New books offer guidance for the creative life — from facing your fears to planning your play

Artistic challenges come in many forms, but in Mastering Creative Anxiety, bestselling author Eric Maisel says the common thread behind them all is creative anxiety. And Jennifer Lee’s The Right-Brain Business Plan helps creative types beat the odds by providing a fun, accessible, and out-of-the-box approach to business planning.

In life, attitude is everything. The circumstances that have shaped our lives are as unique as our personalities — no two are the same — yet our ability to grow as individuals, to evolve into more compassionate, loving, and conscious people, depends not on what has happened to us but on our attitude toward these situations. When faced with hardship, do we lie down or step up? Do we resist, or embrace the situation for growth?

Ultimately there are two attitudes we can take in life: the attitude of a victim or of a creator.

March is Women’s History Month, and March 8 was the 100-year anniversary of International Women’s Day, a global celebration of the economic, political, and social achievements of women past, present, and future. In some places, such as China, Russia, Vietnam, and Bulgaria, International Women’s Day is a national holiday.

I have seen tremendous change in the past fifty years, and the opportunities for my daughters and granddaughters are quite different from what faced me when I graduated from college. Today, a resurgence of the sacred feminine is sweeping the planet, and I wanted to know who the Goddess really is.
 

As anyone who has owned a dog or a horse can tell you, getting to know animals often means learning more about ourselves. This insight is at the heart of the two recent New World Library releases profiled below. Lynn Reardon's affection for horses led her across state lines into a fulfilling career, and Kevin Behan's lifelong journey as a dog trainer has revealed a startling new theory of canine behavior. We hope these books will inspire you on your own path, whatever it may be!