Resources

The following is a list of books and programs that I feel may be useful to the readers of “Full Life Reflections.”  All of the resources listed on this page have been personally vetted by me.  I have read the books and taken the courses that I recommend here and give them all my stamp of approval.

If you other resources you’d like to recommend, please contact me. Once I have a chance to check out your suggestions, I will add them to the list if I feel that they’re a good fit for this community.  I will also periodically add new resources to this page as I become aware of them.

* Disclosure: Some of the above links are affiliate links.  Full Life Reflections will receive a small commission if you purchase any of these items.  Thank you for your support! 

Personal Development Books:

• Better Than Before: What I Learned About Making and Breaking Habits – Gretchen Rubin
• The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up – Marie Kondo
• You Can Heal Your Life – Louise L. Hay
• Happiness is a Serious Problem:  A Human Nature Repair Manual – Dennis Prager
• Perfectly Yourself:  9 Lessons for Enduring Happiness – Matthew Kelly
• The 5 Secrets You Must Discover Before You Die – John Izzo
• The Four Agreements:  A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom – Don Miguel Ruiz
• The Power of Less:  The Fine Art of Limiting Yourself to the Essential – Leo Babauta
• You Can Buy Happiness (and It’s Cheap):  How One Woman Radically Simplified Her Life and How You Can Too – Tammy Strobel
• Life Strategies:  Doing What Works, Doing What Matters – Phillip C. McGraw

Books on Shopping Psychology & Ethics:

• To Buy or Not to Buy:  Why We Overshop and How to Stop – April Lane Benson
• The Paradox of Choice:  Why More is Less – Barry Schwartz
• Getting Out from Going Under: Daily Reader for Compulsive Debtors and Spenders – Susan B.
• Overdressed:  The Shockingly High Cost of Cheap Fashion – Elizabeth Cline
• You Are What You Wear:  What Your Clothes Reveal About You – Jennifer Baumgartner
• Lost and Found: Unexpected Revelations About Food and Money – Geneen Roth
• Spent – Avis Cardella
• The Shopping Diet – Phillip Bloch

Gray Hair Transition Books

• Going Gray:  How to Embrace Your Authentic Self with Grace and Style – Anne Kreamer
• Going Gray Beauty Guide: 50 Gray8 Going Gray Stories – Jan Rogers
• Gray Hair Adventure: Things I Learned About Life When I Stopped Dyeing My Hair – Susan Paget

Style-Related Books:

• The Curated Closet:  A Simple System for Discovering Your Personal Style and Building Your Dream Wardrobe – Anuschka Rees
• The Lucky Shopping Manual:  Building and Improving Your Wardrobe Piece by Piece – Kim France & Andrea Linett
• Already Pretty:  Learning to Love Your Body by Learning to Dress it Well – Sally McGraw
• InStyle the New Secrets of Style:  Your Complete Guide to Dressing Your Best Every Day
• Closet Smarts – Emily Neill
• I Don’t Have A Thing to Wear:  The Psychology of Your Closet – Judie Taggart & Jackie Walker
• Dress Your Best:  The Complete Guide to Finding the Style That’s Right for Your Body – Clinton Kelly & Stacy London
• The Truth About Style – Stacy London
• I Have Nothing to Wear!:  A Painless 12-Step Program to Declutter Your Life So You Never Have to Say This Again! – Jill Martin & Dana Ravich
• Style Clinic:  How to Look Fabulous All the Time, at Any Age, for Any Occasion  – Paula Reed
• The Pocket Stylist:  Behind-the-Scenes Expertise from a Fashion Pro on Creating Your Own Look – Kendall Farr
• Style Evolution:  How to Create Ageless Personal Style in Your 40s and Beyond – Kendall Farr
• Style Rx:  Dressing the Body You Have to Create the Body You Want – Bridgette Raes
• Harper’s Bazaar Great Style:  Best Ways to Update Your Look
• InStyle Instant Style:  Your Season-By-Season Guide for Work and Weekend
• Sam Saboura’s Real Style:  Style Secrets for Real Women with Real Bodies – Sam Saboura
• How to Be a Budget Fashionista:  The Ultimate Guide for Looking Fabulous for Less – Kathryn Finney
• Glamour’s Big Book of Do’s and Don’ts:  Fashion Help for Every Woman
• US Secrets of Celebrity Style:  A Crash Course in Dressing Like the Stars

Online Courses / Programs:

A Simple Year – A Simple Year is a year-long course that was designed to help you simplify your life gently and with purpose. There is a new focus – and a new instructor – each month, with topics including clutter, food, relationships, and busyness. Each month’s curriculum includes written articles, audio/video recordings, and a live webinar where you can connect with the topic’s “simplicity advocate” to ask questions. An optional private Facebook group is also offered for interaction with like-minded people on the journey toward a simpler and more meaningful life.

Living with Ease:  The Mindful Way to Dissolve Stress – Do you feel frayed, frazzled, or fried far too often?  This program from Sandra Pawula of “Always Well Within” is a complete road map to dispel stress and prevent it from overpowering you again.  The self-study format allows you to start anytime and move at your own stress-free pace, without the pressure of daily e-mails or group participation.  You will receive 30 carefully crafted lessons (more than 100 pages) in one, easy to open PDF file.  You’ll be able to download the course instantly after payment.

Dress With Less Microcourse – If you’re interested in doing the Project 333 minimalist fashion challenge, this course includes all you need to get started!  The course is a week long and includes 9 PDF worksheets, as well as playlists to inspire you while you’re sorting through your closet.  You’ll also be given access to a private Facebook group, where you’ll find lots of people ready to answer your questions and cheer you on.  I took this course prior to starting Project 333 and found it very informative, helpful, and supportive.  I highly recommend it!

Shop Your Wardrobe – Former shopaholic Jill Chivers has created two online programs for compulsive shoppers. Her “6 Week Mini-Course” (delivered via two email lessons per week) gets you started on improving your relationship to shopping. Her premium program, “My Year Without Clothes Shopping,” is a comprehensive full-year course with monthly themes that touch upon all of the key issues related to compulsive shopping.  I took both courses myself and wholeheartedly recommend them!

Shop Less and Live More – This is the newest offering from conscious consumption advocate and creator of “My Year Without Clothes Shopping,” Jill Chivers. “Shop Less and Live More” is a fabulous website and two inspiring and affordable e-products designed to help you live your life, not spend it. Based on the idea that a happy and fulfilling life is not to be found at the mall, Jill shares 365 ideas to help you create a life you love – instead of continuing to acquire more and more things you don’t need.

21 Steps to a More Stylish You – Are you in a style rut?  Do you feel you could look a lot better than you do? Or do you feel that your style doesn’t really reflect who you are?  If you need help determining what style best suits your body type, lifestyle, or personality, this unique style course from 40+ Style is for you! Each of the 21 steps addresses one key aspect of personal style.   By the end of the course, you will know how to move forward, dress better, and take your style to the next level!