Discover the Joy of Living with Intention: A Guide to Finding Peace in Present Over Perfect

A Strand: This book is full of nuggets that are not only worth hi-lighting but also worth trying to incorporate into the day to day living of one’s best life!

United States on Sep 29, 2023

MB: I really enjoyed the first few chapters and then felt like she just re told them again in a slightly different way for the rest of the book. She didn’t really explore the issues in any depth. I ended up scanning about half of the book.

United Kingdom on May 21, 2023

JeanFrancois Boily: Reconnaitre que le travail draine trop souvent le meilleur de nous et laisse notre famille, nos amis avec la partie fatiguee et irritable qui reste. Retravailler le tout pour mettre les priorités centrales a leur place

Canada on Jun 28, 2021

LMS: I can't tell you how many times this book came up as a recommendation. But I always bypassed it. But last night, I felt like I needed to read it. I truly believe that God will bring the right book at the right time. This book was that for me. I recently was asked "What is your identity tied to?" As I thought about it, I realized that, for most of my life, my identity has been tied to being seen as responsible and competent. This resulted in a lot of hiding, pretending, and people pleasing. I realized that somewhere along the way, I lost my true self. I wanted to be perfect. I pushed myself to the breaking point. But it was never enough. Things like self care wasn't even on my radar. I finally reached the point, where I said "I can't live like this anymore. Something has to change." I also realized that I hadn't thought about what I want out of life and for myself in a very long time. I articulated the problem, but finding a solution turned out to be difficult, and the way out elusive. Until I read this book. I devoured it in a single sitting. Shauna writes with such clarity. We share so many of the same struggles. She shares my passion for books and words. She wrote things that...

United States on Jul 21, 2020

Celia: This book which I read recently is starting to have a profound effect on my life. It is based on a collection of stories around living a life of meaning and connection instead of pushing for perfection and it massively resonated with me. You see I’m a type-A personality, I pride myself in delivering way above and beyond what a lot of other entrepreneurs do. I even won a national award for productivity.
Pushing for perfection is what so many entrepreneurs, especially women do, but you can end up with stale relationships, kids trying to connect with you but being honest you aren’t fully present, even your weekends end up with little quality time and you gain rapid weight gain due to stress and not making time for exercise. You feel you are trapped on this hamster wheel eventually feeling unfulfilled at work and unfulfilled at home.
Shauna describes it perfectly ‘it’s like I was pulling a little red wagon, and as I pulled it along, I filled it so full that I could barely keep pulling. That red wagon was my life, and the weight of pulling it was destroying me. I was aware that I was missing the very things I so badly longed for: connection, meaning, peace. But there was...

United Kingdom on Nov 04, 2019

OK Reviewr: If you are an overachieving perfectionist and are trying to tone it down. It is well written and would be inspiring if pertains to you. At the very least it's a short read and you would at least be thankful you are not an overachieving perfectionist. I've always taken pride in my free time, and take great joy in perfecting skills and not putting too much on my plate, so I found it hard to relate. I also felt it hard to stay focused with the abundant references to her faith in God, which to me discredited her opinion and distracted me from being immersed in her words.

I like to read deal of the day books, and I bought this kindle version on sale for 3 bucks so I have no regrets buying or reading it. This book actually strengthened my current outlook on life and I thank it for that.

Canada on Mar 19, 2017

Rachel Irvine: I bought this because I thought it was by Brene Brown as a co-author. In fact, just the forward was written by Brene. Also - it is a lot about God. I don't believe in God. So the initial signs, from the blurb to buying were not auspicious. Reader, I ploughed on. I am delighted to report, even if you aren't a person of faith, this book is beautifully written - and is interesting for someone who is not religious, and certainly doesn't believe in the Church as a particularly helpful force in most people's lives - to observe how she perceives and reflects on her life. The chapters are short, autobiographical, but each one is well-crafted with an insight to ponder. Quite nice on your kindle to dip into last thing at night or on a train journey for contemplation.

United Kingdom on Mar 16, 2017

DD: Shauna Niequiest walked into my life on the afternoon of August 12th on a large screen, as I enjoyed the Global Leadership Summit of 2016 Live from Atlanta via satellite. I had just recently, at the beginning of of 2016, taken the plunge into he "hustle". I suppose I had dabbled there a time or two, but this year I was drowning in a dangerous dance of hustle-prove you're good enough-hustle,-you're not good enough-hustle harder- take on more - isolate yourself - hustle- keep trying and repeat. The things I was going, I had gotten involved for all of the right reasons. These were "good things" , things to help others, to serve God, but by August I was missing myself. I was spiraling out of control mentally and spiritually. I was doing so much that I was alone. I had thoroughly enjoyed the summit up to that point, I had pages and pages of life-changing revelations, but listening to Shauna I wrote, then tweeted out these words, "The love is never found in the hustle! It is received from God Himself, the One who created you for love" My heart leapt because I knew in my heart I was looking for love there. I knew I had to read this book. I read it fast some days, and slow others. I read...

United States on Nov 25, 2016

Sarah: I have never written an Amazon review before, but Shauna has mentioned in a past book that she reads her Amazon reviews and I wanted to have some way to communicate my thoughts to her.

I found Shauna's book "Bittersweet" in a Barnes and Noble in the midst of dealing with a traumatic loss. Shauna's words pierced through my darkness and reminded me of the life in front of me. Her words helped me realize that it was my responsibility to keep making a beautiful life and to accept the gifts in front of me; that doing so didn't dishonor the pain or the loss, but would help me through it. I will be forever grateful for her vulnerability in writing this book.

After that, I went back and read Shauna's first book "Cold Tangerines." It's well written (she's a beautiful writer) but what impressed me most was the growth that had happened in Shauna in between the two books. "Bittersweet" is written by someone who has been tested by loss and questions and doubt. "Cold Tangerines" was sweet and had some inspiring passages, but its innocence is less relatable if you feel like life has tossed you around a little. Both books are authentic, though, because they are chronologically...

United States on Aug 22, 2016