Brave Enough by: Cheryl Strayed
Themes: Inspiration, Courage, Authenticity, Healing
Read When: You need a quick shot of gumption. This book will give you a swift kick in the ass and permission to be who you are without worrying so much about what others think of you or what that mean voice in your head thinks of you.
Favorite Quotes:
“You don’t have to get a job that makes others feel comfortable about what they perceive as your success. You don’t have to explain what you plan to do with your life. You don’t have to justify your education by demonstrating its financial rewards. You don’t have to maintain an impeccable credit score. Anyone who expects you to do any of those things has no sense of history or economics or science or the arts. You have to pay your own electric bill. You have to be kind. You have to give it all you’ve got. You have to find people who love you truly and love them back with the same truth. But that’s all.”
“Hello, fear. Thank you for being here. You’re my indication that I’m doing what I need to do.”
“If someone is being unkind or petty or jealous or distant or weird, you don’t have to take it in. You don’t have to turn it into a big psychodrama about your worth. That behavior so often is not even about you. It’s about the person who’s being unkind or petty or jealous or distant or weird. If this were summed up on a bumper sticker, it would say: Don’t own other people’s crap. The world would be a better place if we all did that.”
“You go on by doing the best you can. You go on by being generous. You go on by being true. You go on by offering comfort to others who can’t go on. You go on by allowing the unbearable days to pass and by allowing the pleasure in other days."
Key Takeaways:
Live a genuine life. Listen to yourself. Stay true to yourself. Don't let anyone else dictate how you live. Be authentic and honest and open and fearless. The book is a quick read full of small nuggets of wisdom. It will keep you grounded and renew your spirit. Highly recommend for a beach read, a rainy day read, a long weekend read. It's a quickie, and always a fun one to revisit.