Jordana

Essential Life Lessons

Revisado: 02-01-16

Elizabeth Gilbert's perspective on creativity launches far past any other 'live a creative life' book I have ever heard; it delivers life-lessons that allowed me daily breakthrough moments. At times Gilbert's soft-spoken voice and kind words made me feel as though I was sitting next to a good friend, guiding me through a tough time with her arm around my shoulder.

Vulnerability, the magic of how ideas happen, and the pressure of money on creativity are just some of the topics she covers that had me jotting down quotes so often, I ended up buying a physical copy as well.

If you enjoy the work of Brene Brown or Steven Pressfield, you will love Big Magic.

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The Beauty of Life

Revisado: 02-01-16

There are pros and cons to having the author be an actor, reading her own stories.

On one hand, I was touched by how Barrymore would tear up at times. Hearing her describe the birth of her daughters was deeply moving and made me feel honoured to listen.

On the other hand, when Drew gets excited, she has the tendency to scream for effect... a feature of this book that was not entirely welcomed by my ears while listening on my subway commute to work. I got more than a few stares from commuting neighbours, curious why random shouts were blaring from my headphones while I winced at the surprising loudness of it all.

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a kick in the ass

Revisado: 12-08-14

I will be forever grateful to the friend who recommended this book.

As an artist, I have beat myself up my entire life for procrastinating, which only leads to more shame and avoiding my work more.

As Pressfield explained 'resistance', I went from the shame that I hadn't done anything (and contemplating abandoning my projects altogether), to feeling I wasn't alone. I now see that my procrastination and fear is just a sign that I really want to be doing the work; it matters dearly to me.

The first half of the book deals with the ego/mind side of things- how we trick ourselves into procrastination and avoidance. He brings words to the concept of writer's block that have changed my language around my work.

The second half of the book is surprisingly spiritual. I have always believed that my work channels down from something bigger than myself, and Pressfield affirms that. It took the pressure off in a way I couldn't have imagined. How I get over my resistance now is just by tapping into my muses, and surrendering to the message flowing down through me.

This quote by Martha Graham explains it perfectly:
“There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all of time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and it will be lost. The world will not have it. It is not your business to determine how good it is nor how valuable nor how it compares with other expressions. It is your business to keep it yours clearly and directly, to keep the channel open.”

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a surprising lifechanger

Revisado: 12-08-14

I'll admit that I downloaded this book because it was cheap. What I didn't expect was to have a lifechanging book on my hands.

Too often I abandon books because they have the same content as every other self-help book out there (ie: untethered soul). This one felt different. Sinceiro keeps it light enough that I could 'read' on a day I didn't feel like it and still come out with 'aha's' and laughter.

Her curation and categorization of topics like 'ego' and 'law of attraction' are fresh and fun because her delivery is light-hearted. Perfect for a comedy-loving spiritual girl living in the city. The perspective she applies in this book made me feel like I could do something about my life today, instead of being overwhelmed with the intimidating amount of work that comes with changing your life.

Sinceiro delivers spiritual and heavy content with a comedic ease that made the book go from 3 stars to 5. She shares just enough personal experience to make it relatable (at times I felt she was describing me), and the perfect amount of practical 'what to do about it'. Just like I told all of my friends, you won't regret reading this book.

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Very Impactful

Revisado: 12-08-14

I have listened to all of Brene's books in audio form, and just wished the whole time that she was the reader. Brene's delivery of such sensitive subjects brings a light-heartedness to this heavy subject of vulnerability, and some of the content is lost in her audiobooks read by other performers.

I was thrilled to listen to this course in her voice, and I must say I got more out of it than I did her books (even though the material overlaps). There are practical elements to this audio course that aren't in her books, and the stories were new and refreshing.

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as all over the place and hilarious as Lena

Revisado: 12-08-14

I love Lena Dunham. I love 'Girls'. This book wasn't quite up to that calibre, but definitely a good use of a credit.

Lena is an excellent writer, but there were parts of this book that didn't translate well to audio and would have been more impactful in print.

The story doesn't follow a timeline, so unless you are listening to the titles of each section, it can be hard to understand her underlying message for that particular point. She also spends pages listing things which are funny for the first minute, but draw out a little longer than necessary when she reads them for 5 minutes.

That said, I enjoyed this book and laughed out loud on a number of occasions.

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comedy meets self help.

Revisado: 12-08-14

I downloaded this book in part because Tina Fey's book blew me away (I read it, then listened to it and both were equally pee-my-pants funny) and any bestie of Tina Fey has to be hilarious. While this book wasn't quite as quick-witted as Bossypants, it had an element of self reflection I didn't expect.

Amy is honest, loving, and a far better poetic writer than I expected. I appreciate her ability to both make fart jokes AND be introspective. Everything from her advice on how to treat your career, to the haunting little voices inside a woman's head that make them feel confident or like a sack of nothing was right on point. She describes part of the human psyche in a gentle and comedic way.

It's also worth mentioning that she invites about a billion celebrity guest readers to join her in reading the book and their conversations add extra material not in the print version. Everyone from her dad to Carol Burnett are present, and it makes for a great audio experience.

Before listening to Yes Please, I liked Amy. I can say now that I love and have a whole new respect for her. The world would be a better place if we could all be a little more like Amy Poehler.

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Amazing Overview

Revisado: 09-10-13

If you have always wanted to understand the chakra system, but only got vague answers from yoga teachers or other energy programs, this is the book for you.

Anodea explains each chakra, and how they work together better than any other spiritual author I have read. I felt more in tune with understanding this energetic system after listening than I did after most energy healing programs I have taken.

ONE ISSUE: The physical book includes multiple resources for yoga poses/meditation/exercises after each chapter/chakra. The audio program made no mention of this- I only discovered it when flipping through the book in a bookstore. This is the only reason I rated the book less than 5*

The quality of the audio content is amazing- there is just so much more to this book than you get in the audio program. Consider buying the physical book as a supplemental resource while listening- it will make a big difference.

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esto le resultó útil a 6 personas

Brene is a genius.

Revisado: 09-10-13

The only thing holding this book back from an impeccable review is the fact that Brene herself doesn't read it.

I recommend listening to her TED talks beforehand, so you can get an idea of how she communicates- her speaking voice and tone adds such a comical effect to her writing, that it would be a shame to listen, not knowing how she would deliver it herself.

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Tina Fey, you did it again.

Revisado: 09-10-13

I read this book when it first came out a few years ago, and I enjoyed it even more listening to it the second time around.

Hearing Tina read aloud was even better than the voice I had for her in my head when I read the paper copy. I laughed out loud most of the time listening, and when I wasn't laughing, there was a big-ass smile on my face. No one is more honest about life than Tina Fey, and every woman will identify with her story in some way or another, guaranteed. She even includes little anecdotes and audio from her SNL skits that aren't part of the physical copy of the book.

No summer beach book will ever top this one.

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