When all the artists I follow on WordPress and Instagram started posting about this super, awesome sauce, wonderful, book I went on the world-wide web and purchased a copy of my own. I wanted to know what all the hype was about.

I didn’t read any lengthy reviews, excerpts, quotes, or previous books by this author. I 100% judged it by it’s colorful cover and the fact that everyone was calling it a must read for any and all artists.

I realized early on that this was a self-help book.
My first thought was, “meh, I’m already living my life like this.”
Still, I liked the way she was writing things. Giving my thoughts and feelings the proper words and descriptions.
So, I kept reading.

Five months later, and here I am, coming out the other end of this book with my mind thoroughly blown and my creativity bouncing around my head, like a never-ending game of pong.

Yes, it took me FIVE whole months to get through this book. Honestly it felt like a lot longer. I was about to tell you that I’ve been reading this book for like a year and a half, but as I checked my order history on Amazon, I realized this book has only been in my possession since January of this year.

It took me forever, but there was this crazy phenomenon happening. I would put down the book for a while, get caught up in podcasts, watching people paint, deep conversations with friends…ya know, living life. Then, when I would pick up the book again, it would suddenly match up with all those other life things. As I was getting to the last pages of the book, I was listening to Joe Rogan’s podcast and the guest he had on that particular episode suddenly started talking about the book!

Anyways, there was a lot of help that my self didn’t know it needed from this book.
It slapped me in the face, wiped my tears, and told me to get the fuck over myself.

Elizabeth Gilbert describes a woman in her book who claimed Eat, Pray, Love changed this woman’s life, but the story the woman was telling her wasn’t even in her book! She says, “But that woman had subconsciously inserted that story—her own story—into my memoir, because I suppose, she needed to.”

Truth is, every single book I’ve ever read is a self-help book.
Yes, even Harry Potter and all the magical stuff.
Especially Harry Potter and all the magical stuff.
I’ve always inserted my own story into every book I’ve ever read.
Because when I read a book I become the characters, the story, the setting. I relate to their circumstances and their emotions. Their world becomes a third person view of all my insecurities. Every book I’ve ever read has formed me to be who I am today.

Books are the only ones that have ever been honest with me, because they force me to be honest with myself.

That, my friends, was the biggest take away from this super, awesome sauce, wonderful, book.