As you know, the main project I've been busy with in last month has been publishing my latest handbook, "Power Over Procrastination".

I want to remind you that today is the last day to get your copy at a reduced price - so take advantage of the discount and get your copy now for only $15 by entering the word DARE in the box "Discount Code" in the shopping cart. Thank you! :-)

I am glad that my handbook is done, and that it is helping people already - I have been receiving feedback from readers that this or that tip helped them to get things done easily and to reduce their anxiety immediately - and that is very satisfying! :-)

I have also been keeping on taking pictures of the sky - I'm lately moved to look at the sky (expanding horizons?) and I seem to catch beautiful sceneries, which feel very uplifting to me. See the picture in this issue, in which the reflection of the camera lens makes it look as if some sort of Goddess was watching over ;-)

I've also been feeling called to a continuous letting go of thoughts and emotions and to live more and more from presence. This is quite a fun game, where the reward is that I get to experience life from a unique and always-fresh stance.

However, the most fun for me lies in noticing my own ego-based thoughts and to be able to smile at them and let them go with ease. Read the article of the month for a technique to let go of tension and to live your life with more and more presence.

On another note, now that "Power Over Procrastination" is out, I'm re-taking the project of updating my handbook to deal with problems at work, "From Conflict To Calm". As promised, if you bought this handbook I will email you the updated version at no cost for you. Keep an eye on your inbox in the next coming weeks!

Wishing you a peaceful month, where you let go of stress more and allow more abundance in.

I've recently discovered a 'tool' that I quite like and that has made my life better in many aspects in the past couple of weeks. I found it so helpful that I want to share it with you. I've called it "Trade Tension For Understanding".

As you may have gathered through my writings, I believe that there is one consciousness of which each of us is a manifestation - call it God, One, Universe, or whatever you prefer. As I feel it, this consciousness plays many roles in our small, every day lives - and one of the roles is to act as 'guide' when we're lost in the turmoil of the physical world.

As it goes, there was a day about a couple of weeks ago in which I felt very angry. A small misunderstanding with my husband had grown into an argument, in which I took personal some things he said. Rather than asking for clarification, I immediately took offence and left the room, the impulsive and fiery part of my character having taken over.

Now, I don't like staying angry. I feel that there are so many interesting and beautiful things to do and to experience that staying angry is a waste of time. However, I cannot just ignore my feelings either - I have found that the way I change them is by changing my thoughts or by reaching for a better feeling little by little.

In this particular occasion I didn't seem to find any thoughts that would make me feel better; no matter from which angle I looked at my husband's words or at the interaction between us, I just felt very angry.

At some point I thought "I just want to return to my calm and feel better". A few moments later, some of my husband's words resonated in my ears again, only that this time I 'received' some understanding about them that I didn't have before. This understanding made me see beyond the face value at which I had taken his words, and made me feel better.

And so the idea came through that I could trade tension for understanding - that the one consciousness that we're all part of would be happy to take any tension away and bring me understanding instead.

In the following days, whenever I ran into a tense situation or held thoughts that produced tension in me, I expressed my intention of trading tension for understanding - and in every single occasion the tension dissipated and new understanding came through.

I've incorporated this tool to my invisible box of 'tools for life'. I wish that it is useful to you too. To put it into practice, you simply have to express your intention of trading the tension you feel at a particular moment for understanding. Then, simply be open to any new thoughts, ideas or intuitions that may come to you.

Give up tension, allow new understanding in - and experience joy ;-)

Every month I receive emails from readers - some of them contain questions or comments, and some of them are contributions, such as a positive story, an article or a tip.

This month Dorothy, from Canada, shared this sweet piece of gratitude:

Thanks, Dorothy! :-)

This month I want to let you know about a great book I finished reading last week: "7 People Saved My Life" - How to make it back from rock bottom" by Paul Browning.

My main reason to recommend this book to you is because I know that it will be of help to you, whatever is going on in your life.

See, Paul went through a number of difficult experiences and lived through a range of feelings which are common to all of us. He describes his feelings with pristine clarity, and explains how he made it back from the hole he was in thanks to the help of seven different people.

Paul shares from his heart the lessons he learned. His writing is engaging, and his experiences are so well told that you cannot help identifying with some of the feelings he experienced.

You will take something away from this book that you can apply to your immediate experience of life. Check it out - it's "7 People Saved My Life".

I believe that being grateful for something is one of the most powerful tools to feel better immediately. Here are the two thanking bits of the month:

Thankful for... my pen. I've always liked writing - the feeling of the pen scratching away on a piece of paper - and I'm quite picky about the pens I use. My favourite one for the past few months is a Pilot V-ball 0.5 in black. It feels just so good to write with this pen! :-)

Thankful for... November mist. We've been having a really mild Autumn here in London, and it's only now that the early morning mist is starting to show up. I love this mist, a mix of very light rain and fog, which makes for 'that London feeling' - as if you were going to see Sherlock Holmes turning a corner in the next moment :-)

What are you thankful for? Share your gratitude on this page and read what others are thankful for!

Care to send me your thoughts about this issue's topics? Email me and let me know!

If you enjoyed this newsletter, please pass it along to your friends, family and colleagues, or send them to the Dare To Play It Big sign up page. I thank you in advance.

Stay well,

Cristina

P.S. Feeling stressed and worried because of problems at work? Then check my handbook "From Conflict To Calm" - based on my own experience with conflict with my boss, my handbook gives you the keys to move from a powerless situation to one of peace. Find out more about how "From Conflict To Calm" can help you!