Money Mindset Book Recommendations + WEALTH DATES

Money is everywhere. 💰

The device you’re using to read this blog post? Money. 

The electricity in your home, powering your computer and other appliances? Money. 

The chair/couch you’re sitting on? Money.

The food you eat? Money.

The air conditioning or heat in your home, the gas, the water? Money, money, money.

The vehicle you use to get to where you want to go, the gas in the tank, or any other mode of transportation you use (buses, trains, ride sharing, bicycle)? Money, money, money.

I could go on and on.

Money IS everywhere, and yet, most of us don’t have a good relationship with it, going as far back as our childhoods (how our parents reacted to money). Our relationship/trauma with money can even be generational. Most of us hate money because of how it makes us feel, which stems from our money story.

We feel guilty for having money.

We feel shame for wanting money.

We feel insecure when we don’t have money.

We feel scared when we use money.

Again, I could go on and on.

It’s time to change ALL of this.

January of this year I was called to devote the year to abundance and transformation. Part of that involved learning about money mindset and fixing my mindset around money.

In February of 2022, America had its Pluto Return (when Pluto returns to the exact degree and sign it was in at the moment the United States was born...during the signing of the Declaration of Independence).

When this happens to a country, big shit happens (not immediately but over time and in fact, had already started well before the return as Pluto moved into this position).

For America, Pluto’s Return is in Capricorn, a sign that signifies money, so fixing one’s money mindset is extremely important to do, like, NOW. Read more.

To fix my money mindset, I read books such as the ones I recommend in this post; watched IGTVs by Gina Frances and Amy Rushworth; and listened to The Amy Rushworth Show, a podcast on Spotify. Amy is amazing. She’s an unapologetic life coach and 7 figure CEO. For those who resonate with her, they can learn a lot, as I did and continue to do.

NOTE: Both Gina and Amy cater primarily to womb holders and people who identify as women with their content. Amy also teaches other life coaches, but the information she shares can still be applied by other entrepreneurs and business women.

My Favorite IGTVs from Amy Rushworth:

Manifesting Techniques That ACTUALLY Work Part 1

Manifesting Techniques That ACTUALLY Work Part 2 

(The first two are the very first two that I ever watched which changed everything for me.)

Plateau to OVERFLOW in Biz, Brand, Money, & Leadership

Ancestral Blueprints Around Money & Manifesting

(The Ancestral Blueprints one is so good. If you watch just one of the IGTVs, make it that one.)

And my favorite The Amy Rushworth Show Podcast Episodes:

Confidence Through Big Life Changes

I first heard about devoting a day to money and abundance through Gina Frances, an embodiment facilitator/menstrual business coach. 

You can check out this IGTV from Gina, which kicked off her Money Monday feature that she did for a short time on Instagram. In this IGTV she talks about what she did for her Money Mondays. Now, she does her money practices on Thursday, which is ruled by Jupiter and is associated with abundance, career, luck, money, and wealth.

What is a Wealth Date?

A day devoted to money and abundance and YOU!

(Which you don’t have to call a "Wealth Date," or “Money Monday,” or even “Money Day,” but getting comfortable with a phrase like this could be a part of your healing process around money and making money FUN.)

On Thursdays, I spend time being grateful, manifesting, and connecting to money.

You can choose the day that feels right for you, whether that's Monday, Thursday, or Saturday.

How Wealth Dates can look for me:

Affirmations For Writers / Books for Writers

 

I follow Kelly DePuy on Instagram, and when I found out that she published a book of affirmations for writers, to guide and nurture them, hence the subtitle, I was intrigued. I got a copy for myself and knew I'd talk about it here for my Books For Writers feature.

While I was reading her book, I was thinking about all the writers I know and how the affirmations I was reading would be perfect for them and could help them.

Like this one:

Screenshot from Kelly DePuy’s book.

In her book, Kelly DePuy talks in-depth about negative self-talk and limiting beliefs (more than I do in this post). She also gives great information on how to make your own affirmations based on your needs. 

Even if you don't want to write your own affirmations you will surely find amazing positive statements that Kelly shares. Say them aloud, whisper them, write them down, and come back to them again and again, especially when you need a boost or notice you're doing down a dark hole of negative thinking.

Affirmations for Writers

by Kelly Depuy

BUY @ BOOKSHOP

AMAZON

BLURB: 

What if someone said to you, “You are worthy of every dream in your tender heart.”

Feel’s good, doesn’t it? But what if that someone was you? What if YOU were your biggest supporter?

Imagine a writing life where you foster and nourish your creative self with powerful, positive, and heart-centered affirmations. Imagine showing up at the page ready to write, full of passion and hope, and leaving doubt behind.

You’d be more prolific and less burnt out, and you’d learn to face challenges with tenacity and grit. Your life would completely transform.

In Affirmations for Writers, you’ll discover:

- Over 100 affirmations tailored for writers and creatives

- What affirmations are and why they’re powerful

- How to use affirmations to conquer self-doubt, limiting beliefs, and imposter syndrome

- How to create unique and powerful affirmations to reach your goals

After reading this book, you’ll have everything you need to start your affirmation practice, and your mindset around writing will stop getting in the way of your creative success.

***

Affirmations have been a big part of my abundance work and mindset shifts this year.

Some people, when they hear the word "affirmations," are skeptical. They may roll their eyes and dismiss them as silly or trendy, and may think/say, "they're not for me."

Let me start by saying this: Affirmations are for EVERYONE!

You can use affirmations to attract abundance, meet a goal, or bring a dream to reality.

You can also use affirmations to correct your mindset and what you believe about yourself.

So how do affirmations work?

Our minds are programmed with limiting beliefs from our childhood and society, as well as negative self-talk from our inner critics, based on our past experiences.

Dozens, even hundreds, of times a day our minds can be engaged with negative self-talk about ourselves that we don't even notice. By using affirmations, we can become aware of that negative self-talk and correct them.

We can go from "Writing is hard" to "Writing comes to me easily and effortlessly."

Or "I suck at writing" to "There's no writer like me."

If someone told you as a child that you're stupid or ugly or [fill-in-the-blank], you could carry that scar your whole life, believing that false narrative and even perpetuating it with negative self-talk like, "I'm so ugly. I'm so fat. I hate my body."

The things we tell ourselves (be it positive or negative, high vibe or low vibe) we put out into the Universe. We make them real. We give them power. We attract it. We bring more of it into our lives.

Affirmations help us to rewrite those false narratives.

But what if it doesn't work?

Knowing Your Human Design Can Change Your Life, How You Work, and How You Sell

What is Human Design?

It’s similar to your birth chart (which shows where planets were at the time of your birth and how that impacts who you are), but on a different scale. It reveals how different we all are.

Human Design Types:

Projector

Reflector

Manifestor

Generator

Manifesting-Generator

You can find out what your Human Design is by going to https://www.myhumandesign.com/get-your-chart/ and filling in your time, date, and place of birth. That’s it!

So what’s my Human Design?

I’m a Projector.

An Emotional Projector to be exact, which means I need to tune in to my emotions more often and use my emotions to help me make decisions.

To find out what you are specifically, look at the Authority category when you have your Human Design summary.

Mine says: Emotional Solar Plexus, meaning my solar plexus is my authority.

NOTE: This post isn’t meant to teach you everything about Human Design. You can learn more about your Authority by reading your summary and doing extra research by Googling “Solar Plexus Authority.” Of course, substitute the words “solar plexus” for whatever your Authority is.

The first word there for the Authority will indicate what you are. For instance, it may say “mental.”

I’m a Projector. My Authority is Emotional Solar Plexus. Thus, I’m an Emotional Projector.

In a nutshell, Projectors are the visionaries and can see things that others can’t clearly see. They are natural guides, leaders, and teachers.

Now that you know what your Human Design is, I’ll continue. (If you don’t know yet, go find out and then return to this post.)

This whacky chart is like one you’ll receive when you 

find out what your Human Design is. Don’t worry

you don’t have to understand it. This one is mine.

Life Lessons for Projectors

I’m Rejecting Your Projection:

If you’re a Projector, something that will most likely happen is that people will project things on to you.

Projecting is a psychological term. This is when someone projects their own unconscious faults and flaws—anything they may have hidden from themselves or can’t admit to having or haven’t faced and accepted about themselves yet—on to you.

Humans project all the time. That’s our nature. But for Projectors it happens a lot more because we act like mirrors, letting people see things about themselves that they may or may not like. Instead of them understanding what they’re seeing is a reflection of themselves and their own faults, they falsely project it on to us.

This could happen when someone claims you’re judgmental when all they do is judge others. Or they say you’re manipulative when they manipulate others all the time, including you. And so on.

One thing Projectors have to learn and accept is that other people’s projections of us have nothing to do with us but everything to do with them.

Say it with me fellow Projectors: Other people’s projectors of me have nothing to do with me but everything to do with them. It’s not a me problem. It’s a them problem.

Other people’s perceptions of Projectors, regardless of how they created that perception (from what other people told them about you or snippets they see on social media or through limited contact), are not who you really are. That goes for everyone, but especially Projectors.

Meet Thistle the Fairy in Human Form + Giveaway

Last year, I cosplayed as Thistle Greenbud from my mom’s middle grade chapter books Bad Fairy and Bad Fairy Strikes Again. I bought a black wig, put on a black frilly dress I’d worn for Halloween once, topped it with a dark red T-shirt, clipped a flower to the fake hair, and trained my voice so I spoke as I imagined a fairy would speak. Thus, Thistle was born. Or, more accurately, Thistle became human-sized.

I was looking for ways to help my mom market her books, to attract more readers, to stand out. Honestly, while it did stand out in terms of a unique way to promote a book, it didn’t garner the result I was hoping for; we didn’t see an increase in book sales. Not all ideas work in the way you imagine.

Still, I had fun.

Uh-oh! Thistle is human-sized!

What trouble will Thistle get into now?

After I shared images of myself as Thistle, I created short videos that I turned into reels on Instagram. A lot of people don’t like videos on Instagram because it started as a photos-only platform, but everything evolves and evolution is a good thing. Reels can be a creative and fun way to promote a book, which is 100% acceptable to do on Instagram or any other social media platform. Reels/videos can also be used in informative and educational ways, as well as a way to connect to followers more than through immobile images and captions, no matter how long they are.

So, I recorded myself as Thistle.

Here’s the first reel I shared to my mom’s Instagram account:

NOTE: When you click the play button, the video will be small because it’s a reel, not a full-sized video. You can watch the full-sized reel by clicking the “View on Instagram” links below each short clip.

Thistle’s Cry For Help:

0:12 seconds 

View on Instagram 

After the initial video explaining how Thistle got to be as big as a human, I created short clips to introduce her, share fairy secrets, talk about fantasy creatures mentioned in the books, and highlight some fairy slang.

Thistle Reveals Fairy Secrets:

0:21 seconds

View on Instagram

Thistle Greenbud:

0:22 seconds

View on Instagram

Facts About Thistle:

0:18 seconds

View on Instagram

What’s A Batty-Eye?

0:19 seconds

View on Instagram 

What Does Okum-Sokum Mean?

0:09 seconds

View on Instagram 

The above reels/videos are the ones that I think are good introductions to Thistle and are a couple of my personal favorites, but I also want to share the most-viewed reels on Instagram because it’s usually not the images and videos we think will do well that get a lot of interaction. From the ones above, Facts About Thistle (currently 1,090 views) and What’s A Batty-Eye (currently 1,509 views) are among the most-viewed on Instagram, but here’s more:

What Do You Call A Group Of Fairies?

0:11 seconds

View on Instagram

Currently 1,064 views

What Are Brownie Fairies?

0:17 seconds

View on Instagram

Currently 1,395 views

What Are Flower Fairies?

0:28 seconds

View on Instagram

Currently 1,380 views

What Are Goblins?

0:14 seconds 

View on Instagram 

Currently 1,365 views

What Are Boggarts?

0:14 seconds 

View on Instagram

Currently 1,347 views

What’s A Pixie?

0:13 seconds

View on Instagram

Currently 1,079 views

I’ve been VERY slowly posting all the Thistle reels I made for my mom to my TikTok, because it is perfectly acceptable to post videos from Instagram to TikTok and vice versa, and it’s not only acceptable but considerate to cross-promote the same content across your social media for the followers who aren’t everywhere and who would otherwise miss it if you only shared it in one place.

So far, it’s interesting to see the differences between these two platforms. I’ve noticed the videos that did well on Instagram don’t do as well on TikTok, but also the ones that do well on TikTok hadn’t done as well on Instagram.

For Instance, What Do You Call A Group Of Fairies? on Instagram has over a thousand views. Meanwhile, on TikTok (posted much later), it has 236 views.

Also, one titled The Fairy Realm has 151 views on Instagram but has 1,300+ views on TikTok. I notice the same for my own reels and TikTok videos (the ones where I’m not cosplaying as Thistle).

This demonstrates why it’s a good idea to share the same content widely, just as you’d have your books wide (which means having your books available on multiple book sites so your readers can purchase them from sites according to their device and purchasing preferences).

TikTok is still foreign to me, but I do like to make videos (be it reels or TikToks) from time to time.

If you’d like to see ALL of the Thistle reels I did for my mom, check out her IG reels here.

June 7 - 24

PRIZES: Signed paperback copies of Bad Fairy and Bad Fairy Strikes Again (middle grade chapter books) by my mom Elaine Kaye, pink flower headband, pink fuzzy fashion scrunchie, “Be Kind” rainbow cosmetic/pencil bag.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

QUESTION: Do you believe in fairies? 🧚‍♀️ 🧚‍♂️ 🧚 

P.S. Thistle may come back in human form this year. Follow my mom (Elaine Kaye) on Instagram to see it when/if it happens!

LGBTQIA+ Book Recommendations for Pride Month

June is Pride Month for the LGBTQIA+ community, and believe me, we need it. Yes, “we.” I am the A in the acronym, which stands for asexual (not ally, a common misconception that erases asexual people). With heterosexuality celebrated every day of every year for the past two thousand years or more, those of us on the LGBTQ+ spectrum need and deserve a month to be proud of who we are, love ourselves for who we are, celebrate ourselves for who we are, and to be unapologetic about it.

We need this month.

We need community.

We need true allies.

We need books!

Books written by LGBTQ+ authors and/or with LGBTQ+ characters are the most challenged and banned books EVER. That’s not an exaggeration. LGBTQ+ content dominates each year’s list of the Top 10 Most Challenged Books curated by the American Library Association, along with books about racism and books about BIPOC people. In 2019, 8 of the 10 titles that made the list had LGBTQ+ content or characters in them. In 2020, the word/phrase most used in censorship reports was “LGBTQIA+.” This is only getting worse, but it won’t stop kids or readers from reading whatever the hell they want to read!

I support the LGBTQIA+ community.

I support LGBTQIA+ authors.

I support LGBTQIA+ books.

Let’s celebrate the freedom to love our way and the freedom to read!

This post is packed with LGBTQIA+ book recommendations for you to add to your TBR list, read, review, recommend to others, gift to loved ones, share with young readers, donate to Little Free Libraries, and request at your local library.

There’s so many books that I didn’t have space for blurbs or short descriptions. I organized the titles into groups based on where they fall on the LGBTQIA+ spectrum and used Bookshop’s widgets that you can scroll through. Then you click on the covers of the titles that catch your eye and read more about them on Bookshop.

***This is not an exhaustive list but rather a starting point.***

Enjoy!

First, I have to shout out this great non-fiction book:

Rainbow Revolutions: Power, Pride, and Protest in the Fight For Queer Rights

Buy @ BookShop

My Review: This book is fabulous. This is a history of queer rights that was needed and is needed. I learned knew things and expanded my knowledge on others. There’s so much here that’s not readily known, and for a reason, because it was history that had been buried on purpose or it was taboo to discuss.

For instance, we all know about Hitler’s terrifying reign in which Jewish people, Polish people, people of color, people with disabilities, and queer people were targeted. While the fact that queer people were targeted is mentioned (most of the time), it’s never really discussed. Like how 5,000-15,000 men were sent to concentration camps for being gay, and when the war ended and the camps closed, they weren’t often freed but sent straight to prison for being (or assumed) gay. They are “forgotten victims of the Nazis.” 

This book covers a lot including the Stonewall Riots, the AIDS crisis, voguing, the rainbow flag, Pride marches, the LGBTQ+ acronym, prominent figures, and more.

LGBTQIA+ BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS:

The Anxiety & Phobia Workbook / Books for Writers

 

May is Anxiety Awareness Month and Mental Health Awareness Month.

THE ANXIETY & PHOBIA WORKBOOK

BUY @ BOOKSHOP

At first glance, this doesn’t look like a book for writers, does it? 

But many writers suffer from anxiety and panic attacks.

I do.

And I’m willing to bet several of you do, too. Or you have in the past. And, although I hope not, you may in the future.

When you suffer from anxiety as a writer, it can impact your writing, your creativity, your energy.

It’s impossible to write when your heart is pounding a-mile-a-minute, when you can’t breathe, when you feel as though you may be sick,  when you’re shaking, when you can’t get your present worry off your mind, when you have ANY symptom of an anxiety or panic attack.

NOTE: An anxiety attack has a trigger and a build-up, which could be as little as a handful of minutes or over the course of days, weeks, or months. A panic attack is sudden, with no warning, no trigger. They share many of the same symptoms, though, and you can have an anxiety attack and a panic attack at the same time. Last year, I had both, separately.

MY STORY:

Anxiety didn’t use to be something that I worried about. Before my anxiety, it was depression and burnout that I feared the most, both of which I discuss in my book Keep Writing with Fey.

Depression is a monster, but anxiety is a nasty beast all of it’s own. Sometimes anxiety and depression go hand-in-hand, two monsters teaming up for a double whammy. And both (either together or by themselves) can be a symptom of burnout. What’s more? Anxiety can cause depression as well as burnout. It’s that sly, that evil.

Now that anxiety is a major concern for me, I am able to look back and see that I’d been experiencing anxiety for much longer than I’d realized. 

The incident in 2016 (which coincidentally occurred in the blogosphere and which I detailed in my book) that brought on my worst case of depression started with a massive anxiety attack. What I had described in my book (but hadn’t realized) was an anxiety attack triggered by what had occurred. Since then, blogging and the blogosphere has remained one of my triggers. I love my blog, and I know many great bloggers, but that doesn’t change the negative impacts I’ve experienced.

It wasn’t until last year (2021), though, when I realized I had a problem. My anxiety had grown from Gremlin-sized to Abominable Snowman-sized. And there were triggers everywhere.

The Big Leap / Books for Writers

UPDATE: Last Tuesday (April 19) my mom was admitted into the hospital again and is still there. We’ve received some not-so-good news about her cancer, although her immediate medical diagnosis is improving. I’ve decided not to share anymore updates, good or bad, for…well, indefinitely…until all of her treatments are done and any good news we get is expected to last.

You can read The Big Leap for the reading challenge for writers I’m hosting called Read With Fey. You can join it on The StoryGraph here. But you don’t have to be on The StoryGraph to participate! Check out all the details here: Read With Fey: Challenge For Writers

THE BIG LEAP: CONQUER YOUR HIDDEN FEAR

AND TAKE LIFE TO THE NEXT LEVEL

Image by Chrys Fey

Buy @ Bookshop

In January I was struck in the solar plexus by what I’d be devoting my year to, which can also be described as my year’s goals/themes/words. 

Transformation

Growth

Manifestation

Shifts/Leaps

I purchased several books to help me with these goals and listened to podcasts and watched IGTVs (live videos on Instagram).

My favorite podcast and IGTVs are created by Amy Rushworth. In one of her IGTVs she recommended the book The Big Leap by Gay Hendricks, so it was one of the books I purchased for my transformational growth.

Throughout the book Gay Hendricks teaches us about his program called The Big Leap and living in our Zone of Genius. The terms he uses to describe his theories may not be for everyone (they even took me a little bit to get used to), but nuggets can be found throughout his book that can help us to grow in more than one way, such as:

- Figuring out if what we do is in our Zone of Incompetence, Competence, Excellence, or Genius.

- Spotting our Upper Limit Problems (traits and personal dramas and other things we do unconsciously that keep us from staying happy and enjoying our success).

- Discovering what our genius is (our unique ability)

There were other teachings throughout his book, but these were the most impactful for me.

FYI: In order to better understand these terms and what they mean, it’d be best to read the book.

While I was reading this book I was also taking a month-long break from social media and all things in order to rest and recuperate from…life. Twice throughout the month I had random thoughts about work/tasks/responsibilities that I did that I no longer wanted to do. I listened to those thoughts, found them curious, and pondered them. It was shortly after the second thought when I noticed a possible connection between those thoughts and what I’d been doing that month.

1.) I was resting and replenishing myself with reading, learning, meditation, self-love, and more. 

2.) I was reading a book about not staying stuck in doing things that you’re competent in or even excel in because then you’re not fully embracing your genius and all the ways you could be truly and fully happy and successful.

The two thoughts I had were alerting me to two things I shouldn’t be doing anymore because they were keeping me from leaping into my Zone of Genius, which is writing.

These concepts are all about knowing who you are and what makes you happy and doing things, as well as not doing certain things, that will support you in that happiness and success.

The problem is that most of us don’t know ourselves as much as we should and don’t know what makes us happy, and certainly don’t do what makes us happy for a whole host of reasons.

I’ll reveal my Upper Limit Problems to you.