming Anxiety ~~REVIEW~~

Millions of people suffer from anxiety.  Some anxiety sufferers have battled the condition their entire lives, while others have developed anxiety as a result of stress, depression, aging, etc.  Regardless of the reason, there are ways to alleviate the effects of anxiety, and David Berndt's book, "Overcoming Anxiety," does a fantastic job of guiding anxiety sufferers through techniques that will work.

I received the opportunity to receive a digital copy of this book for free in exchange for my honest review.  The author provides an in-depth explanation of the behavior patterns that you may harbor which lead to continued anxiety, and provides methods you can use to overcome the often-times mentally and emotionally disabling symptoms.  You'll learn a method that will help you re-direct your energy into positive thoughts and actions designed to place you onto the path of leading a normal life, while minimizing occurrences of anxiety.

How To Make Big Bucks from Big Blogs - Book Review

As a fairly new blogger, I'm still in the stages of learning how to organize my blog, exploring topics, and posting to my blog regularly.  However, once I reach a comfortable place in my hobby, I hope to turn it into a profitable experience.  The problem?  I have no idea where to start.  Lucky for me, I recently had the opportunity to read Brandon Colker's "How to Make Big Bucks from Big Blogs," which I received for free in exchange for my honest review.

Honestly, the title sounds more like a gimmick full of false promises.  However, don't let the title fool you.  The book is a simple, straightforward guide, written in easy-to-understand language, designed to aide the beginning blogger in turning his/her blog into a profitable endeavor.  While it doesn't detail a specific "get rich quick," method, it simply provides a roadmap to success, which is exactly what I was looking for.

Dr. Stephanie's Relationship Repair for Couples ~~~BOOK REVIEW~~~

*This post may contain an affiliate link

Prior to my current relationship, I spent my entire life avoiding close relationships.  Of course, that is a completely separate topic of discussion, which I do actually plan on one day introducing into my blog.  However, I have now been in a relationship with one person for about 17 years now.  It has certainly had it's ups and downs, and I would be lying if I said I haven't spent times wondering "why did I ever get myself into this?"  Furthermore, while the "ups" are fantastic, the downs have, at times, crossed the border of being "chaotic".  I once had a friend tell me, "when you guys are good, you truly are reaaaaaaaaaaal good, but when you're bad, you're "reaaaaaaaaaaaaal bad"," and another dubbed us "Whitney and Bobby." In other words, until recent years, where we've slowly learned the concept of "doing something different" in order to break the cycle, there was no "middle ground."

I recently had the opportunity to read this book written by Stephanie Weiland Knarr, titled "Dr. Stephanie's Relationship Repair for Couples," which has really evoked a myriad of emotions.  My thought process has went from "why did I ever get myself into this," to "why haven't I thought of this before."  It's that thought process that has led me to taking steps to strengthen the bond, vs walk away from it, which is something that has crossed my mind on more than one occasion.

Upon visiting her website, you'll see that Dr. Stephanie takes a customer service approach to minimizing conflict within relationships.  I've been in customer service for most of my adult life.  I excel at my job, and remain consistently in the top 5 percent when it comes to providing outstanding service, diffusing escalated situations, and delivering high-quality results.  I have admittedly found myself often wondering how I can be so successful in creating such positive impacts when it comes to my job, yet continue to fail at home.  I never really thought, however, about the skills I implement at my job, and apparently leave there every day at 4:30pm.  Why don't I use those same skills in my personal relationships?  If I did, would my friendships and relationship with my fiance be much stronger?  Would I learn to eliminate the frequency of conflicts?  I never gave these questions any consideration until I stumbled upon Dr Stephanie's book, which I received for free in exchange for my honest review.  Dr. Stephanie poses some thought-provoking topics, and offers suggestions in an easy-to-read format, designed to build stronger relationships.  I would recommend her book to any couple, before, after and during times of personal struggle.

Serenity of the Mind: The Process of Self Mastery ~~REVIEW~~

I've said it before, and will say it again... I love self-help books.  I embrace opportunities to learn and opportunities to grow.  With that said, when I recently received the opportunity to receive the book, The Serenity of the Mind: The Process of Self Mastery for free in exchange for my honest review, I welcomed it with open arms.

This is a must-read for anyone with a desire to explore their inner-self in an effort to ensure a complete level of self-control throughout all aspects of their life.  By using the techniques introduced in this book, the reader should achieve a sense of fulfillment that encourages life-long growth, boosts confidence, strengthens relationships and more.

Congrats to birdiebee, who visited my blog and entered to win a copy of this book!


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The Conversation Handbook ~~~REVIEW~~~

I like to describe myself as a good listener.  However, as far as talking is concerned, not so much. The Conversation Handbook, written by Troy Fawkes, I am learning how to effectively hold a personal, friendly conversation with others without sounding facetious or forceful.

 Don't get me wrong.  I can carry on a conversation for days on social media and in real life, in business.  But personal conversations... over the years, I've just come to the conclusion that I'm not capable of holding one, until now.  Thanks to

With several thought-provoking activities throughout the book, The Conversation Handbook forces the reader to explore their personal conversation style in depth.  The reader begins by carefully inspecting the foundation on which his/her conversation style is built upon, which includes both learned and acquired behaviors.  It then challenges the reader to identify the negative traits of their foundation in an effort to encourage positive change.  It encourages the reader to set, envision and achieve realistic goals designed to encourage positive growth in social arenas.

It takes a lot for a book to hold my attention, and this book definitely did.  It's not one that you just read and put upon a shelf, as it's designed to become a valuable reference as one grows as a superb conversationalist.

The Path Within - Book ~~~REVIEW~~~

When I started Rose Colored Raindrops, my primary intended focus was to be on the subject of Mental Health.  While I do intend on introducing certain topics focused on a variety of Mental Health topics, as well as my own struggles with depression I have faced, partially as a result of life's circumstances, but also in part due to hormonal changes in my 40's, I have re-directed my focus to product reviews.  In fact, reviewing a variety of products and services has been the activity that has helped me focus on my strengths and win the struggle against sometimes seemingly uncontrollable emotions. Recently, I received the opportunity to review a book called "The Path Wthin," which focuses on many of the mental health challenges I've faced over recent years, and of course, accepting the offer to read and review it for free in exchange for my honest review was a no-brainer.

Having gone from a confident, grounded, secure adult to a completely different person upon reaching my 40's, I looked forward to the opportunity to explore The Path Within.  I was well into the book when, sadly, I misplaced it while traveling a couple of weeks ago.  Nevertheless, I got to a point in the book where I was able to take a deep look into my life, my self, and determine certain actions and behaviors which have led me to my recent depressive state.  The activities are designed to lead the reader to a level of self-reflection that is incredibly therapeutic.  Even though I didn't get the opportunity to finish the book, I was able to experience enough to see why it has received an abundance of rave-reviews.  I recommend this to anyone else who may be facing their own struggles.

Bait and Switch - Book ~~REVIEW~~

Are you ready to get lost in a new book? What is you're favorite type to book to read? If you're answer to the first question was "yes," and the second revolves around anything that might be full of drama, suspense and emotion to the most realistic degree, then "Bait and Switch: Life with a Two-Faced Narcissist" by Lisa Carlson is a must-read.

Lisa's story is one that thousands of women may be able to relate to. It tells a story of a woman madly in love, only to find she didn't marry the same man she fell in love with. It dives deep into the reality of a relationship with a classic narcissist. Readers who have experienced such abuse will surely find themselves emotionally attached to each and every scenario as it unfolds, while those who haven't will gain a new understanding of the severity of such relationships. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll find yourself ridden with rage at times, and finally, you'll celebrate as Lisa finds herself on a new path, free from the captivity of abuse.

I just had a conversation this evening about this book with a good friend, which led me to completing this review. My friend wanted to borrow my copy, but I love it so much, I don't want to part ways with it, so I'm actually buying her a copy of her own!! :)  I received my copy free in exchange for my honest review.  *This post contains affiliate link(s)

Dana Sibilsky's Tips to Successful and Profitable Blogging book ~~REVIEW~~

I am a "Rose Colored Glasses" type of gal, hence the name of my blog.  For me, the glass is always half full. With that said, if I have something super bad to say about a service or product I receive, then seriously, it really, REALLY, reallyreally really.really... sucks. With that said, I like to take time with a product I'm not completely satisfied with in an effort to identify all of it's positive traits. (Kind of the same expectations I have when it comes to meeting new people, or when people meet me). Fortunately, with this book by Dana Sibilsky, I was able to find some positive points. Furthermore, the author does such a phenomenal job in communicating on a level in which nearly anyone can comprehend, that I truly feel there is potential for a highly successful book on blogging from this author. Don't get me wrong... this does, but only for those who have never written a blog post in their life and have simply spent time "considering" starting a blog.  In that case, this book might be perfect.

I saw another review compare this book to a "pamphlet." At the risk of sounding redundant, I would actually describe it as a "booklet." In other words, part book - part pamphlet. It does give the reader a little more information than the high-level format of most pamphlets, but really not as much as one would expect when picking up a book on this topic. As some other reviews about this book have pointed out, the book has no table of contents, nor does it have page numbers. I am one who likes to reference certain page numbers by writing them on the front cover in the event that I need to go back and refer to a certain page in the future. Unfortunately, that is not possible in this case. On the other hand, that is not an issue that would make or break my decision to buy the book.

The book is, in fact, what is referenced in it's title: "Tips." It does give a variety of fantastic "tips" that all beginning bloggers should be aware of. For example, it begins with the chapter, "Identifying an Area of Expertise for Your Blog," and over the course of the next few pages it give tidbits of information explaining basic reasons why you should identify an area of expertise. I was really hoping for more examples of blogs and their topics, lists of various popular blog categories, and specific examples. There is also information about making decisions regarding your blogging platform, monetizing your blog and using social media. For those interested in a "how to," this is not the book. As these chapters merely explains the basic fundamentals of these concepts and how they relate to the aspiring blogger. They do not give actual guidance, tutorials, or instructions of any nature. Just throwing in some web addresses of the blogging platforms with a spreadsheet comparison of their differing features and perhaps some specific social media tips, would have made this book 100 times more helpful to me personally. On the other hand, when I first started blogging a few years back, I would have loved this as a basic reference. In fact, I'll probably keep it around, as it did have some helpful information. On a final note, as I indicated earlier, it is extremely easy to read and follow, written well, and not too long.

Project Management Book **Review**

With technology and business growing at rapid speeds, the demand for Project Management in recent years has grown substantially, and isn't expected to slow down.  Perhaps the best thing about project management is the fact that nearly every successful business relies on it in order to run smoothly and effectively, therefore opening the doors for many people with knowledge and skills in a variety of fields.

The demands placed upon a Project Manager may be high, as it encompasses taking a high amount of responsibility for the success of a project, from beginning to end.  In addition to planning a project, executing the plans, and seeing it through to the end, a Project Manager also manages teams and expectations, requiring a vast amount of knowledge of the business ranging from basic business goals to major operations and finances.

In order to step into the world of Project Management, one must have a clear understanding of the basic concepts, but a degree is not necessary.  Don't get me wrong, it certainly helps.  However, there are plenty of successful Project Managers who don't hold a college degree or certificate.  Success, however, relies on an understanding of the duties of a Project Manager.

While in college pursuing my Associates Degree, I took a class in Project Management, which I thoroughly enjoyed.  However, it was taught at a higher level than what I completely understood, making it a little difficult to follow.  I kept my book and media materials, however, in hopes that I would one day receive the opportunity to learn more.

My opportunity to learn more finally came recently when I received the opportunity to listen for free, to the e-book, "Project Management for Beginners" by Ed Stark in exchange for my honest review.  I was quite impressed how, the basic concepts expressed in this book seemed to hold the missing pieces to the puzzle I began putting together in the class I took.  For those looking to gain knowledge in the field of Project Management, this is a fantastic resource.  It's basically presented in layman's terms, while being very detailed and to the point.

If you're interested in learning more about Project Management, you can purchase this book on Amazon.

Learn How to Publish a Book with Tips from a Published Author

How many times have you been told, "you should write a book"?  Have you pondered the thought, but pushed it to the back of your mind simply because you're not sure where to start, or perhaps just afraid you might not succeed? Then, there are also those who have actually taken the time to create a manuscript, only to tuck it away because they don't know how to take that next step.

If writing and publishing a book were a simple task, everyone would do it, right? That's where the assistance of a writing coach often comes into play. In her 3-step video training series, "Full Speed Ahead," author Tracy Kauffman offers her expert advise to aspiring writers who have a dream of becoming a published author. In the training series, which I had the opportunity to view, free of charge in exchange for my opinion, she provides guidance and assistance on the topics of writing, publishing and marketing. With her expert tips, aspiring writers may be better prepared to send a final copy of their manuscript to a publisher with confidence that their opportunity to become a published author is just a step away!