Creating a Charmed Life: Sensible, Spiritual Secrets Every Busy Woman Should Know

Full disclosure: I’m a male. Even worse, an incurably heterosexual male who has never been confused about his gender or sexual identity. So what am I doing here? Am I a voyeur peeking through a keyhole at a book intended for a female readership?As a reader, I have not trespassed my boundaries. Rather, the author has unnecessarily restricted hers. The segment of society that buys books is small, and that can indulge in leisure time to actually read the dang things is even smaller. Yet, right in its subtitle, “Every Busy Woman,” the book turns away all males. With some minor changes in syntax it could provide guidance to the whole other half of humanity, indeed the half that needs such guidance the most. For example, “A lot of women are juggling a job, a husband, and kids.” As though men, too, don’t juggle a job, a marriage, and family.Of the seventy-five short chapters of “Sensible, Spiritual Secrets,” I reckon barely five apply specifically to females. These include “Honor Your Cycles,” which does not mean bicycles or motorcycles, and “Redefine Lady.” While a few of the remaining seventy “secrets” verge on the ephemeral and the decadent, most can apply to everyone, everywhere, at any time. And seventy is plenty. If I had to conjure such advice, I’d be lucky to dream up just ten such secrets. Lucky for the rest of the world, I’ll keep my secrets secret. Lucky for us, Victoria spilled hers, and in a way that secrets should be shared. Hers is a conversational style of writing that makes you feel like she is speaking directly you. And only to you. Even when she speaks to live audiences of several hundreds of people (note: not just females), I have heard her do the same.Am not a fan of the category of books called “self-help.” The very concept baffles me, like trying to save yourself from drowning by pulling your head up by your hair. When a friend recommended that I browse just a chapter or two of Richard Carlson’s international bestseller Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff, I was skeptical, but I became enamored. That book spawned a wave of new-age self-help books with the same small square format. I might have ignored Creating a Charmed Life as just another copycat book except that Richard Carlson wrote the Foreword and that I already had read and very much appreciated Moran’s preceding books.After writing several more books of the women’s self-help genre, this prolific author has returned to her roots and again has been writing books about the vegan diet and lifestyle. And if one person, indeed one woman, might be ordained the Vegan Maven, Victoria Moran is she. This book was first published twenty years ago. Maybe in between her other books, she will return to the theme of this one and write a revision and expansion to address males too.

The book contains 75 short (2-3 pages) essays of practical and spiritual advice for today's busy women who want to transform their ordinary life into more extraordinary experiences. I particularly liked the chapters about recognizing some of the small, serendipidous miracles that have already happened in your life, acknowledging them, and thus inviting more. I also liked some of the practical things you can do to enhance your environment and make your life sparkle, like buying something unique or homemade, even if it costs a little more, or serving dinner on nice china with candles simply because you and your family are worth it. You can invite more adventure into your life, even by learning more about your own neighborhood. There are also essays about respecting life's cyclical nature and viewing your life in chapters, with both highs and lows. I don't think any woman could read this and not come away wanting to make a few simple changes to bring more "razzle dazzle" into her life.

I started reading a borrowed copy of this. Now I can't wait to have one I own and keep it close at hand. Each 2-3 page essay presents an idea for finding the balance and joy that most of us seek in our lives. There are 75 of these concepts in the book and it covers many of the irritations of modern life.For example, one discusses coexisting gracefully with the unresolved. One titled "Stand on Ceremony" talks about elevating activities to a ceremonial level to enrich your daily routine.Another seems mundane, "Make the Bed," but she writes about the standard that sets for your day and the reader sees how a small action makes a difference in life. The examples she gives are very applicable to ordinary working people.What a great book! I'm anxious to sample her other titles also.

One of my favorite books when I need a little inspiration to stay on a happy path.

I spotted this book when I was going through a particularly difficult period in my life. (I read the book and truly felt inspired to make changes and to become more accepting of myself and others. I refer to the book all the time-it's like my own little pocket guide to life. Yes, I bleieve in God and have faith but I'll admit, I waiver. I grew up in a house where my mother did not have the skills or confidence in herself to be able to enjoy her own life or teach her daughters to enjoy theirs. If I am lucky enough to have children I will make sure I teach them these principles. Thank you, Victoria Moran for helping me wake up and enjoy life.

Simple, encouraging filled with words to inspire, this book cheered me on and helped me prepare for the day. I hope you enjoy it.

Written in 1999, I bought it in the early 2000s, and it still holds up. I just recommended it today, and sometimes give it as a gift. It's great, practical advice and not overly spiritual or religious if that sort of thing might put you off. Best of all, each chapter is about two or three pages, so you can pick it up, read what you need, and put it back down. If you have a guest bedroom, it'd be a great book to leave on the nightstand.

I have read passages from this book just about every morning for about 6 years, a friend "borrowed" it and I really missed reading so I ordered a new copy. This one has some changes over the original, a bit more up to date referring to electronics and the like t hat was not in my old copy. The advice is great for women of all ages. I surly consider myself charmed!

Read, re-read and dip into this time and again forever! When you get bogged down in minutiae and the nonsense of life, this will bring your focus back onto the positive. It will help you to live in the moment and remind you to focus on the charm and beauty that is there for us if we can take a step back and see it. Imagine your 80th birthday party; looking back over your life, you might wonder why you didn't ease off the throttle and live a little more like this...

I read 'fat, broke and lonely no more' and loved it so much that I bought 2 more of her books - both continue with the same themes but expands and elaborates on them which is exactly what I wanted. I love her style of writing and her underlying message is insightful honest and reassuring. Each of her books are worth reading over and over again - the more you read them the more you gain from them

so far so good