Hello {!firstname}:

As a recovering Good Girl, I hit a couple of speed bumps recently that, I have to admit, derailed me more than I like to admit. As you know, we ratcheted up our Living with the Brakes Off mailings last week about the Encore Career TeleSummit for WOMEN 50+, and while most of you were really patient and understanding, some of our readers were very vocal in their unhappiness and unsubscribed in a snit. I went into a funk for a couple of days.

So first, let me say thank you to all of you who hung in and understood my enthusiasm and excitement about this nearly five-year dream (and six months of hard work) coming together in this one amazing weekend. I'm really proud of what we created and feel honored that I got to play in the same sandbox as our truly remarkable experts.

Why, then, the funk when less than 1/10 of 1 percent of you unsubscribed, while we doubled our mailing list AND hundreds of you took advantage of the TeleSummit which makes me incredibly happy? Could it have been because I was extra tired and ate too much sugar? Maybe. More likely, it's because -- much to my surprise -- deep inside of me still lives "Little Linnie" who so wants to please everyone. Can you believe it?

Luckily I was only stuck for a short while. I'm now over the funk, basking in the glow of last weekend, and back on track working to get the Encore Career Inner Circle (another longtime dream of mine) ready for May.

To your endless possibilities (and no more Ms. Good Girls)!

Lin Schreiber, Retirement Revolutionary

If you missed part or all of the Encore Career TeleSummit for Women 50+, or you would just like to have a copy to listen to again and again, you can still own it for just $97.

If you were there and you haven't given us your feedback yet, I'd appreciate if you'd take a few minutes to respond to our brief survey (just four short questions) and tell us what you liked and what we can improve next year.

The next big news at Revolutionize is the Encore Career Inner Circle, our exciting new community where Prime Time Women 50+ are gathering for mentoring, coaching and guidance as they explore, discover, define & go for a fulfilling encore career -- AND encore life.

If you want to gain clarity, get focused, be supported, and build confidence as you move into work and a life you can happily -- and authentically -- embrace in the next stage, I invite you to check out the community at EncoreCareerInnerCircle.com.

The Six Must-Reads for Your Encore Career Bookshelf
by Lin Schreiber, Retirement Coach

People often say that books are like old friends. I'm thinking that sometimes they can be better than old friends, because a good book can offer wise advice, brilliant inspiration, and great ideas without any hidden agenda. Books give us the opportunity to explore a notion in its embryonic form and go deeper if desired.

So, if you're contemplating an encore career and you're in need of reliable guidance, there are six books you simply must read. The first three are foundational:

Your Money or Your Life: 9 Steps to Transforming Your Relationship with Money and Achieving Financial Independence: Revised and Updated for the 21st Century by Vicki Robin & Joe Dominguez with Monique Tilford. How do you know when you have enough money to live the life you most want to be living? The recent update to this first-published in 1992 best-selling classic will help you discover how much is "enough", uncover how you most want to spend your "life energy", learn that you can live well on less, and realize that financial independence is easier to achieve than you think.

Don't Retire, Rewire: 5 Steps to Fulfilling Work That Fuels Your Passion, Suits Your Personality, or Fills Your Pocket by Jeri Sedlar & Rick Miners. Do you know what drives you (or why you really work beyond the money)? This talented husband and wife team found in their extensive research that there are actually 85 different "drivers" for why people work. Knowing yours is a powerful first step in finding meaningful work. A nice balance of down-to-earth, practical advice and real-life stories plus great exercises to help you rewire your thinking and find work that is best suited to your passions and interests.

The Power of Purpose: Find Meaning, Live Longer, Better by Richard J. Leider. How do you live on purpose? What is your purpose? How do you discover it? This recently revised and expanded edition of the best-selling book that was first written nearly 25 years ago explains why having a clearly defined purpose is critical to your success (and longevity) in this next stage of life, Here's the good news: you already have your purpose within you. The detailed, practical methods for finding your calling will help you access it. The real-life stories will inspire you.

The last three books will give you insight into three possible paths to your encore career:

What Color is Your Parachute? 2010: A Practical Manual for Job-Hunters and Career-Changers by Richard Nelson Bolles. This nearly 40-year-old best-selling bible for job hunters has been updated annually for years, and just keeps getting better and better. If you know your encore career lies within the existing job market, this book is essential. Starting with identifying your strengths and preferences and moving through a step-by-step how-to of job searching in the 21st century, you'll even learn how to find a good job when "there aren't any jobs"!

The E-Myth: Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and What to Do About It by Michael E. Gerber. If you are even remotely thinking of starting your own business, don't take another step until you read this book. It's a brilliant primer for how to design your business as a system so you can make your business work without working so hard yourself. E-Myth offers an expanded view of why you want to be in business and a fresh approach to how to get there successfully.

Social Entrepreneurship: What Everyone Needs to Know by David Bornstein and Susan Davis. This book is hot off the presses and the first to give an excellent overview of what being a social entrepreneur is all about. You'll learn what the difference is between a social entrepreneurship and a regular business venture and traditional non-profits. If you think you want to innovate unique social solutions to unique social problems for your encore career, this is the place to start.

Make sure you read the updated versions of the classics named here. These six books will give you a strong foundation and excellent possible paths for your "retirement" career -- your encore career.

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you keep it intact and include this blurb with it:  Encore Career Coach Lin Schreiber, author of the popular ABC's of Revolutionizing Retirement, helps self-reliant women reinvent themselves in the next stage of life, formerly known as "retirement," by designing a new encore life that includes a fulfilling encore career. To claim your free Encore Career Starter Kit, visit her site at http://www.EncoreCareerStarterKit.com.

My friend Claire (who knows my dream of taking my favorite women on a white water rafting trip down the Colorado) sent me this hilarious YouTube -- another hoot from Jeanne Robertson called "Don't Go Rafting Without a Baptist in the Boat."
 

Coming up, two more great shows on The WOW Zone!:

From CNN Anchor to Good News Guru with Daryn Kagan on Tuesday, May 4

Women & Philanthropy in the 21st Century with Abbie von Schlegell on Tuesday, May 11

Both shows air at 11:00 AM Eastern.

I must be in need of a double dose of humor this week. I just couldn't resist this…

"Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read."

~ Groucho Marx
 

Lin Schreiber, PCC, loves helping self-reliant 50- to 60-something women reinvent themselves in meaningful encore careers in the next stage of life, formerly known as "retirement".

She is a sought after speaker and through her business, Revolutionize Retirement(TM), she delivers comprehensive coaching programs to individuals over the phone, and to groups at her live events at Kripalu Yoga & Health Center. Combining her contagious enthusiasm, non-stop energy, and passion for her subject, Lin creates a fun, dynamic learning environment that energizes and inspires her audiences and her clients.

Founder of www.RevolutionizeRetirement.com, Lin is featured on the PBS series Boomers: Redefining Life After Fifty(TM), is author of The ABC's of Retiring Retirement, and hosts the weekly, one-hour live internet talk radio show, The WOW Zone! on Voice America. www.TheWowZoneRadioShow.com.

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