Swap Goodies: It's always worth the wait!

Sister Diane of Crafty Pod fame is one of my favorite people to swap with. We both just send our packages whenever our schedules allow, and its always a fun surprise because you never know when it will arrive. This time I received:

• Chic and Simple Sewing- I have been wanting this book so bad! It's a great novice sewing book complete patterns of the cutest dresses, and even a rain coat. It will be hard to decide which one to make first.
• Designing Jewelry with Semi-precious Beads- I don't usually work with gemstones, but the book has several designs incorporating seed beads. I would love to make something using amethyst, my favorite color or peridot, my birthstone.
  
• Dogzilla, a Craft Leftovers project- I love green crafting and this project is too cute! I think I will end up adding some bead embroidery to him. He can be the watch dog for my bead stash.
  
• my very own pink kanzashi pin- I squealed with delight when I opened this and immedatly pinned it on my shirt! DH came to check on me, saw what I was doing, and called me a craft nerd, hehe. The design can probably be found in her book, Kanzashi in Bloom. I pre-ordered the book a month ago, and it should be arriving at the end of the month!
• 3 ancient (1949) issues of Gourmet magazine- I read one of the articles about a woman receiving her first freezer, and it made me fall out of my chair half laughing half appalled at the language of how it "used to be". There is fantastic collage potential between these covers!
  

You can view the amazing things I sent here. Thanks Diane, you're the best!

Reading List for Success

As I mentioned yesterday, I am an avid reader and have a natural tendency toward life-long learning. These are 5 books on my reading list that will follow the 2 I am currently reading. I wanted to share them with a note about why I chose them. They are in no particular order, as it will be hard to decide which one to pick up next!

• No B.S. Wealth Attraction for Entrepreneurs by Dan Kennedy In the internet business and marketing course I'm taking, at the end of the first lesson, it said "buy this book right now and read it when you find time." So I did, and I will.
  
• The Millionaire Next Door by Thomas J. Stanley I was told this was a classic, and it would open my eyes in unexpected ways.
  
• The Six Pillars of Self- Esteem by Nathaniel Branden I read a tweet from @jeremyfrandsen would just finished this book. I could stand to flex my muscles in this area when it comes to my work. When someone winces at the price tag of my items at craft shows, I want it to have no effect on me.
• The E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber Tagline: Why most small businesses don't work and what to do about it. Another classic business book that has been recommended to me so many times I had to buy it.
  
• I'd Rather Be in the Studio by Alyson B. Stanfield I was browsing my usual art & craft blogs, when one link lead to another, and I came across this book. The title spoke to me, because I think a lot of us in crafty business feel this way. I will definitely write a review on this one.

If there is a book you love that has motivated or inspired you, or changed your life in some way, please leave a comment about it! It will take me maybe 2 months to blaze through all of these books, and I will need more for my list. Thanks!

Recommended Reading for Success

I am an avid reader and have a natural tendency toward life-long learning. As I'm struggling to give my business some traction, I have the privilege of having some very successful business people in my life. They provide the encouragement and motivation I was hoping to get from my family, and they also share their experience and knowledge. Many books have been recommended to me with the expectation that I actually apply the knowledge I gain from reading them. My self-study began with the 4 Hour Work-week by Timothy Ferriss, which has totally changed the way I think about things, and I can't wait to learn more!

Currently Reading:

Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill- Highly recommended, and not what I expected. When I read the story about the "colored child," I searched online to see when it was written. Ah, 1937, which also explains the lack of businesswomen as well, which is just a reflection of the culture at the time. This extremely motivational book is not one to be blazed through. It's more like a textbook to be studied, written in, so the reader can slowly harness the virtues it describes.





Awaken the Giant Within by Anthony Robbins- This author was highly recommended to me, and I found this title at Half Price Books yesterday for $8. It was published in 1992, and with a million copies sold, you can pick it up on Amazon for 75 cents! The first chapter opened with "Where were you in 1980?" Well, I wasn't born yet, but the point was to ask yourself how you feel about the 10 years of your life that just passed. At 26, I just finished a year with some regrets of things I didn't do, I don't even want to think about 10 years! So I'm going to read this book, apply the knowledge, and get a head start on awakening my inner giant.




I placed an order to Amazon for like 10 other books which I will share in a reading list tomorrow. Please share in the comments any books that have inspired you or changed your life in some way. I might add them to my future reading list! For now I will leave you with a quote that has been on my dry erase board for awhile now:

"Success is the consequence of personal effort. You have to participate relentlessly in the mainfestations of your own blessings."

Review: The 4-Hour Workweek

I am a voracious reader. It took me a week to burn through The 4-Hour Workweek by Timothy Ferriss, and before that just 24 hours for The Color Purple by Alice Walker. While writing this post, I realize they both have an important common theme: to be happy, find excitement, and live your life on your own terms.

I love The 4-Hour Workweek, but this book isn't for everyone. It requires a paradigm shift to accept mini-retirements and vacations and reject the "deferred-life plan" (i.e. work 9-5 or longer hours in the corporate world, save, wait, and then retire later in life when you are too old to really enjoy it). If you read my last Time Track post, you know I was more than willing to accept this.

Things I've applied so far:

• I've defined my fears and outlined everything that would happen if I were to completely fail in my business. It's really not as scary as I thought.
• I've applied the Pareto Principle or the 80/20 principle to my marketing strategy. (80% of the results come from 20% of the effort and time.)
• I check my email twice a day, and only after I've done the top 1 or 2 most important things to be accomplished that day.

Business planning- Ferriss goes over how to start, automate, and outsource your business. He provides some great tips, but critics have said he makes it sound too easy. It's true your business could fail, but that is not the focus of the book. He makes you admit that at the beginning, then answers the question, "What if it doesn't fail?" It's better to run your business than have it run you.

Life planning- The section on "mini-retirements" was interesting and eye-opening. I had no idea it was so cheap to live abroad in comparison to the United States. The section on "filling the void doesn't apply to me. I know exactly how I will spend my free-time once I have it! It's true that some people won't know what to do with themselves without work. I have a retired friend considering a part-time job! At least its at a bead store :)