A Year of Living Consciously: 365 Daily Inspirations for Creating a Life of Passion and Purpose [Englisch] [Taschenbuch]

We all want to live authentic, self-aware, and successful lives. How do we go about it? Where do we begin? In a daily map full of wisdom, inspirational quotes, and transformational exercises, bestselling author and psychotherapist Gay Hendricks sets us on a fantastic journey to personal and relationship success.

In bite-size portions, Hendricks encourages understanding, self-awareness, and honesty-all vital elements in a conscious life. A Year of Living Consciously teaches us to relish the journey that results in greater self-esteem and emotional literacy, achievements that can only come from leading an examined life. Quotes from historical and literary figures reinforce the timeless importance of honesty and self-knowledge. By helping us see, comprehend, and ultimately embrace the secrets we often hide from ourselves. A Year of Living Consciously brings us into accord to create clearer understanding, genuine change, and self-realization.

Day by day, one small piece at a time, with our thoughts about the meaning and impact of the most tiny gesture to our suggestions about making relationship moves of infinite, lasting importance, we address the "how" of conscious living. It was important to us, as well, that "A Year of Conscious Living" not be a "heavy" book...it is, like the conscious life, fun-filled, light-hearted, and filled with stories from our own lives and the lives of people we know, stories that illustrate just how exuberant and fun the conscious life is. From touching and tender moments to raucous, laughter-filled days (often when they're least expected!), we share with you the practical realities of living a conscious life.

We knew what we meant when we wrote the term "conscious living," and we knew that anyone who had read Gay and Katie Hendricks' previous works (Conscious Loving, The Conscious Heart, The Ten-Second Miracle, and many others) would know what the term means, too. But, if you're new to these ideas, or if you're just wondering what thoughts were ricocheting off of our brains as we wrote...here they are---and they're arranged in a way we've loved from the moment we first conceived of this book. Here's why: the format of "A Year of Living Consciously" flows right along with reality (the reality that you're living a full, busy, challenging life, one that doesn't always give you the time to sink into a book for hours).

We believe that you'll find that this format fits into your life and helps you to better know (and come to realize) your hopes and your goals for yourself. We've included many of our favorite quotes throughout the book, and we've written about topics ranging from the ways in which personal integrity is involved in sexual choices to handling chance encounters with former flames to the tender connection that can be found in a moment made of grape juice spilled on white carpeting...the moments, large and small, that can test or teach us. You'll also discover an opportunity or a challenge that we've included on every day of this year of conscious living. We have included these opportunities for introspection and growth as a way of sharing with you a hope: the hope that you will be fueled by both passion and purpose in the challenge to be even more than you already are.

Our most fervent wish is that you will carve out a minute or an hour---or something in between---to spend with yourself and with our book daily. If we could hear you as you read, our hope would also be that we would hear you laugh, and see you cry, and see you you stretch your feelings, letting them grow strong and flexible.

A conscious life requires commitment, and the first commitment you can make is to gift yourself with time---time to breathe, time to know yourself; time to honor yourself, to stand face to face with your past and present and future.

The joy of conscious living is in the journey, not in the destination...as you make the trip, we will be continuing on ours as well, and wishing you the most joyful and magical of sights along the way---the sight of you, as you are, as you wish to be.