Posts Tagged ‘celebrities’

Recently the New York Times asked “How do you decide to get rid of a book.” The answers from six authors and one book store owner are worth reading if you too are the ‘ I would rather read than have sex, what bestsellers are on sale this week, I want to die in my favorite book store’  kind of person.

Which books we get rid of goes to the root of what type of readers we are. I read fiction and biographies to relax and for the escapism into a different life and someone else’s reality. If I don’t like it I pass it on or take it to the second hand book store. I am not snobbish about my library; hardback, trade paperback or written in the margins from a garage sale if I enjoyed reading it….it stays.

As a business coach business books get rotated quickly as they have to be current. There are of course the classics that all entrepreneurs should read such as: How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie, Guerrilla Marketing by Jay Conrad Levinson, The E-Myth by Michael Gerber or the timeless Napoleon Hill’s Think and Grow Rich

The majority of life self-help books are overly clichéd and devoid of any genuine long term life solutions, unless it is exceptionally thorough I don’t buy much of the self-improvement genre. This criterion makes it easy to maintain a manageable selection.

While I have a minimalist attitude when to clutter in general, obviously this doesn’t seen to apply when it comes to books.There are piles in the living room and dining room, my office shelves are full and what does the top of my beautiful antique bedside table look like any way? I’ll just put a basket underneath to catch the spill off and stop it from groaning.

I can definitely relate to Joshua Ferris sentiments in his last line of the NY Times piece “………..I leave and come back, and the books I find there tell me I’m home.”

I must also confess that while I will not read about what famous people are wearing, eating or where they vacation; I am curious about what books they are reading. So Lesley Jane Seymour , Al Gore,  Rahm Emanuel, Jeff Bezos, Steve Jobs, Michaëlle Jean, Angela Merkel what are you taking to bed?

The true test of an actors life is where in the newspaper they are featured after their death. Most get an article with their career highlights on the entertainment pages but a rare few get their life reviewed in the news section. Paul Newman’s passing and his accomplishments are in just that prominent place.

He is portrayed as a man who kept his private life private. He appeared in some memorable movies and some not so memorable. However, it is probably his philanthropic legacy that propels him to the front pages. Newmans Own is an outstanding foundation and as the person behind over $250 million in donations Paul Newman’s legacy is remarkable . As is fifty years of marriage. In these days of self-absorbed, snivelling actors it is good to remember that for one man acting was only part of who he was.

A few days later another outstanding person lost their life but the events couldn’t be more different. Her name was Malalai Kakar, actually  she was Lieutenant-Colonel Malalai Kakar. And she did not pass quietly into the night surrounded by family, she was murdered.

As a senior police officer Malalai Kakar was the head of the city of Kandahar’s department for spousal abuse and crimes against women. This woman who represented & defended women’s rights in Afghanistan was struck down by a single bullet to the head.

The best way that I can honour her is by not linking you to the news stories about her death instead here is the link to Maire Claire’s article on her life.

In a recent interview when asked ‘If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go? Helen Mirren replied ” I’d find a little green corner of England with a river running through it and a tree to sit under, and I’d just sit there for the afternoon with a book and a pillow”.

While the idyllic scene did of course resonate to my very core, what really struck home was her desire for some quiet reading time. Perhaps she like myself thought that as we got older we would have more time to read instead we seem to have less. One of my favorites pastimes is now regulated to 10 maybe 15 minutes in bed at the end of the day, that is if I don’t fall asleep in the middle of Chapter 9!

Helen, if you are out there my question is ” What book would choose to spent the afternoon with?” For me corny as it sounds I would spend the afternoon with a classic – Jane Eyre, Emma or Vanity Fair.

How is your reading time measuring up? What book would you choose to spent an uninterrupted afternoon with?

First, let me say I admire what you have accomplished, I really do. Recently though it seems that you want to save the world. You take us to task on our soul’s, our cluttered homes, our colons and even our comfortable grey sweats (I’m maybe ok there, I wear yoga pants in my off duty hours) and now a reality show?

I also wondered if you had noticed that you often talk over your guests and don’t let them finish their sentences? You really don’t need to Oprahize everything, your show used to be a platform for new thoughts and forms of expression. I expect to read in the newspaper one morning that you have started your own small country.

And I am going to say it if no one else will, the continuous ‘money cannot buy happiness’ from a perfectly groomed billionaire (and I am loving the hair this year) with the expensive outfit is wearing just a little thin. At forty/fifty something we get it; we are now wise enough to know that money can provide opportunity if managed wisely. Perhaps if we too were able to wake up in a beautiful (uncluttered) bedroom without the ‘living in the real world’ worry of stretching our resources as far as possible, we would be able to sagely nod our perfectly styled heads while analyzing the potential spiritual pitfalls of wealth.

I realize that I don’t have to watch your show but I keep hoping that you will return to what you do best. By the way, did you read in the business section that Starbucks, has realized that they have gotten too far from their roots and now have gone back to perfecting the art of preparing a good cup of espresso?

Here are a couple more points of view on Lady O.

“Dear Oprah Winfrey, Please Cut Me Some Slack ” from The Best Kept Secret Blog

“Guess I’m a Shlumpadinka………..so what” from the MidLife Maze Blog

Least Favorite from ’07

1. Media obsession with silly, spoilt girls called Paris, Brittany, Lindsey. There are so many women out there who are actually making a difference in the world it is a shame there was no room left to write about them.

2. “eat, pray, love” - Am I the only woman who finds Elizabeth Gilbert somewhat whiny and self-absorbed? I’ve been divorced and traveled alone without all that sobbing and need to please.

3. Screw caps on good wine – I miss the sense of ritual when there is no cork to pull out of a bottle of wine. It speaks to the need for a quiet moment in a busy day. Such as the time we take to make a pot of tea or to grind coffee beans for a really good cup of coffee.

Favorites

1. Web 2.0 – I like the new networking opportunities that websites such as Facebook provide. If used properly & carefully they are a good way to connect with new people and re-connect with former acquaintances.

2. An old friend returns – There is another side to the tech loving me and that is the part of me that needs Austen, Bronte, Thackeray, Masterpiece Theater and all things from a different time in history . So I was pleased when I found Victoria Magazine back on the newsstands this November. Visit their website: Victoriamag.com

3. “eat, pray, love” – I do like her sense of humor and she is honest about herself.

4. Al Gore: He put the issues surrounding global warming out there in such a way that it can no longer be ignored on any level from governments to the person in the street.

5. Hillary Clinton - My coaching advice (I think all political campaigns could use a common sense life coach on staff). You didn’t win the Iowa Caucus but don’t counter with a negative campaign instead challenge the platforms of your opponents, put them in the position where they must be more specific about their campaign promises. You have done well positioning yourself within your roles now do the same by presenting a clear picture of your professional background and experiences.

6. Shopping:

Amazon – Their used books are well priced and good quality

Victoria’s Secret - Cotton panties 5@$25-. Wish that they hadn’t decided to make the waist band narrower however.

Starbucks – Starting to collect their mugs, they should sell them in sets for a reasonable(!) price

Candles – I love the growing availability of healthy candles made of soy or beeswax.

7. More Magazine – It continues to present articles, fashion, travel, everything with the 40+ woman in mind.

I want to thank Michael Vick because people now know that dogfighting is not an isolated event, it is not in some back woods; it is a prevalent and money making ‘sport’. Mr. Vick has given it a face and a name and that has put it on the front pages. One such article is Newsweek’s “Inside the Grisly World of Dogfighting”

There is power in a famous name that stretches further than the talent with which it is associated. It doesn’t matter whether the publicity is through a Bono, Clooney, Gore or Sting what matters is that it takes Africa, global warming or the rain forests from a small piece on page eight to magazine covers, tv screens and more importantly they gets us talking and paying attention.

Whether we are famous, infamous or mere mortals we are citizens of the world; our degree of responsibility should not be limited to where the child cries from hunger, where a women is oppressed or where the animal suffers. Rather we have a duty to be informed and to do something in any way that we can.

As for Vick if he is found guilty he will probably lose everything & hopefully he gets the maximum penalty. If he feels any sorrow I suspect that it will be motivated by regret that he got caught. To be involved in something so heinous would indicate that he doesn’t have the humanity to feel remorse for what he did to the dogs & the other creatures that are used to bait and train with.

Vick has abused his name, however he brought publicity to something very ugly and maybe, just maybe something good will come out of that.

I couldn’t help it, my mind just went there; I had to ask myself “what would I say to Paris Hilton if she were my client?”

1. When you leave jail, travel in the real world. There is more out there than the filtered version that you have seen through first class hotels and your reality TV show.

2. Mentors: Meet with women whom you admire, seek their advice, ask questions

3. Sort through the people in your life, get rid of the sycophants.

4. Make decisions about what you want to do with your life and set goals but don’t parade them like another publicity stunt. Instead start to work on them quietly and with sincerity.

5. You live in a different world and parties are part of that lifestyle, but look at attending functions where people talk and interact. Meet with people who can help you with your new endeavors.

6. Create a team of competent people to help you. Treat them with respect they are not there to get your lattes or walk the dog.

7. Learn how to use the press, the way that that Princess Diana use to. She knew how to have them show up so that the attention was on minefields or the victims of aids.

8. Trust your instincts, your mind and what I suspect is a kind heart. You can enjoy a life of privilege and give back to the world.

They are everywhere, crawling on the floor, in vehicles looking like deer on cocaine in the headlights, ducking out of clubs & into over-priced rehabs or sprinting away from accidents. Yes, they are the misunderstood, life is so difficult, no I don’t have a substance abuse problem sector of the human race that we call celebrities.

What they need is a reality check. A reminder of what life for the rest of people on the planet is really like. A reminder that their money doesn’t buy happiness but it does buy opportunity. Go to college, start a business, be philanthropic; get over yourselves and rejoin the real world.