For such a young author, Brianna is already quite known. She can boast of four published works. As an author, she is most famous for her philosophical style of writing. You think your past defines you, and worse, you think that it is an unchangeable reality when really, your perception of it changes as you do. Because experience is always multi-dimensional, there are a variety of memories, experiences, feelings, “gists” you can choose to recall…and what you choose is indicative of your present state of mind. Flow” (in case you don’t know—you probably do) is essentially what happens when we become so completely engaged with what we’re doing. The path to a greater life is not “suffering until you achieve something,” but letting bits and pieces of joy and gratitude and meaning and purpose gradually build, bit by bit.” Your impermanence is a thing you should meditate on every day: There is nothing more sobering, nor scary, nor a faster-way-to-cut-the-negative-bullshit than to remember that you do not have forever. What defines your life, when it’s all said and done, is how much you influence other people’s lives, oftentimes just through your daily interactions and the courage with which you live your own. That’s what people remember. That’s what you will be known for when you’re no longer around to define yourself.”

The foundation of a happy relationship (and life, really) is unconditional kindness. It’s synonymous with love, and maybe even more effective, because it shows you the action as opposed to the feeling or expectation.” Whatever you feel you are not receiving is a direct reflection of what you are not giving. Whatever you are angered by is what you aren’t willing to see in yourself. Nobody cries at a funeral because the world will be missing out on another pretty face. They cry because the world is missing another heart, another soul, another person. Don’t wait until it’s too late to focus on what will actually matter: creating something that lasts far beyond your body.” There is truth to everything written in the book (For example, I really enjoyed the point made about everyone having different opinions and perspectives in essay 5. But it feels slightly ironic as some essays in the book seem to show you the one ‘true’ way of staying motivated or even feeling.), however (in *my* opinion) it reads as overly simplistic, western, and privileged. This book may not resonate with you if you suffer some mental health issues (especially essay 32). As well as most of the “signs you’re doing better than you think you are” are simply about money and free time. It reads like someone’s very well-written and meticulously edited diary.

🍪 Privacy & Transparency

There were a few essays I did really enjoy, like essays number 5,13, 17, 18,21, 27, 28, 34, 41, 73. 74 and 81

What will having this person next to me make me feel better about? What do I need them to tell me? What do I need them to prove? Who do I need them to look great in front of? What purpose do they serve for my ego?” Brianna Wiest is an American writer, author and poet. She is best known for her work on mindfulness, spirituality, and emotional intelligence. People delay action once they know truth—and the interim between knowing and doing is the space where suffering thrives. Most of the time, it’s not about not knowing what to do (or not knowing who you are). It’s about the resistance between what’s right and what’s easy, what’s best in the long v. short term. We hear our instincts; we just don’t listen. This is the single most common root of discomfort: the space between knowing and doing. We’re culturally addicted to procrastination, but we’re also just as enamored by deflection. By not acting immediately, we think we’re creating space for the truth to shift, when we’re really only creating discomfort so that we can sense it more completely (though we’re suffering needlessly in the process).” The content didn't feel tight and most of the time all over the place, I felt like it wasn't getting to a point that probably didn't even existIn this superb work of self-help and knowledge, Brianna West indeed points out in a very short and direct way how oft seemingly misunderstood and not always thought about things that we engage in daily profoundly goes on to shape the essence of the 'who' we're striving to become, be it for better or worse. "In a sense, the notion that thoughts create reality is more than just a nice idea; it’s also a fact of evolution. It was because of language and thought that we could create a world within our minds, and ultimately, it is because of language and thought that we have evolved into the society we have today—for better and for worse."In Jordan Peterson's lectures on the Biblical Series, he explains how the concept about the fundamental and innate evolutionary ability of humanity since antiquity to first of all tell stories that transform into legends and so on to eventually become myth to which religions undeniably share those self same myths, ideas and mythos from time immemorial. While Joseph Campbell also talks about the intersection of mythology and evolution in his book The Power of Myth; that it is at the point of the development of the pre-frontal cortex that then made the modern man from an oral story telling species to one in which the abstract thoughts about a certain yet to arrive future is easily conceived intellectually. This evolutionary advanage can then be confronted wherein the best possible steps are taken to ensure further successful propagation of the species. I hated routines throughout my life. But I had to live with routines till the age of 31. Then I started my first startup. We kept it small and worked when we were productive and rested or did other things when we were not. We ended up working a lot more than we thought but that was ok. It was either driven by interest or need. This essay has a different view. I know people who thrive on routine. Maybe I should give it a try, again. Parts of life can be structured and turned into habits through routines. It is good to have certain parts be free wheeling. That is how you come across interesting people, ideas, experiences. One more big topic that can be traced throughout the whole piece is the importance of now. The author emphasizes that the current moment is basically everything we have. In essence, 101 Essays That Will Change The Way You Think is a sort of a self-help book. Inside it, readers can find 101 short pieces, each focused on a separate topic. All in all, through these short pieces the author discusses a range of important topics, such as: