An inspiring creative journal based on mindfulness practices and the "no mistakes" principles of improv, by a Gilmore Girls alum. What if there were no mistakes? OK, that's impossible--but what if you learned to view your mistakes in a whole new light? In this inspiring workbook, artist and former Gilmore Girls actress Keiko Agena guides you through simple exercises based on one of the founding ideas of improv: Any misstep is an opportunity for growth and creativity. Interspersed with coloring pages and original artwork by Agena, each exercise teaches you to confront your emotions, rethink your art, and take mindful breaks to recharge in her own playful, encourgaging voice: Describe a success you had, and identify the skills you learned to get you there. Look at an old piece of art that you're not proud of. What works, and how could you rework what doesn't? What actions can you take today to feed or rest your artistic impulse? No Mistakes is a supportive space for amateurs, professional creatives, and everyone in between to test their boundaries, get to know their inner artist, and produce unique, meaningful work they feel proud of.

Have you ever wondered if there was any truth to the adage, “Everything happens for a reason”? Wonder no more. This is the book that demonstrates the truth in that old piece of conventional wisdom. Madisyn Taylor, Sunny Dawn Johnston, Heather Ash and twenty other motivational and inspirational authors and speakers explore how synchronicities, blessings, and miracles can be found even in the most seemingly daunting circumstances. Written from the perspective that every experience that you have is designed to be an opportunity for growth, No Mistakes contains over twenty-five uplifting chapters, each contributed by a different author. Each story demonstrates in concretely how what appear to be dire circumstances are ultimately opportunity for blessings. Drawing on situations ranging from financial hardship, divorce, and even death of a loved one, these accounts leave no doubt that even in the darkest moments of our lives, a divine hand is at work. For anyone traveling a rough road or experiencing difficulties, this will provide the fortitude to move ahead. There is indeed a silver lining behind every dark cloud.

In The Year of No Mistakes, Aptowicz goes cross country and tackles themes like love, lust, heartache and ambition in poems set in cities across the United States. While the backbone of the book is the slow break-up of her decade-long relationship, the heart remains Aptowicz falling in love with Americana. Sharply observant and unflinchingly truthful, her poems may be funny or heartbreaking, spare or lush, bright or dark, but they are always honest and engaging working class poems. Written during the fellowship year of her National Endowment for the Arts grant, poems from this collection have already been published in over four dozen literary journals and have been performed in venues across the country.

(Amadeus). In this groundbreaking book, prize-winning pianist and noted educator William Westney helps readers discover their own path to the natural, transcendent fulfillment of making music. Drawing on experience, psychological insight, and wisdom ancient and modern, Westney shows how to trust yourself and set your own musicality free. He offers healthy alternatives for lifelong learning and suggests significant change in the way music is taught. For example, playing a wrong note can be constructive, useful, even enlightening. The creator of the acclaimed Un-Master Class workshop also explores the special potential of group work, outlining the basics of his revelatory workshop that has transformed the music experience for participants the world over. Practicing, in Westney's view, is a lively, honest, adventurous, and spiritually rewarding enterprise, and it can (and should) meet with daily success, which empowers us to grow even more. Teachers, professionals, and students of any instrument will benefit from this unique guide, which brings artistic vitality, freedom, and confidence within everyone's reach.

There are no mistakes -- there are only choices. That is the simple premise of There Are No Mistakes, which Eleanor Wiley has learned in twenty-five years of sobriety as a mediator, an artist, and a teacher. This astoundingly candid and simple book is illustrated with personal stories from the author and people she has encountered on her path, along with specific and simple exercises to do at the end of each chapter. Wiley acknowledges that you won't be perfect and you may not be happy all of the time, and you may not be rich or amazingly enlightened, but you will be okay. And, the thing about okay is that it's really a great thing--it's about moving through the world with a sense of grace and ease. Eleanor Wiley is a former speech pathologist and gerontologist who began her prayer bead practice at age fifty-eight. She teaches workshops on making prayer beads as a spiritual practice all over the world; her pieces have been worn by Ram Dass and His Holiness the Dalai Lama. She is the author of A String and a Prayer. Her own spiritual practice includes beading, sitting meditation with both Christian and Buddhist communities, and practicing yoga and the Twelve Steps. Wiley's prayer beads are available through her website.

New York Times bestselling author Mary Monroe sweeps readers back to the streets, porches, and parlors of civil rights-era Ohio to bring to life the first steps of an enduring friendship between two girls from opposite sides of the track. . . Annette Goode is a shy, awkward, overweight child with a terrible secret. Frightened and ashamed, Annette withdraws into a world of books and food. But the summer Annette turns thirteen, something incredible happens: Rhoda Nelson chooses her as a friend. Dazzling, generous Rhoda, who is everything Annette is not--gorgeous, slim, and worldly--welcomes Annette into the heart of her eccentric family, which includes her handsome and dignified father;her lovely, fragile "Muh'Dear;" her brooding, dangerous brother Jock;and her colorful white relatives--half-crazy Uncle Johnny, sultry Aunt Lola, and scary, surly Granny Goose. With Rhoda's help, Annette survives adolescence and blossoms as a woman. But when her beautiful best friend makes a stunning confession about a horrific childhood crime, Annette's world will never be the same. "A coming-of-age journey depicted with wit, poignancy and bite." --Publishers Weekly

With C. Martin Hinckley's new book Make No Mistake! An Outcome Based Approach to Mistake-Proofing, that vision can become a reality. If you work for a company that emphasizes traditional quality control methods, it's unlikely that you've seen defects eliminated despite your substantial efforts. Make No Mistake! clarifies the reasons why such traditional methods fail and shows how world-class quality can be achieved at a minimal cost through mistake-proofing — the practice of controlling virtually every source of potential errors. As the author states, "The great value of mistake-proofing is that, independent of the cause, psychological factor, production stage, or potential consequences, it blocks or warns about an undesired outcome at a point in the process when the consequences can be minimized." Truly the first of its kind, Make No Mistake! is a compendium of the best methods for reducing complexity, variation, confusion and the other root causes of defects — but the centerpiece of this powerful mistake-proofing tool is an outcome-based classification system that focuses on preventing rather than detecting defects. Even more importantly, Hinckley's mistake-proofing documentation forms will help you adapt this methodology to your own defect prevention efforts. Make No Mistake! is an amazing compilation of mistake-proofing tools that is encyclopedic in scope. Because mistake-proofing is a skill that improves through familiarity with previous solutions, Hinckley's new classification systems is the key to rapidly finding outstanding solutions to current problems on the shop floor. Make No Mistake! is one book that will be invaluable in your company's quest for quality. Make No Mistake! includes: Over 200 mistake-proofing examples from varied industries Easy-to-use mistake-proofing documentation forms you can use on the job Introduction to principles of mistake-proofing and design for assembly A quick, step-by-step methodology for developing superior mistake-proofing concepts Listing of select suppliers of mistake-proofing devices