- Home
- Discover Self-Awareness
- Live with Intention
- What we do
- Backyard Gardens Delight
- T'ai Chi Chih
- Balanced Health Blog
- Programs and Events
- Recorded Meditations
- Recipes N Nutrition PDFs
- Book Club Details
- Earth Day 2022
- Winter Solstice Event
- Recorded Cooking Classes
- Book Club Graphics
- Our Engaging Adventures
- FAQ
- About Us
- Contact Us
Spring 2024 Discover and Grow Reading Club
I Wish I'd known This - 6 career-Accelerating Secrets for Women Leaders
I Wish I'd Known This – by Brenda Wensil and Katheryn Heath
Since finishing The Alchemist, I have reflected about the gap between knowing one's life dream and living one's life dream. So, I looked into books that empower women to realize their dreams. My search led me to the book titled, I Wish I'd Known This.
Following a quick review of its contents, I am certain the universe guided me to it as a continuation for our community to discover our life's dream aka Personal Legend, as known in the writings of Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist. During our discussions on that book, many shared that they were unaware of their life’s dream. I learned the biggest road block of our realizing the dreams of our lives is not being able to state them in clear and positive action language.
Hopefully, this book will guide each one of us on our journey to discover, clearly state, and live our life's dreams, and empower each of us to be our own life leader. Even though the authors direct their messages to career women, I believe all of us must take charge of our lives and be the leader of realizing our dreams. No matter what stage of life you are in right now, this book will empower you to set your compass of life on a course that fulfills your imagined dreams. Who would like to join me on this adventure?
Objectives: Participants will identify their personal or professional blind spots or challenges that inhibit them from knowing and fulfilling their life's dream. As each chapter is explored, participants will learn the 'how to' of the six valuable strategies to accelerate them to achieve their dreams.
The Intention for this read:
Discover our personal leadership challenges, explore and
Integrate the six career-accelerating secrets revealed, so we become
Empowered to act upon our dreams and desires so,
Together, we share with the world the benefits of leaders in action.
Reading and discussion schedule:
Week 1: Beginning to end of chapter two titled, "Lack of Self-Awareness"
Week 2: Chapters 3 and 4
Week 3 Chapters 5 and 6
Week 4: Chapter 7 and conclusion titled, "Light Your Own Broom."
The discussion will include time for self-reflection as the secrets are revealed. Bring a journal and pen to each discussion.
Each discussion will last for 1.5 hours. The meetings will be spaced at two week intervals beginning Sunday, March 10
Wensil, B and Heath, K. (2022). I Wish I'd Known This. Barrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc.
Discover and Grow Reading Club's 2024 Spring Book.
Winter 2024 Discover and Grow Reading Club
The Alchemist
The Alchemist – by Paulo Coelho
My awareness of this book came from watching the May 2023 release of the movie Book Club: The Next Chapter. Watch a trailer here. As I shared this with others, I learned several members of this community already had it on their bookshelves. We agreed we were ready to enjoy together, "the transforming power of our dreams and the importance of listening to our hearts.”
The setting begins in Spain with a young adult dreaming about his life. After encountering many unique people, he learns the way to living his dream with an understanding of its impact on the Soul of the Universe. He believes in himself to pursue his Personal Legend. His journey is supported by the life-enhancing qualities of confidence, comfort, enthusiasm and love.
This book leaves its readers pondering the missed dreams of their youth with an understanding only death keeps one from living their dream, or as known in the book, their Personal Legend.
The Intention for this read:
Discover our Personal Legend as we
Integrate an openness to the unknown future while we
Empower ourselves with fearlessness so
Together, we create the life we have been dreaming of since our youth.
Enjoy a journey through this book as captured by the host of the Reading Club, JoEtta Heck, owner and educator of dietforbalancedhealth.com. Graphic inspirations of The Alchemist are here, just a click away.
Coelho, P. (1998). The Alchemist. HarperCollins Publishers. Translation by Alan R. Clarke in consultation with Paulo Coelho.
Discover and Grow Reading Club's 2024 Winter Book.
Fall 2021 Discover and Grow Reading Club
The Four Agreements
Four simple agreements may be just what you need to create your dream life. Our community chose this book for a fall read to complement the in-depth study of our summer read Nonviolent Communication. Consciously choosing your life's agreements allows you experience personal freedom. If you are ready to take a step towards freely creating the life of your dreams, join us for this event. If you have read this book before and wish to learn to practice its teaching in a safe community, this event is for you, too. I invite you to subscribe to this website and join the DIET for Balanced Health community as we discuss The Four Agreements and together begin to implement them into our daily practices.
The intention for the Fall 2021 Discover and Grow Book Club reading event follows:
The DIET for Balanced Health community will
Discover the four simple agreements to personal freedom
Integrate them into our daily rituals to
Empower us to create a new dream for our life on earth so
Together we can transform our world to experience a life of bliss
For our fall Discover and Grow Book Club event, we will be meeting weekly starting on Monday, November 15 through December 6 at 5 PM (mountain time) on Zoom to discuss the assigned reading. The author, Don Miguel Ruiz understands how we create agreements without awareness. He challenges readers to expand their personal awareness to let go of the agreements that no longer serve them. Ruiz says, "... you need to trust yourself to make the right choices." Recognizing our needs is a life-long practice and one of the essential tenets of Marshal Rosenberg's writing in his Nonviolent Communication book we discussed this summer.
This book was selected as our second book to discuss because the actions suggested align with the consciousness based teachings of our Perfect Health: Ayurveda Lifestyle Program.
Summer 2021 Discover and Grow Reading Club
nonviolent communication
The cover of this publication says it all: "Words Matter". Nonviolent Communication is the language of life for those who wish to embrace empathy, collaboration, authenticity and freedom. If you have always wanted to improve your communication within your personal, casual and professional relationships, this book reading is for you. I invite you to subscribe to this website and join the DIET for Balanced Health community as we read, discuss and practice this revolutionary yet, often forgotten way to compassionately communicate with others and ourselves.
The intention for the Summer 2021 Discover and Grow Book Club premier reading event follows:
The DIET for Balanced Health community will
Discover simple, nonviolent communication practices to
Integrate into our daily lives that
Empower us to express our needs, make requests to others, and realize that
Together we can transform our world, one relationship at a time.
Several within our current community have requested that we begin the book study event reading its message aloud while we are together. In a separate meeting, we will discuss the material and allow time to practice the techniques. This means we will be gathering on zoom twice weekly. Let's plan to begin the book reading at 1PM Mountain Time on one day and discuss/practice the techniques in the late afternoon at 5PM Mountain time a day later. The first reading will be on Monday, July 12. Of course, if you are unable to make the reading at that time, you are invited to read on your own and join us in the discussion and practice session on Tuesday, July 13. I will also offer an exclusive Facebook group where we can interact, discuss and share our communication experiences.
The author, Marshall B. Rosenberg, understands the crucial role of language and how it affects our ability to remain compassionate. Through his specific approach to both speaking and listening, we are able to allow our natural compassion to flourish as we give from the heart. We will learn to "discover the depth of our own compassion" as we clarify what we observe, feel and need.
This book was selected as our first book to discuss since some of the concepts are taught as part of the Emotional Freedom Lesson in the Perfect Health: Ayurveda Lifestyle Program that will be available for purchase in late August.
Have you ever received hurtful words from someone? Do you know how to ask for what you need? Do you know what you need? Are you willing to graciously accept a "no" answer when you request something from another? Do you know what feelings you are experiencing in this moment? These questions and many more will be answered as DIET for Balanced Health reads Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life, 3rd edition by Marshall B. Rosenberg, PhD for its Summer 2021 Discover and Grow Book Club event.
Nonviolent communication uses language and communication skills that have been known for centuries. If you believe your human nature is to enjoy giving and receiving in a compassionate manner, a journey through this work by Marshall B. Rosenberg, PhD will support your belief, remind you of your essential nature and teach you to speak and listen with compassion. When you are reminded about the skills taught in this reading and integrate them into your daily communication, you strengthen your ability to remain human; that is, to remain connected to your compassionate nature even under the most trying circumstances.
As a society, when we disconnect from our compassionate nature, we behave violently and exploitatively, in our thoughts, words and actions. This disconnection creates tension within our bodymind and allows for dis 'ease' to develop from deep within our cells and tissues. Reducing the stressors that create dis 'ease' supports the mission and vision of DIET for Balanced Health for all to live a fulfilling life grounded in joy, purpose and balanced health.
I hope you consider joining our community as we explore this book to learn how to express ourselves and hear others with compassion, while letting go of our old ways of defending, withdrawing or attacking when greeted by judgment and criticism. The author writes, "Nonviolent communication fosters respect, attentiveness, and empathy and engenders a mutual desire to give from the heart." Our world needs this giving from the heart to become the usual way of interacting with each other. Nonviolent communication is a process that allows for the healing of the pain and suffering endured by all humans over time as a result of violent communication.
Perhaps you are wondering how did we develop patterns of communication that lack compassion, respect, empathy, mutual agreement and equal attention. Most likely, for many, we had that style of communication modeled for us. I know I did. In our house, commands were given and expected to be obeyed without question. While these commands were not extreme, life threatening or physically violent, the were expected to be obeyed. At some point in my youth, I just knew I had to do what was asked by my parents and older siblings. As I became a mother, I behaved in the same way. As the parent, I expected my commands to be fulfilled by my children.
In my family, expressing commands was a natural and usual way of communicating. The commanding language was used often, perhaps as a efficient way to express what was needed. The expressed commands might have been a blur between a request and a demand. Some examples include "empty the dishwasher"," set the table", "clean your room", "put away the laundry", "go get this or that for me", or "scrub the tub".
As I now understand and Marshal explains in his book, requests may be made and the receiver has an option to refuse to honor the request. If this refusal is met with violence in any form, the request was never a request, but a demand. I reflect on the commands made within my family and wonder what would happen if the command was not honored. Perhaps, I honored the command out of respect for the elders or gratitude for the family environment. Perhaps, I just wanted to be in agreement and comply. I cannot recall the exact why. I just know, not acting on the commands was not an option. In the era of my childhood, children did what they were told to do.
Well, my verbal commands were fine and dandy for my young children, but that style of communication did not go over so well with my, now, adult children. So, I had to reframe the way I communicated to strengthen my most cherished relationships. Unfortunately, sometimes, I still speak with a commanding tone which is poorly received by my children. While I may be making a request, it comes across to my children as a demand. They believe they have no choice but to comply. Perhaps this belief is present because of our lifelong history together. The years of patterned behavior and responses become our second nature. The realization that my requests are perceived as demands by my children has motivated me to learn new more effective and compassionate ways to communicate.
I do wonder if this challenge to effectively and compassionately communicate is part of the complexity of the mother-daughter relationship and if you experience this, too.
Anyway, it's time for me to learn a new way to communicate so my relationships deepen in respect, understanding, joy, equity and love. If this is what you desire too, consider joining me this summer as we all learn to state our observations, relate our feelings to what is observed, understand the needs, values, and desires that create our feelings, and make a request of the concrete actions needed to enrich our lives. By learning and practicing together, we can improve all our relationships, learn more about ourselves and speak clearly about our needs, desires and values. --- JoEtta Heck, founder.
