In No Particular Order...

      This week's selections originated in a "mountaintop experience."  I was sitting with my cat, Joy, meditating in the sunshine this winter.   Between one moment and the next my perspective shifted completely.  It was as if I could see my life and business from the outside.  I realized the mistakes I had made in my business in 2012.  I had been "selling" what I was interested in, not what drew clients to me.  People come to my business for a light, happy healing and learning experience.  It is all about fun and play.
     Unfortunately, in some ways, I had forgotten how to play, what makes everything fun in life.  So, like all people who have educated the play out of themselves, it was time to do a little research.  Here are some of the results (and, leave me a message if you want more, I have loads of material):



The Red Rubber Ball at Work: Elevate Your Game Through the Hidden Power of Play

     From the clever cover (yes, the ball really is rubber) to brevity of the stories this book is a wonderful physical representation of the powerful ideas within. Through many examples, Kevin Carrol demonstrates how entrepreneurs in a wide variety of fields transformed their childhood play into thriving businesses.  The variations allow the readers mind to work it's way back to early memories then project forward into their own lives.  At first, I found the third person narrative format off-putting, but after the first chapter it became more comfortable.  He also includes recommendations for further reading and putting the principles to work in your own life.  As he says "Start now. The ball's in your court..."

    I'm also a big fan of the TED talks.  We believe that we should work to be happy, but could that be backwards? In this fast-moving and entertaining talk, psychologist Shawn Achor argues that actually happiness inspires productivity.

      Did you know that to college students $5 looks like coffee?  At TEDxCambridge, Michael Norton shares fascinating research on how money can, indeed buy happiness -- when you don't spend it on yourself. Listen for surprising data on the many ways pro-social spending can benefit you, your work, and (of course) other people.