C. J. Golden - Tao-Girls Rule!. Finding Balance, Staying Strong, Being Bold, in a World of Challenges

The author's intent in writing this book is to offer information of a general nature in your quest for wellbeing. It is published for general reference, and the advice in this book is not a substitute for professional advice. The publisher and author disclaim any personal liability for anything that results from the information and advice presented in this book. The reader should consult appropriate professionals for information and advice on any specific situation. The author and publisher also disclaim any personal liability for the actions of anyone who reads or relies on what is contained in this book.

thepath@taogirl.com

Copyright 2010 by CJ Golden

Cover design Copyright 2009 by Cathleen Elliott

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To Alix and Emily,
my Tao-Girls in training

Simply put, a Tao-Girl is someone who understands the ancient Chinese philosophy ofTao (pronounced "dow") and follows it in her daily life. Easy. If you know what Tao is, ofcourse. A Tao-Girl is also someone who knows how to be dynamic and take charge of her life ina positive way when faced with a tough challenge. That's also a cinch when you know what Imean by dynamic.

We're all faced with challenges just about every day of our lives. Some are easier to dealwith than others: having to choose between your two favorite outfits for a summer picnic issimpler than having to choose one friend to bring to the picnic because you're only allowed oneguest. Sometimes we don't have a chance to choose because the situation is decided for us. Thatwould be like your mom demanding you wear the new jeans to the picnic instead of yourcomfortable old shorts. And then having her tell you she already invited your cousin--who youdon't enjoy being with--as your one allowed guest. This is when you have to find a balancebetween being very angry at your mom, and recognizing that you won't win this battle so youmight as well make the best of the situation.

This is what TAO-GIRLS RULE! is all about: discovering how to live your life withconfidence and boldness when faced with challenges. You'll find definitions, examples and funquotes about Tao and dynamic to help you discover the balance you might not realize you havebeen missing. And by the end of this book you, too, will be a Tao and dynamic Tao-Girl!

Let me begin by telling you a bit about me:

A rather long time ago I was your age, going through the same angst, trials and difficultchallenges that you are going through right now.

Well, not quite the same.

Back when I was a teen, we had no computers, :O, no cell phones or digital cameras.Our television shows were limited to those we could find on one of only three channels andtelevision was certainly not viewed in HD; we had no DVRs, DVDs or PDAs :( . We had tocommunicate through the written word, with pen and paper, or using a typewriter, the telephoneor actually talking face-to-face. (-_-)(-_-)

Imagine life without Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, texting or email!

The challenges were the same, though: school, parents, boyfriends and your friendspushing you to do things that you don't necessarily want to do. Keeping up my self-confidencewas often tough back then, as it is today. Every time I thought I had life under control somethingwould sneak up behind me and smack me down. I remember once throwing myself a birthdayparty. I had everything set for a fabulous event, invitations had been sent, and great food and myfavorite birthday cake were ready to share with all of my guests. No one came. Wow. Did thatever suck the life out of me. I was convinced that I was unworthy, unloved and would never beable to show my face in school again.

Back then I was most definitely NOT a Tao-Girl, although now I wish I had been.

Somehow I did force myself to go back to school. And the world didn't fall apart. Wow.I was amazed. It turned out that the invitations had not been delivered--I don't remember exactlywhy not--everybody still liked me and were sorry they didn't know about the party!

That was more than fifty years ago and I have since discovered that I am worthy offriendships. I am loved and can, indeed, go places, and people are pleased to see me.

I've met so many of you around the country, all with these types of concerns andchallenges.

Perhaps you're in the middle of a conflict right now: a family illness; your parentssplitting up; a friend who suddenly seems to be angry with you; teachers who work you too hard;others pushing you to do something you don't believe in. When you're in the middle of this angstyou cannot see that there is a way out.

I'm here to tell you that there IS a way out--a way to deal with those tough times byloving yourself and growing in self-confidence and self-esteem; by finding a way through yourproblems with the aid of good friends and role models.

And that way out is by being Tao and dynamic.

This little book has been written by me, for you, with the help of hundreds of girls yourage: all facing the same tough situations you might be dealing with now, or perhaps will have toface sometime in the future.

Those hundreds of girls have all discovered, as I have, that there is a way to handle themore difficult times, remain in control of your life, feel good about yourself and move on withresilience and satisfaction.

Resilience: being able to bounce back from a setback is the best way to get through life.There will be setbacks, so understanding how to be resilient is very important.

Satisfaction: being happy with the decisions you have made and the direction of yourlife is a lot better than being unhappy.

So this book is all about getting through the challenges and changes in life with aminimum of grief :'( and a maximum of joy :D. And to do that while feeling very fine and goodabout yourself. Actually, if you don't really like yourself it will be hard for someone else to likeyou. The choices you make in life should be based on the fact that you are the best you can be.We'll get to that later and I'll explain how to make sure you are being the best you can be.

Are you ready to find out just how to live your life in a happy, strong and self-confidentway? Are you ready to be a Tao-Girl?

Keep reading and find out just what that is, and how you can be a Tao-Girl, too!

Tao (which you will remember is pronounced "dow") is an ancient Chinese philosophy.It isn't a religion and that is a very important fact to remember. That means whatever religionyou follow you can also understand and follow the teaching of the Tao.

Around 2,500 years ago in China, a wise man named Lao-tzu wrote a book called theTao Te Ching as a way of sharing his wisdom with the rulers of the cities within China.The hope was that, by following his words, those rulers would make life easier for all of thepeople of the country. There is really no definite way to prove that Lao-tzu was actually theauthor of this book because it happened so long ago, but many believe that is the case.Regardless of who wrote it, the wisdom of Tao has lived for centuries.