MSI Press Blog

  Today's shared blog post comes from Dr. Frederic Craigie's weekly reflection: " How to Know a Person ."  Fred is author of Weekly Soul: Fifty-two Meditations on Meaningful, Joyful, and Peaceful Living . Book awards Book of the Year Award (gold) American Book Fest Book Award Finalist, Spiritual: Inspiration Reader Views Literary Awards, Silver Medal, Mind, Body, Soul Reader Views Literary Award, Silver Medal, Religion Kops-Fetherling International Book Awards Honorable Mention, Inspiration and Motivation Pinnacle Book Achievement Award, Inspirational National Indie Excellence Award, Well-Being For more posts by and about Fred and his book, click HERE . For more posts on the topic of knowing a person, check out socionics books by Filatova and Quinelle.

  The following post, appearing last year on Nanette Hucknall's blog, is timeless. The topic is joy -- as an antidote to a world filled with fear. Nanette writes: Joy is often portrayed as a grandiose and euphoric emotion, but a touch of joy can be uncovered in many simple, small encounters of our daily lives. Being enchanted by a piece of music, glimpsing a shifting sunset or catching the sound of children laughing as you pass them playing on the sidewalk –  to name a few. It is felt in any relationship where love, or even a gentle, respectful kinship is present. Joy abounds in nature – the hearty resilience of a stretching flower, a chilly breeze on your warm face or the scent of a nearby body of water and all its brisk beauty.  Read the rest of the post HERE . Nanette co-authored The Rose and the Sword . She also wrote How to Live from Your Heart . Book of the Year Award 2016 finalist Kops-Fetherling Legacy Award in Self-Help Pinnacle Book Achievement Award Book Excellence Award

  \ LIFE’S JOY “What can separate us from the love of Christ?” --Paul of Tarsus   “I’ve never been happy. I don’t believe I’ll ever escape my misery,” my elderly patient lamented. She had suffered from anxiety her whole life. She was its prisoner. “I’m always worrying about something. If it’s not one thing, it’s another. Anything can cause me to panic,” she explained.  I asked her, “Who would you be if you didn’t worry?” She responded honestly, “I don’t know. I wouldn’t know myself. That would be even scarier!” My patient had constructed an identity around her illness. She could not imagine living without it and the misery it caused her.  Another patient of mine was terrified of leaving the house. She insisted she wanted to feel free to go out and socialize, but still stayed home to feel safe. I asked her, “You say you want to go out, but still stay home. Which is true, what you say you want or what you do?” Both, in fact, may have been true. She felt hopelessly conflicted, not knowin

  Excerpt from  How to Get Happy and Stay That Way: Practice Techniques for Putting Joy into Your Life ebook: Anazon Kindle paperback:  MSI Press webstore  (code FF25 gives 25% discount) Don't Let Guilt Block Your Happiness It’s odd to think that guilt can get in the way of happiness, but I know it can because it’s happened to me. There have been times I’ve been so happy that tears come to my eyes—and then I realize something else has gotten into my head, too. That something else is guilt—guilt because I’m happy and other people aren’t. There is no way to get around this reality: not everyone is happy. In fact, there are those who say we should never declare ourselves happy while there are people in the world who are suffering. Some individuals—writers, philosophers—proclaim that to be happy in the world as we know it is a sign of insanity. I don’t agree with either of these concepts. To me, we are most apt to go out of our way to help those less fortunate than ourselves when we ar

  (Fred Craigie and his wife/Catching Health podcast/website) " Living a Meaningful, Joyful and Peaceful Life " is the name of an interview by Dr. Fred Craigie, conducted by Diane Atwood on her podcast, Catching Health . Dr. Craigie is the author of Weekly Soul . For more posts about Dr. Craigie and his book, click HERE .

  I  have read other "self-help" books, but none have been quite like this one. With the author's goal of providing a way of help and healing, he...[has] achieved his goal. His writing is smooth, and the fact that each chapter isn't too lengthy provides more inclusivity to readers who have shorter attention spans. After each chapter, the reader will leave with new knowledge, if not about themselves, then the world and people around them, allowing change to happen in their lives. What is great about this book is that previous knowledge is not required, but the reader can simply pick up the book, start anywhere, and take something valuable away from their time spent reading. I have read other "self-help" books, but none have been quite like this one. With the reflection questions, the reader will need to expect to answer them in their head, as there are no lines to write on; this can be positive or negative for specific readers.  Read the rest of the review HE

  Weekly Soul by Frederic Craigie, Ph.D.  is a collection of 52 meditations on meaningful, joyful and peaceful living. The meditations begin with thought-provoking quotations from a range of people--writers, journalists, theologians, musicians and artists, activists--and touch on themes of Miracles, Aliveness, Purpose, Laughter and Joy, Presence/Mindfulness, Activism, Acceptance, Gratitude, Forgiveness, Creativity, Civility, and Hope. Each meditation also others Dr. Craigie's stories and commentary, questions for individual and group reflection, suggestions for daily follow-up, and biographical background on the quotation authors. In  Weekly Soul , readers will find a year's worth of affirmation and engaging exploration of wholeness and well-being. Endorsement: There is nothing usual or ordinary about Fred Craigie's rich, compelling invitation to explore who we are and what matters to us. It's insanely readable, this beautifully organized mashup of poetry, philosophy, p

  Expressing Gratitude Chapter 7 Learning to Express Gratitude After we have identified our passionate pursuit or mission, and have begun engaging in it—hopefully every day—the next step in the happiness package is to express gratitude. By that I don’t mean just saying, “I am grateful,” once, and letting it go at that. No, for true happiness we must learn to express gratitude every single day, as often as possible. I would suggest gratitude employment every time we engage in our passionate pursuit. Let it become second nature. How do we do it? Simply say aloud, or to yourself, “I am so grateful to be enjoying this wonderful activity,” or, “Thank you God, for allowing me to enjoy (skiing, or planting fruit trees, or playing the piano, or ballroom dancing, or racing automobiles, or designing software programs).” If you choose, of course, you may leave off the word “God” and give thanks to serendipity, or good fortune, or luck. The point is that you are acknowledging your happiness.