Reviews
so much to learn and take note of, I highlighted so many parts and left with so many action points! I'll re-read this at the end of the year and take an audit of what the changes I'm experiencing xx
I've just finished reading "Awareness" by De Mello and I gave that book one star. This is a rather similar book: also many fancy quotes but not too practical. The big difference between the two (and also the main reason why this one is okay) is that this book is concrete and focuses on one topic: the way you think shapes your reality. While the other book promotes a similar idea, it does so in an obscure and cheesy way: "you need to wake up". This book, in contrast, hammers the same idea over an over: if you'd like to change something, you should start with how you *thinketh*.
Short and sweet. No new concepts for me but it seemed to fall into my lap when I needed it most. Probably best to read it over and over to remind myself where I'm holding myself back.
I have now read this book/essay 3 or 4 times. It is, to me, an incredibly important read and I would recommend it to everyone. Many people may not get anything out of it, particularly if you go into it expecting not to. But if you apply what is written in the book you will experience the outcome it expects.
Got this recommendation from John last night. Good quick read that should be read by everyone. Took about 30 minutes...
2021 reread (listen): Keeping in mind when this was published I am being generous and giving this a rating reflecting it does articulate what it sets out to do. That being said it kind of embodies the critiques men often embody (ha, it’s a good quip, you’ll see why soon) in their philosophical and intellectual rigour. Men almost always completely discount principles of the body and tend to characterize their mind as being detached from their body. Or reflect only upon nourishment of the body in service to the mind. A through line for women of thought, generally, is grounded in principles of embodiment. Lived experience being reflected in the body and the marriage of the sum total of experience with the memories flowing from the perception of the body. For instance, a woman who gives birth has a body that changes, reflecting that experience. It’s an unacknowledged privilege of men that they never usually have to think about their bodies in any real sense because they generally hold rights, power, wealth, and peace of mind. Their anxieties being focused on legacy. The more marginalized a person is, the more grounded their thoughts tend to be on issues of embodiment. They don’t have the luxury to do otherwise. For me, this is such a disconnect with life that most thoughts on the character of men and a various anxieties come off as bloviating and sometimes laughable. To say nothing of, as I noted in my 2019 reading of this, the realities of mental health as we know it today. So, yes. This was _fine_, for what it is. 2019: Interesting, but seriously antiquated in terms of mental health realities.
Man is made or unmade by himself The theme of this book is similar to my recent read book, The Secret. I enjoy reading the later chapters here 5. Visions and Ideals 6. Serenity; which sound like peace in my heart. Dreaming is not always bad (as I how always thought it would/should be) I love to dream and think of rather impossible thought/idea. I learn that to hold on to that dream is to realize it in my life (sooner or later, depends on how I think and act upon it) The vision that you glorify in your mind, the Ideal that you enthrone in your heart - this you will build your life by, this you will become. This might seem to be a common old book, but to dive deep inside and through its language, inspires me a lot. It is a short one (80 pages), so I guess no regret in giving it a shot.
A great reminder that to live our best life we must think with the highest thoughts. I recommend this book as a starting point for any person seeking to improve his or her life.
