Note to Self: A Seven-Step Path to Gratitude and Growth

by Laurie Buchanan PhD

Overview

Baggage! We all carry it with us through life.
It comes in a wide variety of styles, shapes, and colors—more than enough to accommodate the stuff that we accumulate through life. And no matter how we dress it up, it’s frustrating, inconvenient, and slows us down. In fact, it’s downright disruptive.
This book is about offloading emotional baggage—something that’s especially important when we realize that we don’t just pack for one; we pack for seven. Each of the seven selves—self-preservation, self-gratification, self-definition, self-acceptance, self-expression, self-reflection, and self-knowledge—has characteristics, wellness types, and shadows. Each plays a vital role in harmony, overall health, and well-being.
Chock full of real-life emotional examples, as well as “keys” at the end of each chapter offering actionable tips, techniques, and exercises designed to help you unlock baggage, examine it, and offload it permanently, Note to Self will help you discover a lighter, joy-filled you!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781631521133
Publisher:	She Writes Press
Publication date:	11/01/2016
Pages:	296
Product dimensions:	7.50(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

For the past fifteen years Laurie Buchanan, PhD has worked as a holistic health practitioner and transformational life coach. Embracing the philosophy that “whatever you are not changing, you are choosing,” Buchanan has helped hundreds of clients turn intention into action, bridging the gap between where they are and where they want to be—body, mind, and spirit. A longtime magazine writer, her articles and essays have appeared in Sibyl, Evolving Your Spirit, Power of Positivity, and other print and online publications. Globally, readers visit her blog, Tuesdays with Laurie (www.tuesdayswithlaurie.com), to enjoy a healthy dose of positivity served with an “internal inventory” question posed as food for thought. A minimalist at heart, Buchanan lives with her husband in a 600-square-foot carriage house (circa 1865) in the Pacific Northwest.

Editorial Reviews

2016 Nautilus Award Winner
2016 Idaho Author Award Winner
2016 Foreword Indies Book of the Year Winner
2017 International Excellence Body, Mind, Spirit Book Awards finalist
2017 International Book Award winner
"Buchanan treats the concept of choice as a crucial one, explaining that everyone makes decisions as to what his or her life purpose is, and that what one isn’t changing, one is choosing. Such prompts effectively encourage deep, introspective exploration. A well-organized, thorough guide to self-acceptance.”
—Kirkus

“Relevant to our times, this important read can easily be considered a manual for intentional living; allowing us to embrace a well-crafted plan for revival, beyond the hypnotic hold of the human condition. Note to Self offers an inspired jumpstart into conscious living for both the beginner, as well as an enthusiastic reminder for the seasoned traveler on the path.”
—Alison Elliot, international speaker, energy enrichment coach, and author of Hot Flashes Cool Wisdom: A Rumble Through the Jungle of Midlife

“Laurie Buchanan has a knack for helping others find positive, creative, and clear solutions to life’s challenges. Reading this book was like watching the sun rise for me; every page had bright rays of wisdom that made me smile. Delightful indeed!”
—Christine DeSmet, author, screenwriter, and writing teacher at University of Wisconsin-Madison Continuing Studies

“One of the best gifts I can give my clients is to share the wisdom of this book.”
—Susan Wisehart, MS, LMFT, holistic psychotherapist, and author of Soul Visioning: Clear the Past, Create Your Future

“What a dazzling rainbow of wisdom Laurie Buchanan has assembled into one volume! Drawing on a wide range of spiritual teachers and scientific discoveries, Buchanan guides the reader on an exciting journey of self-discovery. She is a modern oracle at Delphi, and this book a modern temple with ‘Know Thyself’ written on every page. Highly recommended for daily spiritual practice (a list of 365 questions at the end will guide journal writing). Leaders of retreats, and spiritual seekers will be sharing well-thumbed, dog-eared copies soon.”
—Shirley Hershey Showalter, former president of Goshen College and author of Blush: A Mennonite Girl Meets a Glittering World

“While we are all passengers on a planet called Earth, we can choose to enhance the way in which we travel: emotionally, spiritually, intellectually, and physically. In fact, we can, through the pages of this book, discover new ways to travel that are lighter, more fluid, and life-enhancing. The author, a wise and dedicated traveler, is also the right kind of kind of guide—caring, inspiring, uplifting, knowledgeable—for your journey of self-discovery. I recommend this tremendous book to anyone seeking the companionship of good energy and joyful presence. A five-star read in every way! ”
—D.A. Hickman, author of The Silence of Morning: A Memoir of Time Undone

"Don’t read this book. Do it instead! Based on the seven chakras, this is a self-help book that can help you let go of emotional baggage and reclaim your highest and best self.”
—New Spirit Journal

“Everyone has baggage. It varies in styles and shape but it is always frustrating, inconvenient, and disruptive. In Note to Self, Laurie Buchanan dives deep into unloading this emotional baggage we all carry around. Full of real-life, emotional examples as well as an action to take at the end of each chapter, this book will lead to a better, more happy you.”
—PopSugar

From the Publisher

11/15/2016
Teacher and student of purposeful living Buchanan (TuesdayswithLaurie.com) invites readers to evaluate the seven aspects of the soul that comprise personality: self-preservation, self-gratification, self-reflection, and so on. She asks readers to assess their physical and social health along with levels of self-acceptance and connection to a higher self. A particularly enlightening chapter contains 366 internal inventory questions that guide readers on a self-discovery tour, leading them to next steps. Verdict Helping readers appraise their lives realistically, Buchanan then suggests how to make transformational adjustments. Familiar yet relevant advice.

Library Journal

2017-02-21
This debut self-improvement guide offers a systematic approach to wellness that draws on readers' senses of self-preservation and self-gratification, among others. Buchanan, a holistic health practitioner and life coach, weaves personal anecdotes from clients throughout this helpful guide to illustrate her methods for enhancing every aspect of life, including one's health, diet, relationships, sexuality, sense of purpose, and spiritual connection. In each chapter, she explores a specific, inwardly directed concept, such as self-definition or self-acceptance. What sets this book apart from others in its genre, though, is its frequent use of reader reflection. Specifically, the author encourages readers to take the book in slowly, continually pausing to reflect and/or write things down in order to discover new areas for improvement. The text's rhythmic format touches upon a wide range of topics along the way, including the mind-body connection, color therapy, aroma therapy, personal affirmations, mindfulness, and breath work. Throughout, the author aims to help readers gain rounded understandings of how specific elements—such as color, habitat, and food choices, for example—can directly influence their everyday lives. The text also encourages readers to gain a deeper awareness of the self by asking themselves direct questions, such as "By what means are you accomplishing your purpose?" and, "If there were a gauge on your level of passion, would it be full, at the halfway mark, or near empty? If it's not topped off, how do you plan to refuel?" Buchanan also treats the concept of choice as a crucial one, explaining that everyone makes decisions as to what his or her life purpose is, and that when one isn't changing, one is choosing. Such prompts effectively encourage deep, introspective exploration. A well-organized, thorough guide to self-acceptance.

Kirkus Reviews