Self discovery. I can describe many authors who had done absolutely great in this area, but to myself, or shall I say, my personal pick is Malcolm Gladwell’s books: Blink, Tipping Point, What the Dog Saw and Outliers (which a very dear friend of me gave as a birthday present). I’ve only read Outliers but I must say it is a very fresh and scientific book about upgrading yourself and that you could determine your own way by changing your act and point of view. But, I am not reviewing about his books (yet) I have in my possession, 2 books. One is the Pocket Therapist by Therese J. Borchard and the other one is The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. Both are amazing in their own ways. Want to know how they help me (and probably others out there too) in facing self-doubt, dealing with unwanted feeling and taking control over my mind? Then read through, please
1. The Pocket Therapist by Therese J. Borchard
The first 6 pages and I am head over hills with this book. The way Therese renders reality is so bold yet fresh. It’s honest and well said. The tag ‘Emotional Survival Kit’ is precisely correct. In each chapter, Therese will take you to a journey of self acknowledgment and make you accept that you DO have a problem that need to be fix. Also in one chapter, she’ll make you realize that you rule your heart and mind, therefor in every emotional condition you’re in, you can control it. She tells you how and why you should do all the things in this book with her explicit selection of words. Her style is genuine honesty and still manage to be judemental in a fun way. Let me quote her from the Pocket Therapist’s 2nd chapter ‘Dance in the rain’
You can’t sit around and wait the storm to be over. You have to learn how to dance in the rain
Hope you get the meaning because that words, my friends, have changed me. I used to be perky and positive but I had a quite severe illness back in 2007 and since then I became quite of a coward but then I realize while I’m still sick for the umpteenth day, I have to be stronger than my illness. In a way that, I can’t let myself go (down) even in this time of incapability, I still and need to enjoy life. Embrace living everyday. In her 5th chapter, ‘Don’t waste fourteen good days’ her friend explains while she was waiting on her lymphoma test result in 14 days,
is no use worrying during these fourteen days, because if the results are negative, you will have wasted 14 good days. And if the results are positive, you will also have wasted 14 good days. Both ways you lose.
So basically this book wants us to deal with everyday problem with elegance and self-respect. Everyday is a new day and this shouldn’t be about forgetting yesterday. It is about learning from yesterday and starting fresh.
With experiences of her own, Therese sure knows how to suave our souls to a positive direction. This book is worth reading even if you’re not down in the dumpster or if you already feel superb about yourself. There’s no harm in a little therapy time.
2. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Wonderful fiction and even greater self-constructive book. Santiago’s dream is the most priced property along side his sheep. This boy’s journey of pursuing his dream is not always easy but he (Paulo) shows that it is not impossible that one’s Personal Legend is reachable. I always thought that every single human being has its own purpose of life. Why have God made us? and Why are we here? we usually stuck by those questions that only we can answer to ourselves. God guided us by touching our hearts and telling them what we’re here (in the universe) for but sometimes in the journey of reaching your Personal Legend, you often give up because your heart is afraid of losing everything is owns now and it is afraid of being hurt if the dream don’t come true. We almost always give up in the situation where we are so close yet feels so far from our dreams. Let me quote one of the saying in the book
the darkest hour of the night came just before the dawn
I’m like ‘whoow’ I feel that too. I feel as if I choose the worst time to fail; when I am closest to my dream. Paulo have successively awoken me up and now I realize I have my own personal legend to pursue. His vision is clear and the way he transmit it into his book it’s just very poetic.
