Goodbye, April
Let’s say goodbye to the month that has been and get ready for the next with a roundup of 10 questions, recommended reading, and fun/useful links.
[image error] A huge thank you to all my Patreon supporters this month. I appreciate your continued support! If you enjoy Becoming Who You Are and would like to help support the site and the work I do here, I am offering special perks and rewards for patrons so please check out my Patreon page.
Hi friends, how are you? I’m a little shocked it’s already time for this monthly review again. If March felt like it dragged (as I wrote about last time) April went by at double speed. Isn’t that the way it goes, though? I got to spend a week with some long-distance friends and have generally been enjoying time with my daughter, who is now eight months old (talk about life going at double speed…). Parenting is exhausting, no surprise there, but it’s such a gift and an honour to watch her personality blossom and develop as she grows.
A couple of things before we get to this month’s review…
1. I’m working on my next book about self-kindness and I’d love to feature you in it!
When it comes to self-talk, we can feel like we’re the only ones who struggle with things like the inner critic (because, from the outside, it can seem like everyone else has got it all together, right?) So I’m looking for a few people to share their self-kindness stories, with credit or anonymously. If you’re interested in participating, I’ve created a short questionnaire. If I use part or all of your response, you will get a free advance copy of the book as soon as it’s ready. Let me know if you have any questions, thanks for sharing!
2. You can get the audiobook of From Coping to Thriving: How to Turn Self-Care Into a Way of Life for free with a 30-day Audible trial. Over the last couple of years, I’ve been grateful and moved to hear from people who have been impacted by this book, including how it was used during a recent writer’s retreat. Self-care is so important to our lives and, I believe, is necessary to us living with the strength, courage and audacity to become who we are. If you’d like to learn more about why self-care matters and what real self-care looks like, here’s the link to get your free 30-day Audible trial and the audiobook version.
10 Questions for you
April
1. What went well this month?
2. What made you feel alive in April?
3. What felt like it was missing this month (and how can you get it back in May)?
4. What is your favourite memory from the last 30 days?
5. What did you read, watch and listen to this month?
May
1. If you could create one thing in May, what would it be?
2. If you were to be 5% kinder to yourself this month, what would you do differently?
3. What events or appointments are coming up in May? How can you make the most out of these?
4. What area of your life would you most like to nurture during the month ahead?
5. What would you like your defining memory of May to be?
Articles of the Month
How to tell people things they don’t want to hear
Superbabies don’t cry (gut-wrenching and absolutely worth reading even if you’re not a parent for her insightful observations about new age thinking)
I am not ambitious; I crave a slow life, a simple life
7 reasons to be wary of overly nice people
A new view of the self: the psychology of connection
Being your true self in a relationship is less important than being your best self
How to detangle productivity and your self-worth
Quote of the Month
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“Selfishness is not living as one wishes to live, it is asking others to live as one wishes to live. And unselfishness is letting other people’s lives alone, not interfering with them. Selfishness always aims at creating around it an absolute uniformity of type. Unselfishness recognizes infinite variety of type as a delightful thing, accepts it, acquiesces in it, enjoys it.” —Oscar Wilde, The Soul of Man Under Socialism
Book of the Month
[image error]This month I enjoyed reading The Obstacle is the Way: The Ancient Art of Turning Adversity into Advantage by Ryan Holiday. Part philosophy, part personal growth, this is a book I think I’ll be returning to again (and again) in the future. The book is based on the simple principle that what blocks our path is our path. With that established, it explores different ways of thinking about and facing obstacles and challenges in life head on. Whatever challenges you’re facing in life right now, you’ll find something in this book that offers encouragement or perspective on your situation.
I’m also looking forward to checking out Ego is the Enemy, a follow up of sorts, in the near future.
Useful Tool of the Month
[image error]Tara Mohr, a wonderful author and coach for women (and who shared some inspiring and insightful nuggets of wisdom for The Entrepreneur’s Inner World), has started a new series called Weekly Practice.
Each week, she is sharing a small thing we can do—wherever we are and whatever is going on—to help us shift from fear, frustration and frazzle to calm, gratitude and joy. I’ve been enjoying the fact these practices are super simple (and therefore super doable) and surprisingly effective.
She is publishing a new practice each week on her blog and you can find the Facebook group, where people are sharing their experiences with the practices, here.
In case you missed it: on Becoming Who You Are this month
Not sure if you should give up on a goal? These questions will help
#109: Why the world needs you to start taking yourself seriously
The most powerful move to make when you hit the wall (a guest post by Salma El-Shurafa)
Focus on what you can control, leave what you can’t
How to define wellness in your own life (a guest post by Diamond)
18 ways to start the first page of a new notebook
Wishing you a wonderful May!
Image: Neslihan Gunaydin
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