Where There's Hope by Elizabeth Smart
When I picked up this book I really expected it to be a "where I am now a decade after my kidnapping" kind of book. There was that element to it, but it was so much more. Ms. Smart interviewed numerous people who have been through great difficulty and came out on the other side whole and thriving.
Please allow me to use some quotes from her book to whet your appetite:
"Every time I speak, I talk about how each one of us goes through his or her own trials. I try to tell people that it's not what happens to us that makes us who we are, but how we react, the choices we make moving forward. It doesn't matter what our current struggle is; it's what we do about it. But there's a long road between knowing that and putting it into practice." page 67
Ms. Smart interviewed Diane Von Furstenberg who said, "I met a very interesting woman, and she said that there are two types of survivors: the ones who did not die, and the ones who live. There will be those who will always remember and be the victim, and ones who just won't. You have to go on, you have to learn, and you have to heal. Resentment and holding on to the past is so toxic." page 199
One thing that that has been reinforced over the last six months of reading is that we have much more control in our own hands to determine our future than we realize. Positive thinking and choosing to move forward won't be an automatic ticket to being as rich as Bill Gates or as successful as whoever the "it" person is today, but it will be a huge factor in determining our personal trajectory. Will we be someone worthy of emulation? Will we be worth following? Will we be someone who is held up as a positive example? How will our lives impact those coming behind us?
I highly recommend this book to you. There was a lot to chew on, but it wasn't an overwhelming read. Pull out your library card and check out this book today!
Until next time...
Please allow me to use some quotes from her book to whet your appetite:
"Every time I speak, I talk about how each one of us goes through his or her own trials. I try to tell people that it's not what happens to us that makes us who we are, but how we react, the choices we make moving forward. It doesn't matter what our current struggle is; it's what we do about it. But there's a long road between knowing that and putting it into practice." page 67
Ms. Smart interviewed Diane Von Furstenberg who said, "I met a very interesting woman, and she said that there are two types of survivors: the ones who did not die, and the ones who live. There will be those who will always remember and be the victim, and ones who just won't. You have to go on, you have to learn, and you have to heal. Resentment and holding on to the past is so toxic." page 199
One thing that that has been reinforced over the last six months of reading is that we have much more control in our own hands to determine our future than we realize. Positive thinking and choosing to move forward won't be an automatic ticket to being as rich as Bill Gates or as successful as whoever the "it" person is today, but it will be a huge factor in determining our personal trajectory. Will we be someone worthy of emulation? Will we be worth following? Will we be someone who is held up as a positive example? How will our lives impact those coming behind us?
I highly recommend this book to you. There was a lot to chew on, but it wasn't an overwhelming read. Pull out your library card and check out this book today!
Until next time...
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