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3.67 AVERAGE
3.67 AVERAGE
i liked the book because it made me think more about money and my life. it's a little too "chicken soup for the soul" for me at some parts. i think it is a better read for someone who doesn't already think a lot about their relationship for money and i'm always doing that. here's an excerpt of the type of thinking the book opens up.
"The myths of scarcity that drive popular culture and popular wisdom promote owning, holding, collecting and accumulating. In the context of sufficiency, accumulation well beyond the point of enough stops the flow of resources from finding their way to their highest use. Ironically, the condition of scarcity breeds accumulation to excess, which only diminishes the value of what we have too much of. We become burdened by our excess; it clutters out thinking and our lives. We become attached to our possessions and, in a way, start to think that what we have is who we are, and it becomes harder and harder to share anything because as it diminishes in value from the flood of excess, we feel less valuable ourselves and must acquire more."
"The myths of scarcity that drive popular culture and popular wisdom promote owning, holding, collecting and accumulating. In the context of sufficiency, accumulation well beyond the point of enough stops the flow of resources from finding their way to their highest use. Ironically, the condition of scarcity breeds accumulation to excess, which only diminishes the value of what we have too much of. We become burdened by our excess; it clutters out thinking and our lives. We become attached to our possessions and, in a way, start to think that what we have is who we are, and it becomes harder and harder to share anything because as it diminishes in value from the flood of excess, we feel less valuable ourselves and must acquire more."
The message in the book was very interesting and meaningful. There were some great stories in it which made it well worth reading. The book encouraged me in my own dealing with money giving me hope that it makes sense. It also motivated me to stay alert to where my soul leads me in this area. I thought the book was not well-written bringing my star evaluation down.
This book has been on my "to read" list for years. I'm kicking myself for not having made it a priority earlier. The lessons shared here are deeply important for humanity's evolution.
4.5 rounded up.
I received this as a gift from a classmate and read it for a "pick your book" assignment. There are some flaws which other reviews point out (transitions can be a little off-putting between a serious issue and fundraising, the author seems to be a little unaware of her privilege, and it can be a little hippy-dippy at times.) HOWEVER, I rate this as a must-read because of the chapter Scarcity: The Great Lie, as well as the story about shopping for her granddaughter, the various stories she shares about women around the world, and the resources she includes at the end.
I have been re-reading this from the Scarcity chapter and making everyone else read this excerpt that resonates with me from start to finish:
“For me, and for many of us, our first waking thought of the day is "I didn't get enough sleep." The next one is "I don't have enough time." Whether true or not, that thought of not enough occurs to us automatically before we even think to question or examine it. We spend most of the hours and the days of our lives hearing, explaining, complaining, or worrying about what we don't have enough of. We don't have enough time. We don't have enough rest. We don't have enough exercise. We don't have enough work. We don't have enough profits. We don't have enough power. We don't have enough wilderness. We don't have enough weekends. Of course we don't have enough money--ever. We're not thin enough, we're not smart enough, we're not pretty enough or fit enough or educated or successful enough, or rich enough--ever. Before we even sit up in bed, before our feet touch the floor, we're already inadequate, already behind, already losing, already lacking something. And by the time we go to bed at night, our minds race with a litany of what we didn't get, or didn't get done, that day. We go to sleep burdened by those thoughts and wake up to that reverie of lack.
This mantra of not enough carries the day and becomes a kind of default setting for our thinking about everything, from the cash in our pocket to the people we love or the value of our own lives. What begins as a simple expression of the hurried life, or even the challenged life, grows into the great justification for an unfulfilled life. It becomes the reason we can't have what we want or be who we want to be. It becomes the reason we can't accomplish the goals we set for ourselves, the reason our dreams can't come true, or the reason other people disappoint us, the reason we compromise our integrity, give up on ourselves or write off others."
If you are living your values, doing work that supports your values, spending your money and time in a way that supports your values, this book may not be for you. But I think it can challenge each of us to consider how we spend our resources. And I love a book that challenges the status quo.
I received this as a gift from a classmate and read it for a "pick your book" assignment. There are some flaws which other reviews point out (transitions can be a little off-putting between a serious issue and fundraising, the author seems to be a little unaware of her privilege, and it can be a little hippy-dippy at times.) HOWEVER, I rate this as a must-read because of the chapter Scarcity: The Great Lie, as well as the story about shopping for her granddaughter, the various stories she shares about women around the world, and the resources she includes at the end.
I have been re-reading this from the Scarcity chapter and making everyone else read this excerpt that resonates with me from start to finish:
“For me, and for many of us, our first waking thought of the day is "I didn't get enough sleep." The next one is "I don't have enough time." Whether true or not, that thought of not enough occurs to us automatically before we even think to question or examine it. We spend most of the hours and the days of our lives hearing, explaining, complaining, or worrying about what we don't have enough of. We don't have enough time. We don't have enough rest. We don't have enough exercise. We don't have enough work. We don't have enough profits. We don't have enough power. We don't have enough wilderness. We don't have enough weekends. Of course we don't have enough money--ever. We're not thin enough, we're not smart enough, we're not pretty enough or fit enough or educated or successful enough, or rich enough--ever. Before we even sit up in bed, before our feet touch the floor, we're already inadequate, already behind, already losing, already lacking something. And by the time we go to bed at night, our minds race with a litany of what we didn't get, or didn't get done, that day. We go to sleep burdened by those thoughts and wake up to that reverie of lack.
This mantra of not enough carries the day and becomes a kind of default setting for our thinking about everything, from the cash in our pocket to the people we love or the value of our own lives. What begins as a simple expression of the hurried life, or even the challenged life, grows into the great justification for an unfulfilled life. It becomes the reason we can't have what we want or be who we want to be. It becomes the reason we can't accomplish the goals we set for ourselves, the reason our dreams can't come true, or the reason other people disappoint us, the reason we compromise our integrity, give up on ourselves or write off others."
If you are living your values, doing work that supports your values, spending your money and time in a way that supports your values, this book may not be for you. But I think it can challenge each of us to consider how we spend our resources. And I love a book that challenges the status quo.
I don’t recall who recommended this to me but I found it to be a helpful discussion of the ideas we have about money, the stories we tell about money and how that affects what kind of power it has over us. It’s hard to write a book about money that doesn’t feel gross, to be honest. I appreciated her reflections and stories.
Amazing book. There are so many gems, I feel like I wrote down half of the book in my inspiration notebook. This book isn't just about changing your relationship with money, but changing your perspective of purpose. I highly recommend to anyone looking to break out of the norm and to re-connect with your higher purpose.
This was my book of the year. One of those that has wound its way between the roots of my life, changing how I grow long after the pages have been turned.
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced