My Top 5 Reading List
You may see some repeats here from previous posts, in this UBC post #14, discussing my personal Top 5 Reading List recommendations.
Here, in no particular order other than alphabetical by title, are books I have read once, or multiple times, and highly recommend. (I could easily say ANY book by Joyce Meyer, but I picked out two of my favorite devotional books!)
#1 - Etsy Store SEO Guide by Kay Baxter — Want to improve your Etsy views and potential sales? 
Check out Kay’s advice in this ebook to learn more about SEO techniques for your product descriptions and listings.
#2 – Jumpstart Your Day: 101 Daily Motivations for Freelancers by Mary Ylisela — Inspiration, motivation, and practical advice for freelancers, entrepreneurs, small business owners, and “work-at-homers.”
#3 – Starting Your Day Right by Joyce Meyer — Thoughtful daily devotions that fulfill the title and start your day right! One of my favorite devotional books, which also has numerous positive affirmations.
#4 – The Confident Woman Devotional by Joyce Meyer — Designed for women, from the heart of Joyce Meyer, to help women rediscover their value, and gain or regain, confidence in their lives.
#5 – Turn Your Life Around by Dr. Tim Clinton — A powerful message that helps anyone suffering from a painful past; you learn how to acknowledge and deal with issues that have been painful, and then break free to move on with your life in a more positive way.
Inspiration from Joyce Meyer
At “lucky” UBC post #13 is the topic of who inspires me most. When my Dad was alive, he certainly did, with his faith in God and his example of how to live one’s life fully committed to God and family.
For many years now, though, I have drawn inspiration and motivation from Joyce Meyer, whom I’ve mentioned numerous times before. To repeat briefly from my most recent post, Joyce is a Bible teacher and motivational speaker with an international ministry, as well as a published author and NY Times Bestseller with over 70 books. In spite of her success and popularity, she remains amazingly practical, down-to-earth, and often very funny.
Consider this book title from my most recent purchase among her numerous books:
Note the subtitle: Giving Yourself Permission to Lighten Up!
As Joyce says, sometimes we get so serious about the Christian life, we forget to relax and ENJOY it!
Not only do I receive inspiration through Joyce’s teachings to live my life victoriously as a Christian, but I also admire her as a published author multiple times over. As a writer and aspiring author myself, I feel motivated and inspired by her success. Whether or not I ever hit 70+ books or not, God only knows – but I’ll start with one and see how it goes!
Top 3 Most Popular Posts
My own personal “Blogathon” continues! I ran out of steam last night at 11 posts, so I’m picking back up today at UBC post #12 about the Top 3 Most Popular Posts here on this blog since the beginning of 2012, based on views and comments. They all occurred during the first two weeks of January, during a time period when I had over 200 page views.
#1 – Exercise Your Creativity: This post acquired 11 comments, the most of any post on this blog. Apparently it attracted a lot of attention because I have a lot of creative blog readers! It was fun to learn about what different people do for their creative endeavors.
#2- Welcome 2012 – Time to Establish Goals: It’s interesting to me that this goal-setting post, which gathered 7 comments, plus the next two (tied at 6 comments for third most popular) focus on a similar theme of goals, reflections on making changes, and confidence to make some of those changes and reach those goals!
#3/4 – Each New Year Brings – CHANGE & 10 Confidence-Building Quotes from Joyce Meyer: As I mentioned, these posts each gathered 6 comments. I think it’s because it was the beginning of a new year and people were anxious to discuss the idea of making changes, while also recognizing it often requires confidence to make changes in order to grow, and reach goals.
I realize the number of blog views and comments on my blog are “minor league” compared to some who receive hundreds/thousands of views monthly and dozens of comments on a regular basis – but hey, we all have to start somewhere and I know it takes time and commitment to build a blog AND a following!
Dear K’Lee…
So the suggestion for UBC post#11 was to write a post like it was an advice column… so here you go, folks, this is your chance!!!
[Source: morgueFile Free Photo]
This is a “Dear K’Lee” post – I welcome your questions and as long as they are reasonable, I’ll do my best to answer them. I can get this started with a couple questions people frequently ask me…
Q: “Dear K’Lee, is it too late for me to go back to school at 39 [27][42][any age over 22]?”
A: “Definitely not!! I’m a major proponent of lifelong learning. I earned my M.Ed. degree at the age of 50. Now, at 54, I’m still working toward my Ed.D. degree. Online learning, especially, makes it even more convenient for adult learners to return to school, whether for individual courses or entire degree programs.”
*******
Q: “Dear K’Lee, is online dating safe? Can you really meet a decent man [woman]?”
A: “On the first part of the question, it depends. You do have to be careful about how much information you choose to share. You should also exercise caution if/when you decide to meet someone in person. Let someone else know where you’re going and always meet in a public place.
On the second part of the question – yes, of course, but then I’m biased, since my hubby and I met online! We first began chatting at the end of 2002, got together in person in 2003, and got married in 2006. Note that I did meet some less than desirable, indecent men before I met my hubby – so again, see my answer to the first part of the question! But yes, it is possible to meet decent people through online dating – and if you’re especially blessed, that man or woman may end up being your “soul mate.”
*******
Next?
One of Many Favorite Quotes
The suggestion for UBC post #10 was to discuss a favorite quote. I have so many, it is next to impossible to choose only ONE. I can say that the person I most often quote is Joyce Meyer, a Bible teacher and motivational speaker with an international ministry, and published author (NY Times Bestseller) with over 70 books. I own some of her teaching series and books, as well as several of her devotional books, including this one:
So here is ONE of my many favorite quotes by Joyce Meyer:
“Seldom do your circumstances change without something first changing in you.”
This speaks to me in light of how often we tend to want to change OTHER people, or we pray that God will change our circumstances – when in fact, change often has to start in us FIRST before we will start seeing changes in people and situations. I think it also goes back to that old adage, “Let go and let God.”
If we are willing to take our hands off a situation, and stop telling God how we want a person or situation to change – and instead ask Him to change US – it has been my experience that circumstances do in fact begin to change in our favor. Note that the changes may not always be what we expected – but they are what God knows to be in our best interest.
This brings to mind another favorite “Joycism” –
“I may not be where I need to be, but I thank God I am not where I used to be.”
Contently in BETA!
