You Do You has changed my outlook on so many things in my own life. It has changed me for the better. I believe that this has certainly played a big part in my confidence returning and my overall happiness. I have recommended this book to so many friends and family. So I thought it was about time I wrote about it to tell everyone about it too.
You Do You is the third book in Sarah Knight's collection. I'm currently working through 'The life-changing art of not giving a f**k' too, which so far so good!
Sarah Knight is hilarious. I laughed out loud a number of times whilst reading..
Those around me giving me a funny look if I was on the train. Or Chris asking me what's so funny. The way Sarah Knight writes is so personal, informative, yet comedic. It's easy to get hooked. It's also not just the concepts and thoughts she provokes which make you 'happier' in your mind, I actually felt just reading her books made me happy.
The main premise of You Do You, is exactly what the title suggests. It highlights the fact there will always be 'judgy mcjudgersons' and other pressures which make you feel like you should do something a certain way. But really as long as you're not being a nasty person, or hurting anyone else, you should in fact be able to do things the way you want. Basically.. "how to be who you are and use what you've got to get what you want". Obviously, there are often rules in certain situations. But Sarah Knight also highlights the ones which are more 'guidelines' you can bend, and how to do so effectively without causing conflict.
You Do You, like the others in the series, are written from experience. Sarah Knight has drawn conclusions from pivotal moments in her life and has applied these to other areas too. There are plenty of examples throughout, which help demonstrate the concepts/techniques she's trying to explain which makes it easier to understand how to apply. It was actually naturally conjuring up my own experiences, and allowing me to assess the decisions I make/made including plans I say yes to, in a totally different way.
The book does take you through step by step, introducing concepts, tying in experiences, and taking you through different areas of life.
This helps lay the basis for you being able to do you, before building out the techniques and what you can do in your own life. There is a little reflective work which the book suggests you do as you go through, and I highly recommend doing that too.. It's really helpful to apply self-help suggestions, as you read them and not leave it to the end when you may forget a step. Notes on phones are great for these as it allows you to always look back.
Honestly, this has changed my ways of thinking so much. I'm still working on it, and very often slip back into my old ways. But I try to remind myself of everything I've learnt through the book, think about what I really want (from this situation, but also how it impacts what I want in a broader sense from life) and apply it to the situation at hand. I've found myself prioritising better, having more 'me time' and spending more time with those I want to.
Of course, there will always be things I 'have' to do, to make life easier, better, on course, etc. But that's life. And I feel I now take those in my stride a little easier too. My whole perspective has become a lot clearer and happier as a whole. Which could be tied to changes in other areas of life too. But I'm certain that this has played a large part.
Summary:
I love a self-help book. This one is awesome. Have you read any self-help books recently?
Chloe xx