Becoming Your StellarSelf

Pass It Along...

I was recently tagged by Susan over at Just a List. I haven't participated in any memes for a while, so I thought it would be enjoyable to play along.

How This Tag Works:
Link to your tagger and post these rules on your blog.
Share seven facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.
Tag seven people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.
Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

Note: As always when I pass along these memes, there is no pressure for those of you whom I have tagged to respond. I will not be offended if you do not perpetuate the tag. My main purpose in tagging the women I've chosen is to bring attention to some of the wonderful blogging talent that exists in my neck of the woods!

Seven Facts About Myself:
1. I recently perfected my eggplant parmesan recipe based on something I saw on TV
2. I love the the way that the tops of babies' heads smell
3. I have seen Blue Oyster Cult in concert twice, neither time because I wanted to
4. I believe that people are inherently good
5. Lavender is my favorite herb -- it's exquisite to look at, smell and taste
6. As a child, I never wanted a pony, but I did beg for an older brother on many occasions (I thought it would be cool)
7. I am happy that I made the choice to move to DC rather than San Francisco or Paris (I took the picture for this post during the the White House tour last year).

Seven People That I Am Tagging (all DC-area women bloggers):
1. Lisa at Ethnic Scrapbooking
2. Amy at Oblinaknit
3. Jada at In Other Words
4. Dianne at Spirit in Matters
5. Rose at Deeper Perception Made Practical
6. Michelle at The Fertile Unknown
7. Gaea at Weirding Word

Dec 17th Bloggers Unite in Acts of Kindness

Last month I wrote about my intention to participate in BlogCatalog's challenge for bloggers to commit an act of kindness, then post about it on December 17. The goal of this effort, dubbed Bloggers Unite in Acts of Kindness, "is to expose their kindness and generosity as well as serve as an example to non-bloggers that volunteering for a charity, donating to a cause, or simply doing something kind for another person has a ripple effect around the world." A few people have expressed the opinion that kindness should be practiced every day, and I wholeheartedly agree. But I also feel that it doesn't hurt to remind ourselves about the power of simple acts of kindness.

So, I decided that I wanted to write about my experience volunteering at a local hospital that offers Reiki to people with cancer, as well as their spouses and caregivers. I am one of almost 40 Reiki practitioners who have signed up as volunteers for a wonderful program that offers a variety of educational and support services, including holistic programs such as meditation and yoga classes, as well as massage and Reiki.

Last week, I gave Reiki to four people -- two people with cancer, one spouse and a caregiver. I find it very satisfying to work with people with cancer, as they find the Reiki sessions very helpful in helping them relax, and it often helps to reduce any pain or discomfort they may be feeling. And the two people I worked with reported feeling much better as a result of the session.

Interestingly, I found that the spouse and caregiver had the "heaviest energy". For those of you who are not energy workers, I'm not sure how to describe it other than to say that I felt something like mild electrical energy flowing through me very strongly and rapidly out through my hands for the entire time I was touching them. I feel this to some extent with everyone, but in their cases, it was much stronger than usual. Both of them fell asleep during their sessions, and woke up with beautifully peaceful smiles on their faces. When I asked how they were feeling, they both said that they felt "wonderful." And I felt that they looked wonderful, too. In receiving this healing touch, the stress and tension on their faces melted away, revealing their true, beautiful, luminous selves.

I felt great satisfaction from the "thank you"s and appreciative smiles, and in return I thanked them for coming in for the program. As with any other act of giving, when one gives Reiki, one also receives it. And as I left the hospital to drive home, I felt light -- in body, mind and spirit.

Resources:
Reiki In Hospitals
Network For Good
Volunteer Match
Goldberg, Carey “For good health, it is better to give, science suggests.” Boston Globe, (November 28, 2003)

Bloggers Unite in Acts of Kindness

I'm an active participant on BlogCatalog, a bloggers' social networking site. I have found it to be a valuable resource as it has brought me into contact with a wide variety of fellow bloggers whom I might not have otherwise met. BlogCatalog also provides opportunities for bloggers to interact through communities and BlogCatalog-hosted initiatives.

For example, a couple of months ago, BlogCatalog put forth a challenge for bloggers to commit an act of kindness, then post about it on December 17. The goal of this effort, dubbed Bloggers Unite in Acts of Kindness, "is to expose their kindness and generosity as well as serve as an example to non-bloggers that volunteering for a charity, donating to a cause, or simply doing something kind for another person has a ripple effect around the world."

Research has shown that doing nice things for others is a win-win activity. For example, psychologists Kennon Sheldon and Sonja Lyubomirsky developed a Happiness-Inducing Intervention to test whether asking people to “commit” five random acts of kindness, such as feeding a stranger’s parking meter, visiting an elderly relative, or writing a thank you letter, would increase their positive emotions. It was found that committing random acts of kindness made the participants feel happier, more connected to others, and more competent in their daily lives.

As the Dalai Lama has said, “Basically, a human being is a social animal. So, if you create some short moment of happiness for people, you get deep satisfaction.” I plan to participate, and will let you know the details on December 17th!

Other Resources:
Pay It Forward Foundation
Random Acts of Kindness Foundation

Spiral Dynamics, Spiral Webs, and Evolving Business

On Thursday I attended "The New New Internet, Web 2.0 for Business" hosted by Potomac Executive Biz. This one-day conference focused on the rapidly changing nature of consumers' interaction with the Internet, and how business and government need to adapt to this morphing landscape. As more and more people utilize blogging, wiki-ing, RSS, Twitter, social media, podcasting, video blogging and other instant modes of communicating information, there is an increasing expectation that enterprise and government will provide transparent, up-to-the-minute information. There has been reluctance on the part of business and government to adopt many of these new technologies, partly because of heavy beauracracy and partly due to concern over security and control.

At the conference, I attended a seminar entitled "Spiral Web-The Future of Web Society" presented by Michael Smith of TeraTech, which gave me a glimpse of a fascinating idea. Spiral Web is Smith's conceptual model (based on the Spiral Dynamics theory of human biopsychosocial development) which is designed to describe and predict the evolution of web societies. Both models consist of a series of colored tiers representing different levels of increasing integration and complexity. In the Spiral Web model, the first tier is the stand-alone PC. The subsequent tiers represent the increasing vastness and complexity of the interactive nature of the web (from BBS to services like AOL to blogging, Wikipedia, Facebook and beyond).

In the Spiral Dynamics model, the first several tiers (the majority of the model) represent individual survival, followed by group and societal survival: Purple is tribal safety, Red us raw power, Blue is eternal salvation, Orange is individual success, and Green is the need to be accepted. The highest two tiers (Yellow and Turquoise) are integrative, holistic and incorporate feeling with knowledge. They are distinguished by the values of flexibility, responsibility, spontaneity, holons, intuitive thinking, and global networks.

After discussing how the Spiral Web model describes the Internet's evolution up until now, Smith touched briefly on what the model means in terms of where the Internet is heading. He feels that the next level will be more holistic, and will constitute applications and sites designed to benefit business, individuals and the planet (the Triple Bottom Line). When asked if he could give an example of this, he said that he was not aware that anything like that yet exists.

I tried to think of examples, feeling that there must at least be some nascent examples out there, but couldn't come up with anything specific. In discussing this with a friend yesterday, she referred me to "The Hughtrain" by Hugh MacLeod. MacLeod presents a straightforward, no holds barred call-to-action for businesses to evolve to the next level if they want to maintain the trust of and engagement with their customers. In his manifesto, MacLeod posits: "I believe we are living in the beginning of a new global spiritual awakening. It is not religion. It's everything and everyone around us...The spiritual implications are staggering. It's no longer enough for people to believe that your product does what it says on the label. They want to believe in you and what you do. And they'll go elsewhere if they don't."

Given the Spiral Web model's prediction of how the next tier of web entities will manifest, along with MacLeod's observations of the changing consumer landscape, companies that are early adapters in implementing the concepts of integration, holism, and intuition are likely to lead the way, while those companies that fail to evolve are likely to become extinct.

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For more information on Spiral Dynamics, check out the interactive resources at What Is Enlightenment?

Spiral Dynamic model image copyright What Is Enlightenment?

Visual Feasts

In my journeys through the blogosphere, I've come across many visually stunning sites. Two of my favorites, which are deliciously rich in imagery are My Marrakesh by Maryam, an American expat living in Morocco and Keeper of the Chocolates by Shelbi, an artist/craftswoman.

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I thought this brief post needed a good visual. Although not related to the above-mentioned blogs, I thought I would share this photo I took at a hotel in Portland. I had shown some kindness to one of the members of the cleaning staff, and she reciprocated by leaving this flower and a note. So thoughtful!

Why, Thank You

I was recently tagged for the "Blogging That Hits the Mark" award by Starlily over at Active Wellness, a kindred spirit blog that also covers topics of whole-person wellness in a wonderfully conversational style. Thank you very much for passing the torch to me!

There are so many blogs that I have come across that solidly fall in this category, and to whom I could pass along this acknowledgement, but I will follow Starlily's lead and chose two. I encourage you to check out Let's Change the World by Desiree and Glittering Muse by David Thomas.

Meme-ing About Me

A while back, both Lisa McGlaun over at LifePrints – Good News for a More Compassionate World and Tray Gamble at Success Chronicle, requested that I participate in memes in which I share eight factoids about myself. It's a fun idea.

Although Tray and Lisa presented very similar memes, there were slight variations on the rules. For the sake of time, I have chosen to go with the simpler version.

Here are the simplified, combined rules:
1. Post the rules before you give you the facts.
2. Link to the person/people who tagged you.
3. Share eight facts about yourself.
4. At the end of your post, tag five people and list their names with links.
5. Leave them a comment on their blog letting them know they’ve been tagged!
6. Lisa added her own rule to the end, which I like: "If I tag you and you don't want to participate, no worries, no pressure."

So here are some things about me:
I am very happy in my life right now. I enjoy my work as a wellness consultant/Reiki practitioner/writer, and feel that what I am doing is in alignment with my skills, interests and values. I have a wonderful husband who supports me in all that I do, and who understands how the little things can make such a big difference. I hold a bachelors degree in fine arts and a doctorate in psychology. I have been in the presence many celebraties over the years, the nicest one was Jack Johnson (ultra-chill guy), the most surprising one was Keith Richards (more down-to-earth than I had expected). I love being near the ocean – it makes me feel fully alive. Even though I am petite, I can eat more lobster in one sitting than any grown man I've ever met. I hope to make a positive difference in the world through my work and through my day-today interactions with others. I've been enamoured with Keanu Reeves since 1987 and hope to meet him some day  :)

So, here are the people I am tagging (some bloggers I've recently virtually met, in alphabetical order). I hope you'll join in the conversation!

Jess at Antioxidants
Lynda at Pilates and Reiki in Paradise
Neena at A Mom's Life at NeenMachine.com
Shawn at The Millionaire Secrets
Zack at Time for Change

NOTE: I realize this image doesn't really illustrate this post, but I love this weird egg/stone that I have and wanted to share it with you :)

SECOND NOTE: In response to Lisa's comment, I am adding this more relevant picture.

Welcome to the 107th Carnival of Healing

Welcome to the the 107th Carnival of Healing, a weekly round-up of personal blog posts on the topics of holistic health, wellness, spirituality, and self empowerment. Before I begin, I'd like to offer a big thank you to Phylameana lila Désy for creating and nurturing this Carnival.

Now, on with the show...

We received an amazing response to the call for entries, and I want to thank everyone who submitted an article. Following you will find a collection of musings, advice and practical exercises touching upon all aspects of wellbeing -- mind, body and spirit. I have grouped them into categories, in no particular order, by topic:

Some Things to Think About, Some Things to Try:
In her post, Another Driving Meditation: Krishnamurti, Radio and Distractions, Isabella Mori of Change Therapy invites us inside her head to witness a spirited dialogue she has with herself while driving. The part of herself that is seeking distractions from the here-and-now debates the centered part that was hoping to do some driving meditation, while various expert voices chime in with their opinions! She comes to the realization that "thinking about meditating is not the same as meditating; it's just another distraction."

Raymond David Salas over at Zen Chill encourages us to turn to our “miracle activation” button when faced with overwhelming challenges. He then gives us specific instructions for activating it, his thoughts on how and why it works, then encourages us to trust in the wisdom of our higher selves. Read his post, How to Push the "Miracle Activation" Button, to find out more.

Matthew Spears of Loving Awareness offers a meditative exercise that can be done with a partner, or with oneself, to help overcome the false sense of separateness we often fall into. In his post, The Unity In Love, he states that "Love is always a journey towards oneness, toward unity. Loving yourself is loving another, and loving another is loving yourself. Realizing and living this attracts you to experiences that manifest it to you, rather than separation and conflict."

Drawing from the concepts of Imago Relationship Therapy, Alex Blackwell at The Next 45 Years discusses the power struggles that can occur in couples when one or the other partner feels that his/her needs are not being met, and is unable to ask for what is needed in an objective, emotionally-neutral manner. See his post, Power Struggle to Power to Love.

David B. Bohl over at Slow Down Fast Today! points out that we need to think twice when we discount our achievements, not just for our own sake, but for the sake of those around us -- When You Discount Yourself, You Discount Me. "Why can’t we just realize that discounting ourselves hurts others, and have more compassion for them than we show in our self-centered discounting? I believe that if we could just change this one thing in our lives, we could become people we can’t even imagine now."

Motivational Speaker - Craig Harper talks about The Power of An Idea, stating "My objective in sharing these short stories is to impress upon you that anyone can take an idea, build some momentum, overcome a few challenges, deal with the obligatory crap that life dishes out and create something amazing and at the same time re-invent themselves."

On the Metaphysical Side:
Shirley at Fun Spirit says, "We’ve all heard lots of stress relief technique remedies like exercising, eating right, getting enough sleep and relaxing. Now I’m adding one more to the list – meditation with crystals. Sure, to some it may sound silly, stupid, or like mere wishful thinking. How could a stupid rock help anyone relax?" In response to her own question, Shirley refers to some scientific evidence, along with her own observations in her article, Stress relief - rocks that help you relax.

Chris at Martial Development explains that "with the ability to see human auras, it is possible to understand the workings in the human body. Depending on the colors and the intensity of the aura around the individual, the condition of the individual can be deciphered." In his post Developing Your Ability to See Auras, he provides us with some practical exercises for developing our ability to see people's auras.

Addictions:
Jolynn Braley at The Fit Shack discusses a news article about a study on the combined effects of sugar, fat, and salt on laboratory rats. It appears that their brains responded to these substances the same way they would to opium or morphine. In her article, Fast Food, Heroin, and Food Addiction, What’s the Connection?, she reflects on how this may tie in to people's addictions to certain unhealthy foods.

And Tracee Sioux, author of Quit Coping looks back at her history of coping with stress from her new perspective as a non-smoker, and sees things in a different light. "Since a distructive behavior, smoking, clouds every memory and emotion since I was 13 years old do I have to reinvent my own history to let smoking go?" Check out her post Reinventing History.

Physical Health:
Tupelo Kenyon extols the virtues of five simple exercise that can be done by almost anyone for an investment of just 15-20 minutes per day. Read his article 5 Tibetan Rites - Easy Yoga for Busy People to learn about the benefits he has reaped from his simple, but effective daily practice.

Debra Moorehead at DebraMoorehead.com (who, by the way, will be hosting next week's Carnival). How Amanda Lost 35 Pounds in Six Months Debra presents her first podcast, an interview with Amanda Faris who lost 35 pounds in six months by following Debra's diet that she had posted last year.

Jeni at Savvy Skin reminds you to Protect Your Skin When You Fly. She encourages you to use moisturizer in order to offset some of the drying effects of airplane travel, and offers up some product recommendations.

Matt Wolfe, guest blogger at Be Healthy and Relax offers some tips on How To Relax for sports fans whose teams didn't make it to the playoffs, and anyone else in need of some stress relief :)

Fitbuff at FitBuff.com's Total Mind and Body Fitness Blog sings the praises of the New Wii Fitness Game Coming Soon (to a store near you in early 2008), which allows you to have fun while burning calories. While the current wii is very interactive, "the Wii Fit will incorporate a 'Wii Balance Board' that will sense the player's full body motion, allowing for jumping, leaning, and endless other possibilities."

Societal Health:
In her article, Socially Sustainable, Lisa Nave makes a case for social sustainability, saying that "When we practice environmental sustainability, we act in accord with what is healthy for the earth as a whole. We let our knowledge in science and nature guide our actions. When we practice social sustainability, we act in accord with what is healthy for humanity." She outlines some of the ways in which she envisions it, then invites you to contemplate ways in which you can make your life more socially sustainable.

Jimmy Atkinson at Nursing Online Education Database lays out some major healthcare policy issues and how 9 of the presidential candidates (Democratic and Republican) stand on those issues in his article Comparison: Presidential Candidates on Major Healthcare Issues.

And that's it for this week's Carnival!
For more information or to see past Carnival of Healing submissions and guidelines, please visit the Carnival of Healing homepage. And, if you didn't have a chance to view last week's Carnival of Healing, you can find it at Therapeutic Reiki.

StellarSelf Hosting 107th Carnival of Healing: Request for Content!

On Saturday, October 13th, Becoming Your StellarSelf is hosting the 107th Carnival of Healing. The Carnival of Healing is a weekly round-up of personal blog posts on the topics of holistic health, wellness, spirituality, and self empowerment. If you have written a recent post on any of these topics, I would love to include it in the Carnival. (please, no more than 1 entry per author)

So, if you have a post that you would like included in the October 13th Carnival, please submit your link using the online submission form by Friday, October 12th. For more information or to see past Carnival of Healing submissions and guidelines, please visit the Carnival of Healing.

Thank you! I look forward to seeing your submissions!

#106 - Oct 06 2007: hosted by Therapeutic Reiki — We Are One World Healing
#107 - Oct 13 2007: hosted by Becoming Your StellarSelf
#108 - Oct 20 2007: hosted by Debra Moorehead (fellow Priscilla Palmer Self-Development lister!)

The Meme-ing of Life

In the spirit of the W-List, life coach and blogger Priscilla Palmer has created a list of outstanding self-development bloggers. She contacted me to let me know that I have been tagged, so it is my turn to nominate self-development blogs I admire. I'm flattered to be listed amongst this collective of bloggers from a wide array of perspectives.

Priscilla's intention for the list, in her words, is:

Personal development is a large topic that includes but is not limited to (law of attraction, goals, time management, physical fitness, education, motivation, inspiration, and social skills). This list should include any blog you feel can benefit us in our growth process.

Below I have started a list of my favorite blogs/bloggers, and I have tagged each of them to add to it on their own blogs. I would like to take this list just one step further, and ask that once you have added to the list you let me know. That way I can update my list to include all of your wonderful additions.

Here are my recommendations, in alphabetical order, followed by the list:

E Murphy at The Active Life [Please note corrected link]
Lisa McGlaun at LifePrints - Good News for a More Compassionate World
Lynn McTaggert at Living the Field
Monte Ladner at Fitness Rocks

Personal Development List (up to date):

Aaron Potts at Today is That Day
Adam Alexander at Adam’s Peace
Adam Kayce at Monk at Work
Adam Khoo at Adam Khoo’s Philosophies and Investing Insights
AgentSully at Life Learning Today
April Groves at Making Life Work For You
Argancel at C’eclair (for those who speak french)
Ash aka Mr. Biggs at One Powerful Word
Al at 7pproductions.com
Alan Torres at Made to Be Great
Alex Shalman at AlexShalman.com
Alexander Kjerulf at The Chief Happiness Officer
Alexys Fairfield at Unraveling The Spiritual Mystique
Albert Foong at urbanmonk.net
Alvaro at Sharp Brains Blog
Amber at Random Mangus
Amie Ragan at Psychology of Clutter
Amy Hedin at There is no Maximum to Human Potential
Andrea Learned at Learned on Women
Andrea J. Lee at Money, Meaning, and Beyond
Andy Wibbels at AndyWibbels.com
Anita Pathik Law at Power of four Way
Anmol Mehta at AnmolMetha.com
Anna Farmery at The Engaging Brand
Antonio Thornton at AntonioThornton.com
Ariane Benefit at Neat & Simple Living
Ask Lucid at Ask Lucid Spiritual Development
Barb Melloh at The Law of Attraction Info
Barbara Sliter at Creatorship
Belle Wong at Abundance Journal
Bill Perry at Lucid Blog
Billy Smith at The Organic Leadership Blog
Blogfuse at LifeDev
Brad Isaac at Achieve It
Brian Clark at Copyblogger
Brian Kim at briankim.net
Brian Lee at geniustypes.com
Brooke at Plain Advice
Bob at everyeveryminute
Cam Beck at ChaosScenario
Cara Lumen at The Success Magnets With Cara Luman and Your Second Wind Blog
Carlon Haas at Possess Less Exist More
Catherine Carter at Continuum Wellness
Chris Cree at SuccessCREEations
Chris Marshall at Martial Development
Chris Melton at Soupornuts.com
Chris Owen at Pink Apple
Christine Kane at ChristineKane.com
Christine Valters Painter at Abbey of the Arts
Clyde at Feeling Good
Colin Beavan at No Impact Man
Conceive, Believe, Achieve at Conceive, Believe, Achieve
Crabby McSlacker at Cranky Fitness
Craig Harper at Motivational Speaker
Curt Rosengren at Occupational Adventure
Cyres at Cyres Matters
Damian Carr at Soul Terminal
Daniel Sitter at Idea Sellers
Darren Rowse at Problogger.net
Dave Schawbel at The Personal Branding Blog
Dave Schoof at Engaging the Disquiet
Davers at Language Trainers Blog
David Allen at The David Allen Company
David Bohl at Reflections on Balance
David Fitch at David Fitch.com
David Richeson at 360 Degree Success
David Rogers at How to Have Great Self Confidence
David Seah at David Seah.com
David Zinger at Slacker Manager
Dawud Miracle at dmiracle.com
Dean Lacono at Law of Attraction for Beginners
Debbie Call at Spirit In Gear
Debbie LaChusa at 10 Step Marketing Collection
Debra Moorhead at Debra Moorhead.com
Denise Mosawi at Destineering.com
Des Walsh at Thinking Home Business
Devlyn Steele at Tools To Life Guide
Dick Richards at Come Gather Round
Dominic Tay at Personal Development for Winners
Don Simkovich at Hey Don
Donald Latumahina at Life Optimizer
Donna Karlin at Perspectives
Donna Steinhorn at Rethinking
Douglas Eby at Talent Development Resources
Dr. Charles Parker at The Core Psych Blog
Dr. Hal at Northstar Mental fitness blog
Drew Rozell at Drew Rozell.com
Dwayne Melancon at Genuine Curiosity
Edward Mills at Evolving Times
Ellen Weber at Brain Based Business
Emily G. W. Lilly at The Science of Waldorf Education
Emmanuel Lopez at The Adventures of Motivatorman
Ellesse at Goal Setting College
Elly Jolly at Jolly Life Coaching
Enoch Tan at Mind Reality
Eric Napier at Quotation Collection
Erin Pavlina at Erin Pavlina.com
Frank Kanu at Frank Uncovers Excellence in Leadership
Frank Roche at KnowHR Blog
Galba Bright at Tune Up Your EQ
Gary at Personal Strategic Plan
Gilad Buchman at Sigsug
Gleb Reys at Personal Development Ideas
Grayson at Modern Worker Blog
Greg Butler at holistic-personal-development.com
Greg Frost at ChargedAudio.com
Geoff R at Gearfire.net
Gretchen Rubin at Happiness Project
Gustav at Success-is-in-you.com
Guy Kawasaki at How to Change the World
Gyanish at Diethack
Halina Goldstein at The Inner Travel Journal
Hilda Carroll at Living Out Loud
Heather Goldsmith at A Creative Journal
Henrik Edberg at The Positivity Blog
Honman at Open Your Mind to Prosperity
Inkedmn at The Cranking Widgets Blog
Isabella Mori at MoriTherapy
Itzy Sabo at Email Overloaded
Jacklyn Ker at Inspiring and Empowing Lives
Jarle Husefest at The Personal Development Blog
Jason and Michael at Black Belt Productivity
Jason Ivers at A Miracle a Day
Jason Womack at Fit and Effective
Jay White at dumb little man tips for life
Jean Browman at Transforming Stress Into Power and Cheerful Monk
Jeannette Maw at Good Vibe Coaching
Jeanie Marshall at Empowerment and Meditation Blog and DailyAffirm:  Positive Affirmations Day by Day
Jeff Lilly at Druid Journal
Jeffrey Phillips at Think Faster
Jennifer at Goodness Graciousness
Jennifer Mannion at Heal Pain Naturally
Jenny and Erin at Jenny and Erin
Jeremiah Owyang at Web Strategy by Jeremiah
Jerry Hart at Blue Print to emarketing
Jerry Lopper at Personal Growth
Jessa at clairvoyantGuidance.net
Jim stroup at Managing Leadership
Jim Walton at Black In Business
JoLynn Braley at The Fit Shack
Joan Schramm at Accelerating Momentum
Joanna Young at Coaching Wizardry
Joanne at I’m Happy Fish
JodeeB at You Already Know This Stuff
Joe Vitale at Dr. Joe Vitale at Zero
John Pratt at John Pratt International
John Place at John Place Online
John W. McKenna at The Leadership Epidemic
John Wesley at Pick The Brain
Jon at Join The Secret
Jonathan at Smart Wealthy Rich and Freelance Folder
Jory Des Jardin at Pause: Meaningful Work
Josh Bickford at Reach For Magnificence and Reach for Magnificence
Josh Kaufman at The Personal MBA
Judy Martin at The Work/Life Monitor
Julia Rogers Hamrick at Julia’s Blog: Journal of the Journey Home to Eden
Julie Bonner at Declutter It
Kailani at An Island Review
Kammie Kobyleski at Passion Meets Purpose
Karen at Journey with Water Learner
Karen Lynch at Live The Power
Karen Wallace at The Clearing Space
Karl Moore at Karl Blog.com
Karl Staib at Karl Staib.com
Kathy Mallary at Coaching Biz Tips
Keith Ferrazzi at Never Eat Alone
Kenton Whitman at kentonwhitman.com
Kevin Kinchen at Creative Power of Thought
Killeris at Attitude, The Ultimate Power
Kim and Jason at Escape Adulthood
Kim George at Doing What You Can Do
Kirk Nugent at Kirk Nugent.com
Kirsten Harrell at Ipopin
Krishna De at Biz Growth News and Todays Women in Business
K.L. Masina at Be Conscious Now
Leah Maclean at Working Solo
Laura Young at The Dragon Slayer’s Guide to Life
Lee Nutter at bmindful
Leo Babauta at Zen Habits
Life Reflection at Universe in a Single Atom
Linda Salazar at Awaken The Genie Within
Lisa Braithwaite at Speak Schmeak
Lisa Gates at Design Your Writing Life
Lisa Van Allen at Finish Strong
Liz at Internet Marketing Strategies
Liz Strauss at Successful Blog
Lodewijkvdb at How to be an Original
Lola Fayemi at Real World Spiritual and Personal Development
Lorraine Cohen at Powerfull Living
Luciano Passuello at Litemind.com
Lucid at Spiritual Suggestions
Lumosity at Brain Health Blog
Lyman Reed at Creating a Better Life
Lyndon Antcliff at LyndonAntcliff.com and Cornwallseo.com
MT at MindTWEAKS
Maddy at Illuminated Minds Want to Know
Malathy Badri at Laws of Universe
Manny at Success Books
Maria Garcia at Get Organized Now
Maria Palma at The Good Life
Marianne Williamson at Journal
Mark at The Naked Soul
Mark Forster at Get Everything Done
Mark LaPierre at The Winding Path
Mark McManus at Build Your Life To Order
Mark W Shead at Productivity 501
Martin Avis at Kickstart Daily
Mary K at Becoming Your StellarSelf
Matthew Cornell at Matt’s Idea Blog
Meg Haworth at Life Lessons From Your Soul
Melanie Benson Strick at The Success Blog
Merlin Mann at 43 Folders
Michelle at aMusing My Genius
Michelle Moore at Happiness Blog
Michael Port at The Think Big Revolution
Michael Vanderdonk at TOACH Performance
Mike Janssen at Opgestroopte Mouwen
Mike Kemski at BANABU
Mike St. Pierre at The Daily Saint
Mr.Wang at Mr Wang Says So
My Everyday Planner at My Everyday Planner
Nancy Mills at The Spirited Woman
Nancy Tierney at Unconditional Confidence
Neil Patel at Quick Sprout
Nic Askew at Monday 9AM Blog
Nick Smith at Life 2.0
Nneka at Balanced Life Center
Organize-It at Organize-It
Pamala Slim at Escape From Cubicle Nation
Pamm Larry at My Spiritual Dance
Patricia Singleton at Spiritual Journey of a Lightworker
Patti Digh at 37 Days
Paul at Paul’s Tips
Paul Piotrowski at Self Help Wisdom
Paula Kawal at Paula Kawal.com
Peggy Payne at Peggy Payne’s Boldness Blog
Peter at I Will Change Your Life
Peter Aldin at Great Circle
Peter Haslem at Necessary Skills
Phil Gerbyshak at Make It Great
Philippe Matthews at Shockwealth
Priscilla Palmer at Personal Development Demands Success
Quint Jensen at Win Your Mind
Raymond Salas at Zenchill Powertools
Real Modern Man at Real Modern Man
Reg Adkins at ElementalTruths
Ricardo at Wake Up Tiger
Rich Schefren at Strategic Profits
Rick Cockrum at Shards of Consciousness
Rick Cooper at The PDA Pro
Ririan at Ririanproject
Rob at 7Breaths
Rob Cooke at Leave the Office
Robert at Compassionate Council
Robert at Myselfdev
Robert Ashcroft at PDSS Online
Robin Skeen at Robin’s Reflections
Robin Yapp at Yapp 3.0
Robyn McMaster at Brain Based Biz
Roger Von Oech at Creative Think
Rolf F. Katzenberger at Evomend
Rosa Say at Managing With Aloha Coaching
Ryan Marle at The Alpha Project
S.J. Yee at Personal Development for the Book Smart
Sam at Aquire Wisdom and Live with Passion
Scott Adams at The Dilbert Blog
Scott Berkun at Berkun Blog
Scott Bernadot at Keeping The Secret
Scott Ginsberg at Hello, My Name Is Blog
Scott H Young at Scott H Young
Scott McArthur at McArthur’s Rant
Self Pursuit at Self Pursuit
Senia at Senia.com Positive Psychology Coaching
Seth Godin at Seth’s Blog
Shane Navratil at Zoomstart
Shauna Arthurs at Breathing Prosperity and Follow Your Path
Shaheen Lakhan at GNIF Brain Blogger
Simone at Dynamic Living
Simone and Mandy at Outfit Inspirations
Slade Roberson at Shift Your Spirits and Spiritual Blogging
Sleeping Dude at How to Wake Up Early
Sonora Jayne Case at Positive Realities Coaching
Spike at Organize It
Start Up Coach at Take Charge of Your Life
Stephanie and Jeffrey at Brains on Purpose
Steve Beisheim at Jumping Ship Happens
Steve King at The Green Geek
Steve Olson at Steve-Olson.com
Steve Pavlina at stevepavlina.com
Steve Roesler at All Things Workplace
Stephen at HD bizblog
Stephen Hopson at Adversity University
Steven Aitchison at Change Your Thoughts
Success Current at SuccessCurrent.com
Surjit at Gurushabad
Susan Sabo at Productivity Cafe
Suzanne Bird-Harris at Learning Curve Coaching
Takuin Minamoto at Takuin.com
Ted Demopoulos at Blogging For Business
Terry Starbucker at Ramblings From a Glass Half Full
Tiffany at Little Red Suit
Tim Ferris at 4-Hour Workweek and Lifestyle Design Blog
Tim Taylor at My Agapic Life
Tom Peters at Tom Peters.com
Tom Spanton at TRCoach
Tom Van Brunscot of Transformation Economy
Tony Chimento at Living Forward
Tony D Clark at Success From The Nest
Torlink at You Create Reality
Travis A. Sinquefield at Disorganizational Behavior
Travis Wright at Cultivate Greatness
Trizoko at Trizoko.com
Trevor Gay at Simplicity is the Key
Troy Worman at Orbit Now!
Tuck Self at Rebel Belle Blog
Tupelo Kenyon at Tupelokenyon.com
Ubertech at Geeks Guide To GTD
Vera Nadine at Vera Nadine.com
Vickie at Contemplate This
Wade Millican at The Middle Way
Wally Bock at Three Star Leadership
Wan Qi at Meditation Forum Mantras
Wild Bill at Passionate Blogger

and these collaborated sites:
Burst Blog
Change This
Change Your Thinking
Daily PlanIt
Did I Get Things Done
GTD Wannabe
Jobman2
Joyful Jubilant Learning
Life Coaches Blog Stratagies for a Greater Life
Lifehack.org
Lifehacker.com
Transformational Girlfriends
Unclutterer

About One Year Ago...

I realized that September 3rd was the one-year anniversary of my blog! In the beginning, I posted every couple of weeks on average, but have become much more dedicated over the past few months. I have been traveling for the past several days, so have not had time to post as often as I'd like, but have found myself thinking about blogging quite a bit. Whenever I see or experience something interesting, I want to share it with my readers. I find myself feeling antsy if I'm not near an Internet connection. I think I've developed a (what I'd like to think is healthy) obsession with blogging over the past year :)

Miss Perfect

My first exposure to the blog world was back in 2003, when I learned about Heath Row's Media Diet. Heath posted short bits on all types of media, often several times a day from his Sidekick. Through it, I learned about the latest in cool communication gadgets, publications and web-related resources. I found out about Ryze and LinkedIn, two of the earliest players in the Web 2.0 world, which became amazing resources for me. To me, Media Diet was the model for what blogging should be. And it inspired me. I started my first blog on Blogger in early 2004.

However, because of intense demands on my time, and a feeling that my posts had to be profound and exquisitely written, I found myself posting sporadically, and eventually closed down my blog. My feeling at the time was that if I didn't do it extremely well, there was no point in doing it at all. The perfectionist part of me convinced me to stop doing something I enjoyed because I wasn't doing it up to my own really high standards.

Last year, my interest in blog writing was reignited and Becoming Your StellarSelf was born, a reincarnation of my initial blog's focus. I approached it with the attitude that I would write about topics that really interest me, whenever I was inspired, whenever I had the time. As a result, I've greatly enjoyed the process, and have found my blog to be a great creative outlet.

The other day, I came across a blog whose first entry was back in 2004, followed by a few in 2005, followed by a steady stream of entries from 2006 onward. I thought back to my first blog and felt rather wistful -- I didn't have to shut it down, I could have been happy writing when I had the time and inspiration, I could have accepted something less than perfection, and it would have been fine. Then I remembered that, this time around, I am doing exactly that.

Recommended Reading:
*Cons of Perfectionism include self-criticism
*The many faces of perfectionism
*An article by the American Psychological Association on overcoming perfectionism as it relates to writers' block (written for grad students, but interesting anyway)

Evolving Times Announces Giveaway Winners

I recently participated in Evolving Times 1-year anniversary celebration. Blog author Edward Mills presented an amazing line-up of giveaways during the month of August, and I contributed a copy of my new book, Growing Toward Balance as one of the prizes. Congratulations to Vick Kohli, winner of my book! I believe that the giveaways continue through the end of the month, so you still have an opportunity to win one of the many other wonderful gifts at Evolving Times.

The W-List

I haven't posted in the past few days as my life has been incredibly busy. But I've been meaning to pass along this wonderful meme! The W-List, a growing list of women who blog, has been circulating around the blogosphere for the past few weeks. I first learned about it a little over a week ago, and now I'm finally sharing the love.

I first came across it on Kirsten Harrell's blog, Think Positive! Kirsten explains that Valeria Maltoni, from the Conversation Agent, wrote a post on August 7th about the top 20 PR Power Women, which was taken from Ad Age's Power 150.  Valerie added her favorite women bloggers to the list and the "W" list was born. Then, on August 17th, Carolyn D. Townes from Becoming a Woman of Purpose created a Wikipedia page for the W-List.  Since then, the list has been circulating far and wide across the blogosphere as women bloggers add to the list.

If you know of wonderful women bloggers who are not on the list yet, just copy the list below, add them, then post the list on your site!

For example, I would like to add to the list the following wonderful women bloggers (many, many of my favorites are already on the list!)...

April in Paris by Andi Ipaktchi
Healing About.com by Phylameana lila Désy
The Intention Experiment by Lynne McTaggart
Let's Change the World by Desiree
LifePrints - Good News for a More Compassionate World by Lisa McGlaun
Sue's Daily Photos by Susanne Van Hulst

to the list as it appeared on Kirsten's blog...

The Artsy Asylum by Susan Reynolds
::Surroundings:: by Linda Merrill
45 Things by Anita Bruzzese
A Look at Art & Design: Lisa Mikulski
advergirl Leigh Householder
Affirmagy Blog by Kristen Schuerlein
Andrea Dickson at Wise Bread - Humorous, honest voice on the serious matters of money.
angiemckaig.com: still a great pair of legs Angie McKaig
AnjaMerret.com by Anja Merret
Ask Dr. Kirk
Avedon Carol’s Sideshow by Avedon Carol

Back in Skinny Jeans by Stephanie Quilao
Becoming your StellarSelf by Mary Kearns
Belle at Abundance Journal - Explorations in the Law of Attraction.
Beth's Blog by Beth Kanter
Biz Growth News by Krishna De
BizInformer by Deborah Chaddock Brown
BlogWrite for CEOs Debbie Weil
Boardroom for Women: No Nonsense Business Coaching by Norma Rist
Brain Based Biz by Dr. Robyn McMaster
Brain Based Business by Dr. Ellen Weber
Brand Sizzle by Anne Simons
Branding & Marketing by Chris Brown

Brazen Careerist by Penelope Trunk
Build a Solo Practice, LLC by Susan Cartier Liebel
Christine Kane by Christine Kane
CK’s Blog CK (Christina Kerley)
Colloquium by JHSEsq
Communication Overtones Kami Huyse
Confident Writing by Joanna Young
Conscious Business by Anne Libby
Conversation Agent Valeria Maltoni

Corporate PR Elizabeth Albrycht
Creative Curio by Lauren Marie
Customers Are Always by Maria Palma
Customers Rock! Becky Carroll
CustServ by Meikah David
Damsel-in-Progress
Debbie Millman by Debbie Millman
Deborah Schultz by Deborah Schultz
Design Your Life Ellen and Julia Lupton, identical twins
Design Your Writing Life by Lisa Gates

Designers Who Blog by Cat Morley
Diary of Claudine Hellmuth Claudine Hellmuth
Digby’s Hullabaloo by Digby
Dishn'Dat
Diva Marketing Blog by Toby Bloomberg
Do It Myself Blog by Glenda Watson Hyatt
Dooce by Heather B. Armstrong
Edith Yeung from EdithYeung.com
Email Marketing Best Practices Tamara Gielen
Emily Chang - Strategic Designer Emily Chang

eMoms at Home by Wendy Piersall
Enter the Laughter by Marti Lawrence
Escape Blog by Melissa Petri
Escape from Cubicle Nation by Pamela Slim
eSoup by Sharon Sarmiento
Essential Keystrokes by Char
Every Dot Connects by Connie Reece
Exploring the trends driving small business by Anita Campbel
Feministing by Jessica, Vanessa, Samhita, Ann, Celina, Jen and Courtney
First Person PR by Kari Hanson
Fish Creek House by GP

Flooring The Consumer CB Whittemore
Forrester’s Marketing Blog Shar, Charlene, Chloe, Christine Elana, Laura and Lisa
Forward Steps by Thea Westra
Franke James by Franke James
FunnyBusiness by Elana Centor
Get a sneak peek of the all-new AOL.c
Get Fresh Minds by Katie Konrath
Get Shouty by Katie Chatfield
Graphic Design Blog by Tara
Great Presentations Mean Business by Laura Athavale Fitton

Helping Bloggers Make Money by Paula Neal Mooney
Hey Marci by Marci Alboher
Holly’s Corner Blog by Holly Schwendiman
ifelse by Phu Ly
Illustration Friday Penelope Dullaghan
Inspiration Bit by Vivien