My Non Leather Life

10 Books That Changed My Life

January 25th, 2013 | about me

Hello Hello,

If you are an amazon-rat like I am, meaning you spend tons of time on amazon looking at books and reviews for products, then you may have seen those “lists” on the side sometimes. They are cool, and I’ve always wanted to make one.

I decided to make one about the 10 Books that Changed My Life.

These are the books that had like, huge, noticeable impact. Like…the next day I, for example,

started a raw vegan diet

overcame depression

started a business

changed my mind about hating men and got a great relash out of it

stopped thinking my weight was the cause of everything bad in my life

stopped hating being single and turned it into an journey of self exploration that led to me finding two new passions in life.

Stuff like that. I have read thousands literally of self help type books. When I walk past the section, I have to read at least one, right then and there in the store. So for me these were the cream of the crop, the ones that worked like advil—you take it–wait an hour–bam, the pain is gone.

These cleared the fog from my clouded muddled thinking, energized me enough to make a huge change right then and there, started huge passions that branched into more and more good things.

So check it out if you so desire!

10 Books That Changed My Life

Here is a short list of the books along with their miracle cures:

1. Feeling Good by David Burns

(cured me of depression)

2. Intimate Connections by David Burns

(Blew my mind, and started me on a journey to change my life from rags to riches)

3. Mama Gena’s School of Womanly Arts by Regena Thomashauer

(Finally explained what the hell it means to “love yourself” and started me writing down and noticing for once… what I wanted)

4. Mama Gena’s Owner’s and Operator’s Guide to Men by Regena Thomashauer

(explained how to change your attitude about men in order to have a awesome relationship, and it worked like a charm.)

5. If You Want to Write: A Book about Art, Independence and Spirit by Brenda Ueland

(Inspired me to make art, convincing me of what I already knew deep down, which is that good art is art which comes from deep in the heart)

6. Free the Animals: The Story of the Animal Liberation Front by Ingrid Newkirk

(Opened my eyes up to the reality of what happens to animals in this world)

7. Raw Family: A True Story of Awakening by Victoria Boutenko

(Inspired me to start eating raw the next day. inspired me to want to be healthy)

8. Living Alone and Loving It: A Guide to Relishing the Solo Life by Barbara Feldon

(Stopped me from self destructing as a single person and inspired me to take action and find my passions through trial and error)

9. The 4 Hour Workweek by Timothy Ferris

(inspired me to start a business the next day)

10. Fat!So?: Because You Don’t Have to Apologize for your Size by Marilyn Wann

(convinced me to be proud of myself. ended my lifelong obsession with hating my weight)

11. Taking Charge of Your Fertility by Toni Wechsler

(After I read this book, so many things that happened in my body finally made sense. it is a crime this info is not taught to girls in school).

10 Books That Changed My Life on amazon!

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What Raw Foods Taught Me

January 22nd, 2013 | about me, animal photos, vegan issues, veganism

Good Evening,

I was thinking about veganism today. I have been doing a great job with being vegan. In fact, not being a vegan no longer even enters my mind.

It all has to do with raw foods I think.

I wanted to be a vegan for animal rights reasons, and I still cannot believe what goes on every day in the world of factory farming and farming in general not to mention labs, but for some reason it became so much easier to be a vegan once I started reading about how fruits and vegetables are the healthiest things for you.

Somehow this never sank in before when my mom told me that vegetables were good for me or whatever. I now WANT to be as healthy as possible–there are so many immediate benefits. Anyway, it’s just really cool to me how my priorities have shifted…I now feel like there are so many vegetables, so little time. I no longer feel like I have nothing to eat as a vegan.

It is a great perspective to have as a vegan I think. Luckily for us, not participating in a cruel system is also coincidentally extremely good for your bodily health.

ripe papaya on a tree. it wants to be eaten!

I have been getting into the raw foods world, reading people’s transformational stories on their raw food blogs and what not. It is really a pretty cool world. I’ve gotten into sprouting sprouts because of it, and now I’m interested again in one of my first passions in life that has lain dormant for many years, gardening and growing plants from seeds.

If you want to start sprouting, get This sprouter! It is the best. And check out sproutpeople.org and Ann Wigmore, the sprouting guru.

I thought this article “Natural Health for the Not-So-Healthy” had a lot of good raw food resources in it. But start with Victoria Boutenko. If you’re interested, she will get you fired up. I feel like so many raw food transformations I’ve read about begin with reading her book Raw Family.