12 Tiny Things: Simple Ways to Live a More Intentional Life

Wellness coach Barr (Woodland Manitou) and Roscher (Play Like a Girl), host of the Unlikely Conversations podcast, offer a host of doable ideas for building purposeful and healthy habits. The authors start with general guidelines and the goal of removing any pressure by reminding readers to be gentle with themselves and to own personal discomfort. They propose strategies for becoming more grounded through clearing clutter, abandoning self-centeredness, and building community, and provide “tiny thing tips” for 12 aspects of life—space, work, spirituality, food, nature, among others—including creating personal space by saying “no” more often, finding satisfaction at work by taking time each morning to engage in one’s physical world, relishing food by preparing meals with mindfulness of where the ingredients came from and eating slowly, and pursuing learning through “committing to the first step.” For Barr and Roscher, the key is to reframe a mindset of not having enough into seeing the opportunity for abundance. Each chapter also comes with a reflection, body practice, and “other voices” sections containing brief anecdotes attesting to the changes the authors suggest. Readers searching for simple ways of living more intentionally should take a look. (Jan.)