You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
974 reviews for:
Present Over Perfect: Leaving Behind Frantic for a Simpler, More Soulful Way of Living
Shauna Niequist
3.69 AVERAGE
974 reviews for:
Present Over Perfect: Leaving Behind Frantic for a Simpler, More Soulful Way of Living
Shauna Niequist
3.69 AVERAGE
challenging
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
I just went on seeing it in a FB group & went based on title, - i should have researched. Very faith based, more geared as a busy mom lifestyle. The narration struggled to keep my focus. Zoned out easily.
I really love Shauna’s storytelling. I was first exposed to her writing through Bread & Wine, and I love that Present Over Perfect includes the same style— a collection of essays of life, hard things, and grace. This book felt like breathing in fresh, ocean air. I loved it!
Did not know it was going to be so religious. Had some good ideas and tenants but the infusion of religion was way too much for me.
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
slow-paced
I realized today that I never did write a review of this book, other than rating it five stars.
For me, it was absolutely the right book at the right time. For years (decades?), I've played around with the concepts of simplicity, saying no, letting go of busyness and perfection, and trying to focus in on what really matters in my life. But to be honest, those efforts have been touch-and-go. I cut back in one area, only to fill my to-do list with other things. I say I won't go back to the overachiever race, and then I do. I left the working world to be a stay-at-home-mom, and then took on more and more volunteer roles until my calendar was filled.
Now, I'm in a season of life where I'm willing to embrace my caretaker role, helping my mother through a multitude of health issues, and wanting to "be there" even more for my teen daughter and tween son. I'm letting go of many projects and volunteer commitments, closing those chapters for now, and this time I feel like these decisions will actually stick. It's been a slow and gradual change over the past four months, and I'm in the midst of it still, but I feel my shoulders are just a little bit lighter.
And so, the right book at the right time. I found myself highlighting a ton in this book, with sentences and paragraphs ringing so true to me. Just a few:
--- We all have these complicated tangles of belief and identity and narrative, and one of the early stories I told about myself is that my ability to get-it-done is what kept me around.
--- When you devote yourself to being known as the most responsible person anyone knows, more and more people call on you to be that highly responsible person. That’s how it works. So the armload of things I was carrying became higher and higher, heavier and heavier, more and more precarious.
--- The more I listen to myself, my body, my feelings, and the less I listen to the “should” and “must” and “to-do” voices, the more I realize my body and spirit have been whispering all along, but I couldn’t hear them over the chaos and noise of the life I’d created. I was addicted to this chaos, but like any addiction, it was damaging to me.
--- My crazy brain has always been my gift and my challenge, and I’ve tried everything to lower the volume in my head, because things really do get a little loud in there.
--- I thought I needed to be fast and efficient, sparkly and shiny, battle-ready and inexhaustible. There was, I will be honest with you, a lot of pressure from all sorts of places. I could be those things and so I was, and then lots of people told me I had a responsibility to do more and more and more. For a long time, I listened to them.
--- The chaos is all me, as much as I don’t want to admit it. I create it, am drawn to it, kick it up when things get too quiet, because when I’m quiet I have to own up to the fact that quiet terrifies me, that all my life I’ve been wrapping myself in noise and chaos the way Pigpen is all wrapped up in dust and dirt. And that noise protects me from feeling all the things I don’t want to feel.
And I could post many, many more quotations that resonated with me. It's not so much that this book was a "how to" guide, or even a personal memoir on her path. To me, this was more like a mirror for my struggles, recognition that I'm not alone in pursuing achievement and perfection but wishing for something different and more fulfilling, putting words and phrases to the feelings I've had but haven't been able to articulate.
One last note: The author is Christian and portions of the book are definitely religious in tone, which I know might be off-putting to some of my friends.
For me, it was absolutely the right book at the right time. For years (decades?), I've played around with the concepts of simplicity, saying no, letting go of busyness and perfection, and trying to focus in on what really matters in my life. But to be honest, those efforts have been touch-and-go. I cut back in one area, only to fill my to-do list with other things. I say I won't go back to the overachiever race, and then I do. I left the working world to be a stay-at-home-mom, and then took on more and more volunteer roles until my calendar was filled.
Now, I'm in a season of life where I'm willing to embrace my caretaker role, helping my mother through a multitude of health issues, and wanting to "be there" even more for my teen daughter and tween son. I'm letting go of many projects and volunteer commitments, closing those chapters for now, and this time I feel like these decisions will actually stick. It's been a slow and gradual change over the past four months, and I'm in the midst of it still, but I feel my shoulders are just a little bit lighter.
And so, the right book at the right time. I found myself highlighting a ton in this book, with sentences and paragraphs ringing so true to me. Just a few:
--- We all have these complicated tangles of belief and identity and narrative, and one of the early stories I told about myself is that my ability to get-it-done is what kept me around.
--- When you devote yourself to being known as the most responsible person anyone knows, more and more people call on you to be that highly responsible person. That’s how it works. So the armload of things I was carrying became higher and higher, heavier and heavier, more and more precarious.
--- The more I listen to myself, my body, my feelings, and the less I listen to the “should” and “must” and “to-do” voices, the more I realize my body and spirit have been whispering all along, but I couldn’t hear them over the chaos and noise of the life I’d created. I was addicted to this chaos, but like any addiction, it was damaging to me.
--- My crazy brain has always been my gift and my challenge, and I’ve tried everything to lower the volume in my head, because things really do get a little loud in there.
--- I thought I needed to be fast and efficient, sparkly and shiny, battle-ready and inexhaustible. There was, I will be honest with you, a lot of pressure from all sorts of places. I could be those things and so I was, and then lots of people told me I had a responsibility to do more and more and more. For a long time, I listened to them.
--- The chaos is all me, as much as I don’t want to admit it. I create it, am drawn to it, kick it up when things get too quiet, because when I’m quiet I have to own up to the fact that quiet terrifies me, that all my life I’ve been wrapping myself in noise and chaos the way Pigpen is all wrapped up in dust and dirt. And that noise protects me from feeling all the things I don’t want to feel.
And I could post many, many more quotations that resonated with me. It's not so much that this book was a "how to" guide, or even a personal memoir on her path. To me, this was more like a mirror for my struggles, recognition that I'm not alone in pursuing achievement and perfection but wishing for something different and more fulfilling, putting words and phrases to the feelings I've had but haven't been able to articulate.
One last note: The author is Christian and portions of the book are definitely religious in tone, which I know might be off-putting to some of my friends.
This book was perfect for me, and I am aware that it would not be for everyone. If you've ever felt guilty about spending time with your kids because you had so much to do, this is for you. If you've ever eaten in the shower because you don't have time otherwise, it's for you. If you feel like your life is passing you by, an you're ready to dig your nails in and say NO! This is for you.
This book is not about how to be perfect, or things she did to be perfect, or what perfect even means. The point of this book is PRESENT.
If you can take a nap in the middle of the day or spend hours reading books or relaxing each week, you may find Shauna to be insane.
If you are currently climbing the corporate ladder and willing to do anything to get your next promotion, you will probably not appreciate the spirit of this book.
I loved it because I am halfway through this journey she went on. I did the working so much and so hard that you are physically ill and your family forgets what your laugh sounds like.
I found peace in hearing her thought processes as she realized she was going too hard. I appreciate that other people have felt that same guilt, and resentment towards fun because it was cramping your success. It was comforting to know that these feelings I had, which I felt horrible for having, were had by others. I felt like less of a monster as I connected with her past and why she left it. There is a lot of brutal vulnerable honesty here.
I came t this realization about 2 years ago, and I am about halfway through the journey of this books, so it gives me hope. I appreciate reading about someone who came from where I was, made it to where I am, and then sailed past to where the book ends. It's so comforting to hear that her kids and family saw and felt the changes she strived for.
To all of you women who are just realizing the toxic nature of your endeavors, and just starting this process of moving "backwards" on purpose, I am sending out a HUG. It's a hard road and you will lose friends and have to reclaim pieces of who you are, and be ashamed of things you have done, but I believe in you <3 Picking up this book is a great start!
This book is not about how to be perfect, or things she did to be perfect, or what perfect even means. The point of this book is PRESENT.
If you can take a nap in the middle of the day or spend hours reading books or relaxing each week, you may find Shauna to be insane.
If you are currently climbing the corporate ladder and willing to do anything to get your next promotion, you will probably not appreciate the spirit of this book.
I loved it because I am halfway through this journey she went on. I did the working so much and so hard that you are physically ill and your family forgets what your laugh sounds like.
I found peace in hearing her thought processes as she realized she was going too hard. I appreciate that other people have felt that same guilt, and resentment towards fun because it was cramping your success. It was comforting to know that these feelings I had, which I felt horrible for having, were had by others. I felt like less of a monster as I connected with her past and why she left it. There is a lot of brutal vulnerable honesty here.
I came t this realization about 2 years ago, and I am about halfway through the journey of this books, so it gives me hope. I appreciate reading about someone who came from where I was, made it to where I am, and then sailed past to where the book ends. It's so comforting to hear that her kids and family saw and felt the changes she strived for.
To all of you women who are just realizing the toxic nature of your endeavors, and just starting this process of moving "backwards" on purpose, I am sending out a HUG. It's a hard road and you will lose friends and have to reclaim pieces of who you are, and be ashamed of things you have done, but I believe in you <3 Picking up this book is a great start!
The intro to this book had me hooked. I was thinking "YES! This is totally me and this is going to be the book that is going help!"
Then it's just chapter after chapter of how Christian the author is. OK, we get it: you're Christian and love your faith. But do we need multiple chapters of you explaining this? What does all of that have to do with us as the reader? Can we get into the point of this book and maybe get into the tips on how to start living more presently, please?!
I gave up on this book at 33%. And about the last 10% of that 33% was chapter after chapter on "I'm Christian and my faith is the best thing ever for me and my family and this is why." -_-
Then it's just chapter after chapter of how Christian the author is. OK, we get it: you're Christian and love your faith. But do we need multiple chapters of you explaining this? What does all of that have to do with us as the reader? Can we get into the point of this book and maybe get into the tips on how to start living more presently, please?!
I gave up on this book at 33%. And about the last 10% of that 33% was chapter after chapter on "I'm Christian and my faith is the best thing ever for me and my family and this is why." -_-
emotional
informative
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced