Book Review: The Momnificent! Life

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Esmé's Mommy here.

I am the world's worst procrastinator. When it comes to getting important things done, I'd rather stick my head under the pillow like this...
...and hope that they'll get done by themselves. Or become no longer important.

It's not that I don't have a little time to do those things. Or even that I don't want to. I just have the ability to waste the time I do have on inconsequential things, like entering book giveaway contests. There is just this rush feeling I get when I find a "You Won" email in my inbox that keeps me going! At least it's an inexpensive addiction, right?

Or not. Time is pretty valuable these days. They say the first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem.

Needless to say, I don't perceive my life to be very balanced. I scored quite horrifically on the Life Balance Analysis found in The Momnificent! Life: Healthy and Balanced Living for Busy Moms by Lori Radun.

It's time to get my head out from under the pillow...
...and strive for healthy and balanced living.

The Author

"Lori Radun is a certified life coach, accredited energy leadership coach, inspirational speaker and author of many personal and family development products. Aside from being a happy life coach and passionate entrepreneur, she is a proud mommy of two wonderful boys, and the wife of a very loving and supportive husband. She lives with her family in Aurora, Illinois."

Overview

This book is all about balance. What is balance? "Balance occurs when who you are, what you want to do in life, and what you value are aligned with your thoughts, activities and choices."

Radun looks at eight components of your life - personal development, spirituality, fun and enjoyment, relationships, health & aging, personal finance, career & profession, and home & family - and, after helping you assess each component, gives you tips and strategies for achieving balance within those components. Each of the 59 chapters has a Take Action Assignment, as well, to motivate you to make the changes needed to achieve balance.

My Review

I started this book trying to read straight through it - thinking that's what I'd need to do to write a review.

Bad idea. Not only did my mind keep straying from the formidable task at hand, all the ideas jumbled up in an insurmountable and left me with nothing to focus on - no single-sentence message that could help me achieve anything.

So I quit reading. Took a long break. Went back to the first chapter. The assessment. Yes - I need help in just about every category of my life! But I'm not gonna achieve balance all in one go - it's an ongoing process! And I need to start small.

If I treat this book as a reference manual, it works far better.

The chapter on time management was a good one for me. In her 5 E's list, Radun helps you identify and prioritize non-negotiable items, things you have to do, and finally the "Uglee" items - time wasters that you need to be conscious of and strategize to minimize their damage.

And of course, the procrastination chapter! I appreciate that the author acknowledges that there ARE benefits to procrastination - that's why so many of us do it! And I appreciate her challenge to make changes to break the cycle.

The chapter on routines and daily habits hit me in the gut. I love writing out my schedules, as I've told you before. And once I get started, it pains me to just write down the basics, like cook lunch, wash the dishes, and do a load of laundry. There are 100 other things I'd like to add to the list - that NEED to be added. But often I don't get the basics done! I am still trying to work through this one in my mind.

The references to spirituality left me feeling a little uncomfortable. I am a Christian. The author believes in God. Yet the attempt has been made, it seems, to make this a book that meets all readers whatever their spiritual beliefs. And I would be more comfortable with a book that is overtly Christian in its solutions to finding balance, since Christ is the balancing point to me.

If you're looking for a starting point in your search for balanced living, by all means check this book out.

Don't expect it to work miracles.

However, it can be a handy reference guide, first to direct you to the areas you need to work on in your life to achieve balance, and then to give some tips in that area.

Once you know what you want to work on, you may want to supplement your reading with additional information on that area. For example, I've seen entire books on teaching children independence and responsibility that will obviously give a lot more information than you will find in one short chapter of this book.

And it might be helpful to read through this book as a group or with a partner - to provide some accountability for the action items.

You can find out more about the book at www.momnificent.com.

And while you're there, sign up for the Momnificent! newsletter and get a list of 155 things moms can do to raise great children, as well as 52 positive affirmations for moms. Or check out The Momnificent Blog for more great ideas.
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Review book was provided through Review the Book.
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