Jeannie's Royal Academy

If you've been to my blog the past week or so, you would have noticed a Royal Invitation at the top of my header. I put this on the top to get your attention, lol! I also emailed every woman on my email list. Why? Because I care about you guys and I truly feel that all of you will benefit from this mini journey we'll be starting next week.

So what's the deal? We will be sharing the most amazing book, 'Queen of Your Own Life', by Kathy Kinney and Cindy Ratzlaff. You may remember Kathy Kinney from her iconic role of "Mimi" on the Drew Carey Show. Each Thursday, starting next week, we will go through each chapter of the book, gleaning every ounce of goodness, wisdom and fabulousness from it that we possibly can!! Finally, you will have the opportunity to knock off that stinkin' thinkin', walk away from that negative past, learn to set boundaries and realize that happiness is totally and 100% your choice! You'll UN-learn that young is beautiful and old is old!! What is old anyway??? I know women who are chronologically older than I am, but far happier and more "with it" than I ever was, at any age!!! But now we will be too!

So...you may be thinking:

* I don't have time. Seriously?? Sorry, not buying it. If you have time to watch tv, you have time to do this. We're not talking about a huge time commitment here, ladies!! If you don't have 10 minutes for yourself, by yourself everyday, then make the time. You NEED to! If Momma ain't happy, ain't nobody happy!!!! Lock yourself in the bathroom, hide in the basement, pull into a gas station parking lot - whatever it takes. You have the time. Tell me you don't want to. Tell me you won't. But don't tell me, or more importantly yourself, that you don't have time. What could be more important than you?? If not now, when...?????

* It's too late for me. If this is you, then don't tell me. Because I'll slap ya silly until you change your mind!!! Still drawing breath? Good, it's NOT too late!!! Got it?!?!? Not. Too. Late. If God isn't done with you, then why the hell are you giving up on yourself?? And look at it this way...if you really believed this, then what have you got to lose?? You're probably just moping around, feeling sorry for yourself and thinking that life has already passed you by (WHATEVER!!), so why not just give it a go and see what happens. And I triple dog dare ya besides!!!!

* I don't like book clubs. This isn't a book club, book club. This is truly an emotional journey and an opportunity to really grow in a positive way. I say opportunity, because like anything else worthwhile, you'll only get out of it what you put into it. If you don't do the work, then you aren't going to be any better off. But if you want to fling open that door to happiness and embark on a unchartered path, then this is the place to be!!

* I'm not a joiner. Fair enough. I'm an outgoing, 'people person'. I'm a type A personality, a natural leader and teacher. Not everyone else is, and that's a good thing!!! I'm doing this first and foremost for myself. I need it. I want it. I'm doing it. I'm encouraging you to join me because I KNOW you'll have a blast, share some laughs and really get your head screwed on straight, once and for all. Besides, you don't stand a chance of your crown staying put for long if you don't! This is a personal journey. For you. Don't do it for anyone else! Not even for me!!!!!

* I don't want to put myself "out there" on the world wide web. Again, fair enough. You don't have to comment, you don't have to share, you don't have to do anything you don't want to do. I encourage you to share, because I believe we will all gain more by our shared experiences. We as women have far more in common than you might think, and I believe we feel much more comfortable knowing we're not the only ones who struggle with certain issues. That woman you see that has her stuff all together? I betcha she doesn't!! There's strength in numbers! You aren't crazy and you aren't the "only one". And you can take that to the bank!!!

* I don't want to commit to something and then not follow through with it. This is one I can really respect because so often I've said no to things I've really wanted to do because I didn't want to let the group down. Hear me, ok?? THIS IS FOR YOU!! Not me, not a group, for yourself! If you miss a week, get sick, forget - whatever - just pick up where you left off and carry on. Don't worry about us, just don't quit on yourself!!

* I can't afford to buy the book. Times are tough people, no doubt about it. Thank God we all pretty much have a local library, and several of you have already told me you got yours there! Women are very creative and resourceful when there's something they want. How badly do you want it? Could you maybe cross off some unneeded junk food items off the grocery list and buy the book? Sell something on ebay? You'll find a way!! Nothing and no one stands in the way of a determined woman!!! Ever see a shoe sale in a big store?? YIKES!!!!

* This doesn't sound like "me". Maybe it isn't! But maybe, just maybe, it should be! Do you want to be happier and more joyful, regardless of your current situation? Do you want to learn to say "yes" without feeling resentful, or "no" without feeling guilty? Do you want to learn to really and truly love yourself, no matter what the number on the scale says, the tag in your jeans says, or what your Mother-in-law says? Do you want to learn to be super-di-duper proud of all the things you've accomplished as a woman so far, and look forward to even better things in the future? Do you want to feel like you have control over your life, or are you content with everyone else steamrolling over you til you're all emotionally flat, smooshed, and completely unfabulous? Still not sounding like "you"???? *wink* Thought so.

So...what do I have to do?
Again, you don't have to do anything. I'm not going to pester you, call you, email you, blog-stalk you or anything else if you sign up, and then later disappear. Really. This is completely on you. Because it takes both hands and one leg just to keep myself on track, lol! However, I am encouraging you to get the book (by hook or by crook!!), read it and then follow along with us on my blog on Thursdays for your weekly Queen Lessons. The book is a super quick read if you read it all at once. If you only read a chapter at a time, we're talking 10-15 minutes if you're the slowest reader on the planet and/or your family interrupts you constantly. I will post a summary of the chapter, with things to think about and focus on, things to implement in your life and the quotes from the book. Will it help more if you read the chapter first? Yes. But you are becoming the Queen of YOUR life, so do what works best for you.

For those of you who do stick with it, completing the journey is the ultimate reward. However, if you do complete the entire journey, you will receive two things from me and you want 'em. And that's all I'm going to say about it, lol!!

So are you in????