BOOK REVIEWS – Surobi Scribbles

‘Steal Like An Artist’ Book Review | People Must Read This

Surobi Mohammed — Sat, 13 May 2023 21:10:04 +0000

One of the things I am so grateful for doing every single day is starting my own blogs, podcasts and having my own platforms on the Internet. Not only are there so many benefits to doing this, but I also believe that it has taught me many of the lessons that most people learn when they are in their mid-late 20s. Some of these lessons were beautifully encapsulated in this book which is ‘Steal Like An Artist’ by Austin Kleon. Here are some of the highlights and my book review on this book:

What the book is about:

The book is about learning that no work is 100% original and you can take others’ ideas, repackage them and put your own spin and share it with the world. This book encourages one to start building their brand.

What it has taught me:

Do the work you want to see done.

The whole manifesto and summary of the book is this: you should do the work you want to see in society. If you feel that there is a lack of representation in the self development community, start something in that area. If you want to see more book reviews, start a book review channel. There is a huge difference between stealing and theft.

Creative people need time to just sit around and do nothing.

This might seem counterproductive but it is true. The book suggests allowing yourself to have time off with no distractions because that is when you can get ideas for your projects. Allow yourself to get bored at times.

Keep all your passions in your life and let them talk to each other.

This is different advice to what I normally hear as normally, people say you should only pick two-three of your hobbies to do and discard the rest. However, the author suggests that you keep all of your passions. Let them talk to each other and something will begin to happen.

Do good work and share it with people.

In the beginning you won’t be known but that is a good thing because you are experimenting. But as you grow, your work will become better and the more you share it with people, the more you will be known.

Ask ‘what can I fill this with?’

Austin says in the book: ‘Whenever I have become lost over the years, I just look at my website and ask myself, what can I fill this with?’ You have control on how much to share and how much to reveal.

The best way to get approval is to not need it.

Follow the best people online and pay attention to their work. Send them fan letters and if you truly love somebody’s work, you shouldn’t need a response from them. Make something and dedicate it to them by either answering a question they have, solving a problem for them or improving on their work and sharing it online.

Make a praise file.

Don’t be scared of hate. Get comfortable with being misunderstood or ignored because the trick is to be too busy doing your work to care. Store all the nice messages from people in a file. When you need motivation or when you need a boost, look at that file.

Take care of yourself because you need to conserve your energy.

Conserve energy to do the important things. Austin mentions taking care of yourself by managing your time in a yearly box calendar, having a day job and learning about money.

The way to get over a creative block is to simply place some constraints on yourself.

Challenge yourself to write in your lunch break. Build a machine out of spare parts. This will help to think outside of the box and this can lead to some great successes.

You must embrace your limitations and keep moving.

Often, what artists leave out is what makes the art interesting. You don’t have all the experiences, and therefore, you should embrace what you do have and choose wisely.

What I like about this book:

I love how in the foreword, the author states that this book is a collage of other people’s ideas. This makes it incredibly special because it has so much richness and variety with different artists and creators’ quotes, perspectives and discoveries. According to an editor, a successful book cannot venture to be more than 10% new. And that is because the old ideas work and are more accepted. This is what this book encapsulates and I love the message.

What I dislike about this book:

This is not even a dislike but I wish the author had put all the rest of the information he initially wanted to put into the book. The book was short and quick to read, but due to the ‘curse of knowledge’ I knew some of these ideas already. I would have loved to see some more chapters.

I guess there were also many quotes where there could have been more detail but it is very concise and straight to the point for those who don’t like reading.

But these are some minor improvements.

My Rating: 5/5

This book is for anyone who wants to build a brand, become more creative or wants the confidence to share their work with the world! If you are a creative individual, this book is for you!

Where to buy the book from (not sponsored):

I hope you have enjoyed reading this article. This link is not sponsored. Comment down below if you have read the book too. If you enjoyed this article, please check out my other articles too!

Thank you for reading, and have a lovely day!

‘The Four Agreements’ Book Review / Is This The Secret To Success?

Surobi Mohammed — Fri, 03 Mar 2023 19:59:55 +0000

What if you had a set of rules you can always follow, in any situation, that can improve your life? Would you want some pieces of advice that could make you happier? I decided to pick up the book ‘The Four Agreements’ which distilled four rules that one should follow. Did I agree with them?

Disclaimer: As always, pick what advice best fits and suits you. You choose what to believe in. I also picked the advice that I wanted to believe in!

What this book is about:

This book discusses four agreements that can help improve your life.

What it has taught me:

For the summary, the four agreements are: Be impeccable with your word, don’t take anything personally, don’t make assumptions and always do your best.

Be Impeccable With Your Word

The book describes that impeccability is without sin. A sin is anything that you do which goes against yourself and the biggest sin is self rejection. Examples of sin are when you feel or believe or say anything that goes against yourself. When you are impeccable with your word, you take responsibility for your actions but you don’t blame yourself.

In terms of when you are interacting with others, the book states that whenever you hear an opinion and believe it, we make an agreement and it becomes part of our belief system. The only thing that can break this is to make a new agreement based on truth.

You can measure the impeccability of your word by your level of self love. How much you love yourself and how you feel about yourself are directly proportionate to the quality and integrity of the word.

Don’t Take Anything Personally

The best way to sum this up is the following statement from the book: ‘Nothing other people do is because of you. It is because of themselves.’ If someone says something negative to you that is part of their agreement and belief system, and you choose to believe it, then you take that poison and it becomes yours.

If someone is not treating you with love and respect, it is a gift if they walk away from you.

Don’t feel the need for acceptance and validation, know who you are.

To know who you are, making an inventory of our agreements will help uncover the conflicts in the mind.

Don’t Make Assumptions

We make assumptions because it is not important if the answer itself is correct, just the answer itself makes us feel safe.

The way to keep yourself from making assumptions is to ask questions clearly. Have the courage to ask questions so it can be as clear as possible but even then you cannot assume because you will never know the whole story.

Always Do Your Best

Yes, always do your best but your best is never going to be the same from one moment to the next.

Taking action is being alive.

Our existence is the proof that God exists. We were born with the right to be happy, to love, to enjoy and to share love. The best way to love God is to live your life doing your best.

You can make this agreement today by telling yourself: ‘I choose to honour The Four Agreements.’

You can make the choice today if you want to follow these Four Agreements.

What I like about this book:

This book contained some new ideas that I had not known before. This made it quite interesting to read and I liked the order of how the lessons were arranged.

What I dislike about this book:

I did think that some of the lessons and ideas were repeated quite a few times, which to some can make them lose focus with the book. Also, I didn’t like the references to black magic throughout the book as that is a serious topic and it was taken quite lightly. Of course, I am also not a fan of Toltec Wisdom as I am Muslim. But overall, the book contained some good lessons.

My Rating: 4/5

This book is for anyone who wants to improve themselves! So I would recommend this book to anyone.

Where to buy the book from (not sponsored):

The Four Agreements: Practical Guide to Personal Freedom: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom (A Toltec Wisdom Book)by Don Miguel Ruiz

I hope you have enjoyed reading this article. This link is not sponsored. Comment down below if you have read the book too. If you enjoyed this article, please check out my other articles too!

Thank you for reading, and have a lovely day!

Daring Greatly Book Review / Is Being Vulnerable Attractive?

Surobi Mohammed — Sun, 22 Jan 2023 20:21:35 +0000

Nowadays, if you are too vulnerable you are seen to be dramatic and a big attention seeker. But some might say you are being authentic. And if you are not vulnerable enough, you can block your dreams and find it harder to create lasting relationships. Perhaps the book ‘Daring Greatly’ is the key to teach us the balance and the power of vulnerability, and I will be sharing my review on this book.

Disclaimer: As always, pick what advice best fits and suits you. You choose what to believe in. I also picked the advice that I wanted to believe in!

What this book is about:

This book really encompasses the ideas behind the vulnerability that one feels when dealing with change. Brene discusses how many people develop shame for being vulnerable and how vulnerability can actually be a good thing.

What it has taught me:

Vulnerability is an emotion that one faces when they are in fear and opening themselves to disappointment or anger.

Vulnerability can be so many things, for example being a beginner at something. To become vulnerable, you need to be able to identify what is stopping you from being vulnerable and share our feelings and our experiences with people who have earned the right to hear them. Then, you can know yourself and be able to articulate your boundaries to anyone.

There are ten guideposts to Wholehearted Living (engaging in our lives from a place of worthiness/ facing uncertainty, exposure, and emotional risks, and knowing that I am enough)

This is a brilliant list and some of the guideposts include cultivating gratitude and cultivating calm and stillness in order to be able to live through Wholehearted Living.

Scarcity is a problem of this world.

The world, including social media and consumerism, makes one believe that they are not enough because they don’t have enough things. This creates scarcity and that’s why a lot of people are not confident and cannot be vulnerable. Give up this scarcity mindset to be more successful. Examples of beating scarcity nclude learning new things, exercising in public or getting fired.

Think of friendships as marble jars

Being vulnerable builds trust and you can only be vulnerable with someone when you trust them. When you befriend someone, be cautious and start slowly with what you tell them. If they portray that they are trustworthy, add marbles to their jar and you can be more vulnerable. If they are not trust worthy, you can stop being vulnerable with them.

Shame is a common emotion (the intensely painful feeling or experience of believing that we are flawed and therefore unworthy of love and belonging.)

Guilt – I did bad

Shame – I am bad

Embarrassment – something too common but you are not alone/the only one who has faced this so it will pass

Guilt is positive while shame is destructive

Many also have a victim or Viking mindset. To fix this issue, develop shame resilience. We judge people in areas that we are vulnerable to shame, especially picking folks who are doing worse than what we are doing, so be aware of what you judging others on. Worthiness is my birth right and you have to remember this to develop shame resilience.

A woman’s weakness is motherhood and a man’s weakness is to be perceived as weak.

One of the studies that Brene discusses in the book is the study on the weaknesses of men and women. The top weakness for both men and women is looks. After looks, the second weakness for women is motherhood and whether they can be good mothers. This is because of the stereotypes that women are told from a young age. For men, the second weakness is to be perceived as weak. As women, we should allow men to express themselves but also keep our own boundaries.

Foreboding joy, perfectionism and numbing are the three armors of vulnerability.

Many people try to stop feeling vulnerable by using these three armours.

To fix this:

Gratitude is the antidote of foreboding joy (the feeling that everything is too good to be true)

Own your stories and be able to talk about your failures to beat perfectionism (the feeling that you need to be perfect).

Feel your feelings to avoid numbing your emotions.

Leaders find potential in processes and people.

Leaders are important and they are those who are vulnerable enough to take responsibility for the team and have faith that there is always potential, hope and strategy for a team to succeed.

Be the parent you want your children to be.

For all the prospective parents out there, the best way to parent your child is to implement whatever you are trying to teach them. For example, Brene says in the book:

I do want to live by my values and it’s okay to be imperfect and make mistakes in this house. We just need to make it right when we can.

What I like about this book:

This book distilled a lot of evidence and research behind each point which was very insightful and made the book interesting and unique. Also, it contained some unique ideas, such as the fact that everyone has felt shame before in their lives.

What I dislike about this book:

It was quite a long book and I believe it was due to the in-depth explanation behind each case study and survey so perhaps that could be shortened. Also the book swayed into different directions later on, such as parenting. However, overall, it was an uncommon book to read.

My Rating: 4/5

This book is one for anyone to read because everyone wants to achieve goals, but you have to dare greatly to achieve these goals. So therefore, I feel that everyone should read this book! I also found it easy to read and it flowed quite well so hopefully it will not be a hard read for anyone.

Where to buy the book from (not sponsored):

Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Leadby Brené Brown

I hope you have enjoyed reading this article. This link is not sponsored. Comment down below if you have read the book too. If you enjoyed this article, please check out my other articles too:

Thank you for reading, and have a lovely day!

‘Who Moved My Cheese?’ by Dr Spencer Johnson / The Best Book I Read in 2022?

Surobi Mohammed — Wed, 28 Dec 2022 12:12:08 +0000

Hello everyone! I recently picked up this book ‘Who Moved My Cheese?’ and it sounded pretty amusing. However, given that it was a self-help book, I decided to read it. I ended up reading this book so fast, not only because it was short but because it was so interesting and well composed! In this article, I will be reviewing this book, as well as sharing some of the lessons I learnt along the way.

Disclaimer: As always, pick what advice best fits and suits you. You choose what to believe in. I also picked the advice that I wanted to believe in!

What this book is about:

This book ‘Who Moved My Cheese?’ is a business fable based around mice but also how we can incorporate this message into our daily lives and businesses. It is based on two mice, Sniff and Scurry, who are normal mice, as well Hem and Haw who are mouse-size humans. The Cheese is the metaphor for what we want and the book describes how to deal with change.

What it has taught me:

It would be more helpful to read the book and the story before the lessons as it will make more sense if you do

From Sniff and Scurry: Don’t overanalyze or overcomplicate things. When the Cheese moved, they changed and moved with the cheese. Laugh and move on.

In life, after we have reached/accomplished one goal, you will have the next one. Many people want to achieve their goals but don’t realise that great goals are achieved with great change. You need to take calculated risks in order to achieve goals. For example, if you lose your job, instead of being upset for too long, sniff out the situation and see the change early. Go into action immediately.

From Haw: Envision yourself in detail and use your past mistakes to learn from them for your future.

Haw eventually found the cheese and he did that using logic and rationale, which is what us humans are better at doing than animals. We have been blessed with brains, so Haw used his mind to envision himself with the New Cheese and he kept things simple by trying new routes, remembering which routes were wrong and then moving quickly. Having a goal motivates you to keep going.

From Haw: Challenge your irrational fears by trying and leaving negative energy and document your lessons.

Some fear is good to keep you out of danger but most fears are irrational and stop you from changing. You can eliminate these fears by trying constantly and letting go of people that do not want to see you change e.g. Hem. The change might be a blessing in disguise so Haw ensured he did small changes, and everytime he learnt something new, he would write it on the walls. This may have also helped Hem out.

From Haw: Always have options and be aware of your surroundings.

Even though Haw got the new Cheese, he often went out in the Maze and explored new areas to stay in touch with what was happening around him. It was safer to be aware of his real choices rather than isolate himself in his comfort zone. Therefore, once you have achieved something, celebrate and enjoy your achievements but also remember to be aware of other opportunities and goals.

From Hem: Stop victimising yourself.

Don’t feel like a victim when something is taken away. Don’t blame others. You have to move on, otherwise someone else will be winning because they were able to adapt to change quicker. Ask yourself: ‘what do we need to let go of and what do we need to move on to?’ This could also be applied to relationships or your behaviour with someone and ‘New Cheese’ could be letting go of old behaviour. Savour the adventure and move with the Cheese.

What I like about this book:

This book was so simple, easy to understand yet taught so many new lessons! I loved how the last chapter also had examples of where people used the lessons from this simple fable on mice with the real life situations, from their businesses to their relationships. It was short, sweet and succinct.

The possible improvements to the book:

Honestly, this is one of the books where there is not much I wish this book had. Perhaps, there was a lot of repetition in the book, but this was to reiterate the points so it is fine.

My Rating: 5/5

This book is a book I would recommend to any age group and it is so simple to read! I would recommend you also think about how you can apply these lessons to your own life as well! This is definitely one of the best books I read this year.

Where to buy the book from (not sponsored):

Who Moved My Cheese?

I hope you have enjoyed reading this article. This link is not sponsored. Comment down below if you have read the book too. If you enjoyed this article, please check out my other articles too:

Thank you for reading, and have a lovely day!

The 100 Simple Secrets of Happy People By David Niven / Book Reviews 2022

Surobi Mohammed — Sun, 23 Oct 2022 06:35:02 +0000

Hello everyone! As I am now picking up my books to read, I came across one that I am really interested in – happiness! Happiness is an emotion that everyone wants to have, but the ways that people attain happiness can differ. So I picked up the book ‘The 100 Simple Secrets of Happy People’ and this is how it went. I did not read this book cover-to-cover, rather I skipped to read the lessons that I found intriguing and unique to read.

Disclaimer: As always, pick what advice best fits and suits you. You choose what to believe in. I also picked the advice that I wanted to believe in!

What this book is about:

This book ‘The 100 Simple Secrets of Happy People’ distils 100 perspectives from 100 people on their top advice to be happy. I found this intriguing and as expected, many of the advice given were the most basic cliche advice such as ‘smile’ or ‘exercise’ which are important but I only read the advice I thought was unique and profound.

What it has taught me:

Limit yourself to thinking about one subject as you lie down to sleep

This was a very interesting piece of advice which I think the majority of people do not follow. Better sleepers are 25% more satisfied with life than poor sleepers. Therefore, in order to get that sleep, we should get to sleep as quickly as possible. This can be done by only thinking about one thing e.g. just your family and nothing else.

Don’t let your entire life hinge on one element.

I really like how this statement was phrased. And it is absolutely true. Diversify your hopes by building your hopes around many things that are important to you. You should be able to enjoy the different aspects of your life, without becoming too dependent on one thing. In a nutshell, don’t let only one thing define you.

Learn to use a computer.

This is more for the senior citizens out there but learning to use a computer not only provides a great experience of technology but also it has been proven to increase the self esteem and satisfaction by five percent for senior citizens.

Never trade your morals for your goals

I am a strong believer of this lesson and have been following this for so long! It is very easy when times get difficult for your goals to just do immoral things but that is not going to help you. An example given in the book is of a student who got into Yale but by faking his whole application – from his activities to his letters of recommendation. Even though he was doing well at university, he had to confess his mistakes because he felt that his achievements would be predicated on lies. So live guilt-free by never cheating and always following your morals!

How we see the world is more important than how the world is

Such a great tip that so many people need to know in this day and age! Everything in this life is a matter of perspective and as I said at the start of the article: you choose what to believe in.

What I like about this book:

I love how so many different perspectives of happiness and how to attain happiness were given in the book. It made me feel very impressed with how regardless of your background or culture, everyone usually follows the simplest advice to be happy such as believing in yourself.

The possible improvements to the book:

Each lesson had a very short explanation on it which is good for readers who don’t like reading very much but for an avid reader like me, I would have wanted a bit more explanation on each lesson and perhaps a link between each chapter.

My Rating: 3/5

This book was really good at showing different perspectives yet, it was more of a skim read rather than a full book to read, when I prefer reading books back-to-back.

Where to buy the book from (not sponsored):

The 100 Simple Secrets of Happy People

I hope you have enjoyed reading this article. This link is not sponsored. Comment down below if you have read the book too. If you enjoyed this article, please check out my other articles too:

Thank you for reading, and have a lovely day!

‘Girl, Wash Your Face’ by Rachel Hollis / Book Reviews 2022

Surobi Mohammed — Sun, 04 Sep 2022 07:58:35 +0000

Hello everyone! After reading Trust by Iyanla Vanzant, I felt so excited and pumped to read another self development book. I started reading ‘Girl, Wash Your Face’ as it was available and it is usually on the list of the best self-help books. In this article, I will be sharing whether it really is one of the best self-help books and if I would recommend it to you all.

What this book is about:

This book is about all the lies that women tell themselves and how to break free from these lies and instead start to be happy. The main takeaway of this book is that:

‘You, and only you, are ultimately responsible for who you become and how happy you are.’

What it has taught me:

Seasons will inevitably feel out of control, but those moments should be brief. Choose to return to a place of happiness.

Negative emotions are inevitable, but are temporary. You can choose to return to a place of happiness and gratitude again. If you do choose to be happy and have faith, regardless of where you are and what’s happening, you will be happy. When you really want something, you will find a way. When you don’t really want something, you’ll find an excuse.

To stop judging others and reduce arrogance, admit that nobody is immune.

Everyone has their own beliefs and opinions, so stop judging others based on your own beliefs.

Be ready to walk away, and set the standards that you want.

In the book, the author describes a relationship she went through, and how it was very bad in the beginning, but walking away really helped. Also, to examine your relationship and imagine someone else describing their relationship to you. Would you feel good hearing it?

Don’t give up in your dreams/goals just because someone said no, it is too difficult or too long. It’s about who you become on your way to that goal.

Rejection is inevitable and just because you get a no, doesn’t mean to someone else it will still be a no. This is all happening for you, so never give up and keep trying your best. Don’t give up because your goals are too difficult and too long. Otherwise, you will see someone else achieve your dreams and enjoy it. When you go through your journey, you are becoming that person. Every single moment is preparing you for the next.

You cannot control the actions of others. Nobody will ever care about your dream as much as you. Someone else’s opinion of you is none of your business.

It is entirely up to you to make the dream come into fruition. Because you are worthy of not letting your past dictate your future. Don’t let someone else’s opinion of you determine your worth. So imagine your dreams in intricate detail, and keep working on them.

Find the peace within God and embrace the madness.

Sometimes, life will get mad, and of course, you should try your best to fix them and balance everything but keep faith in God, and that there is beauty in the chaos. Someone else is praying to have the kind of chaos you are crying about currently.

You choose what to believe in.

The author says how she does not believe that readers of this book are going to take every single thing in these pages as gospel. And that is absolutely true. I am not going to follow every single advice in this book, I will pick and select what is right for me.

Seeking the truth is powerful.

Find the courage to be honest on who you really are. You can also surround yourself with other people who are also honest about their feelings and tell you how they overcame those setbacks. Seek out this community.

You need to be a healthy weight.

For all the ladies who care too much about their weight, you just need to be healthy. You don’t need to be thin. You don’t need to be a certain size. Just take care of yourself.

What I like about this book:

The author was quite funny and very motivational. She really pushes any girl to face themselves and start working on their dreams, rather than hiding themselves from all the pain.

The possible improvements to the book:

Of course, the book had a variety of topics on it from goals to motherhood to marriage. Some topics did not relate to me, so if you are too young, watch out for those chapters and as always, take what advice relates to you (that’s what I did)!

My Rating: 4/5

This book was great but again, as there wasn’t anything completely new here, I could only give it a 4/5.

Where to buy the book from (not sponsored):

I hope you have enjoyed reading this article. This link is not sponsored. Comment down below if you have read the book too. If you enjoyed this article, please check out my other article too:

https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwjWrqXP0_r5AhWklFwKHVTwBu8QFnoECAUQAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.co.uk%2FGirl-Wash-Your-Rachel-Hollis%2Fdp%2F1400201659&usg=AOvVaw1Gz32hYqieX7WbmjfvuLZP

Thank you for reading, and have a lovely day!

Trust By Iyanla Vanzant Book Review

Surobi Mohammed — Sun, 28 Aug 2022 21:42:56 +0000

Hello everyone! This summer, I had the chance to read a new self development book and learn more about this beautiful world around us. This is why I decided to pick up the book ‘Trust’ by Iyanla Vanzant, which encapsulates how to master the four trusts in life – in self, in God, in others and in life. So did I enjoy the book? And was it useful?

What this book is about:

This book is about focuses on how to trust yourself, trust God, trust others and trust in life. It is also coupled with many examples and life experiences of others who needed trust in their own lives and how to obtain it.

What it has taught me:

Practise trusting every single day.

Trust is a muscle that needs to be built on a daily basis through spiritual practise. You will come to a point where you know that no matter where you are in life, you will be okay.

You build self trust (having confidence in yourself) by listening to your gut and following it.

You need to heal in order for this voice to give you the best interests to you. And every time it goes right, remind yourself to celebrate the good that you have achieved.

Learn what advice to ignore and take in to build self trust.

Again, listen to your gut and if it doesn’t feel right to you, don’t act on it. Don’t give into the nasty voice.

Feel your emotions.

That way, the emotions can pass and you won’t have any unmet needs. By doing this, you can feel safer and happier.

Create boundaries

Boundaries tell people that you are willing to take care and honour yourself.

Speak and stand in your truths

There will be people in life who will criticise you, especially when you make mistakes. But realise that everything will be okay and speak the truth firmly from what you know. This includes being honest to yourself and keeping your own promises.

The four human realities that keep us from believing in God is fear, doubt, disbelief and disobedience.

Make sure to stay away from these emotions and strengthen your trust in God every day.

Stop trying to make God small and human.

The book discusses how most people who disbelieve in God try to limit God’s potential and compare Him to human qualities. God is not human so don’t limit him like that.

Seasons change.

Life gives you different seasons to learn from them so whenever the season changes in life, stop blaming God.

We are all worthy of the things that we seek from God so pray and trust God.

This is how you can attract the good into your life.

Trust yourself to get through the pain of disappointment and betrayal when people violate yourself. This is how you will trust others.

Stop mistrusting others. When you do the above, things get much easier. When you have your own voice, it is easy to rely on yourself and choose which advice to consider that others say.

When people show you who they are, believe them the first time.

Trust yourself to not give a second chance to someone if it doesn’t feel right. People will show you their true colours and you will learn of they are trustworthy, that is the point of life. Know why you trusted them in the first place.

Forgive yourself for the mistakes you committed in the past.

Self forgiveness is key for self trust.

What you draw to you on the outside is a reflection of your inside.

If you attract positive people, it says a lot about you. It also work for negative people too.

Be clear with what you are doing and why.

It is so important to get clarity.

Trust the process and yourself because you are worthy of your own time, energy, attention and love.

You will be okay.

What I like about this book:

I already knew all of these lessons but having them established and explained thoroughly and filled with stories really helped me to see these ideas come to life.

The possible improvements to the book:

There were many stories which made the book very lengthy and many lessons are simple and repeated. But then again cliches are cliches for a reason

My Rating: 4/5

This book is great for hope, self improvement and learning more about yourself.

Where to buy the book from (not sponsored):

I hope you have enjoyed reading this article. This link is not sponsored. Comment down below ether you have read the book too. If you enjoyed this article, please check out my other article too:

https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwjiuevBv-r5AhWGNcAKHeMdAycQFnoECBEQAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.co.uk%2FTrust-Mastering-Essential-Trusts-Others%2Fdp%2F1401952178&usg=AOvVaw3R76U7pfi4I7CoUMQxCAiv

Thank you for reading, and have a lovely day!

Loving Yourself To Great Health Book Review

Surobi Mohammed — Sun, 17 Apr 2022 23:47:30 +0000

As a person who is constantly in the look out for self development and self help books that will help me to improve myself, it was not a surprise when I went to the library one day and this book caught my eye. It was the book ‘Loving Yourself to Great Health’, written by Louise Hay, Ahlea Khadro and Heather Dane. I read this book but did I find it useful to help improve my life?

What this book is about:

This book is about how to heal your mind, body and spirit and change the way you think. It is all about how to take your health, your moods and energy to the next level. There are also effective strategies in the book to bring your body back into alignment with your mind, how nutrition plays a role and listening to your body.

What it has taught me:

The key to every problem is loving yourself.

This lesson is so powerful. As humans, we all have problems in our life but all of them can be solved by loving yourself more. Broke up with your best friend? Love yourself more. Got rejected by your dream university? Show yourself love and remember that you are worthy regardless. Got embarrassed on the bus today? Love yourself enough to move on. This is such an authentic and great message to always remember.

Autoimmune conditions occur when you do not listen to yourself enough.

Autoimmune conditions are diseases that happen when you don’t listen to yourself and when you criticise yourself so much that your cells attack itself. This is becoming more common nowadays, which shows that we need to go back to a place where we listen to ourselves more.

Three things to be connected to: family, small group of friends and spiritual group

Support is so important in your life to ensure you are enjoying your life and have people to lean on one another in times of hardship.

Affirmations and meditations that connect you to Earth can heal you.

There are some great examples of meditations in the book that help you to feel more grounded, because as a species that has evolved, we need nature to survive and get into the original world. So connect to nature from time to time.

Chapter 2 – Love yourself to better thoughts and nutrition

Loving yourself means changing your limiting thoughts. You need to tell and believe that you are worthy because it is 100% true.

When your body is sick, it is a way to return your body to love so think about nutrition and medical help.

Whenever you feel a symptom in your body e.g. a headache, remind yourself that this is your body telling you that you need to do something to show yourself love and heal it. E.g. a headache might mean you need more sleep or you need to reduce your stress. You need to make yourself feel good by eating healthy food and if you want to lose weight/eat healthier food, do it to feel good.

When manifesting your dream life, have no limitations, Write it down and feel as if you already have it.

Manifestation is powerful and is becoming a common practice among many people. Don’t limit your dreams and criticise or downplay them before even getting started. Write these dreams and goals as if you have already achieved them. Keep saying positive affirmations.

Chapter 3 – Learn more about digestion and food.

This book has a large emphasis and focus on food. The book delves deeper into the digestive system, Vitamin B12, and eating foods that help your gut.

Your gut and your brain is linked.

You need to have a healthy diet to feed your gut. Without a healthy diet, you will lose willpower.

Methylation and digestion are important.

Trust the process and fill your life with ease and love. Affirm that you can digest your life and food.

Chapter 4 – Listen to your gut.

Listen to your gut and inner voice. Some people dismiss the inner voice by listening to their temporary emotions instead. They also fear getting things wrong or taking the step their gut tells them to. Remember the more you doubt your gut, the more you will keep getting it wrong so trust your gut unconditionally. Affirmations and meditation can help with this.

Have a food diary

See what your body tells you and eliminate foods that don’t make you feel good. You deserve to feel your best.

Chapter 5 and above – know which foods will make you feel good

The book then provides a lot of information about foods that will help you to feel more good about yourself. There are recipes, foods to eat and avoid and so many more tips and advice for the kitchen.

What I like about this book:

This book was written beautifully and it felt so gentle and feminine to read this book. It really promotes self confidence by loving yourself more which I really enjoyed reading.

The possible improvements to the book:

Of course, there were some tips that I already knew but this book reiterated them to me. Also, the second half of the book was on recipes, and as a person who is not a huge fan of cooking, I didn’t explore these pages too much but it was interesting to read which foods to eat and avoid!

My Rating: 4/5

This book is amazing for anyone! It is good for those who want to heal and are on a road of self improvement and self love (like me!)

Where to buy the book from (not sponsored):

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Loving-Yourself-Great-Health-Louise-ebook/dp/B00KSF7VQI/ref=sr_1_1?crid=TSRYNB4QGP8W&keywords=loving+yourself+to+great+health&qid=1650238545&sprefix=loving+yourrrself+t%2Caps%2C176&sr=8-1

I hope you have enjoyed reading this article. This link is not sponsored. Comment down below whether you have read the book too. If you enjoyed this article, please check out my other articles too:

http://surobiscribbles.com/category/book-reviews/

Thank you for reading, and have a lovely day!

The Courage To Be Disliked by Ichiro and Fumitake Review

Surobi Mohammed — Sun, 13 Feb 2022 21:12:33 +0000

I love reading self-help books because they uncover so many truths about life. Last year, I read the book ‘The Courage To Be Disliked’ and I remember just being astounded with every page that I read – it all seemed so true yet unspoken about. I truly loved this book, and it was good bearing in mind that it was a philosophy/psychology book (as a person who is not a huge fan of philosophy).

Here is a review:

What this book is about:

This book is based on a discussion between a philosopher and a young man. But, wait, before you sign out, I just want to mention that this conversation flows and is easy to understand. It is highly insightful and it is all about allowing the young man to change his way of thinking that has been holding him back. These lessons allow individuals to be free, and to develop the courage to change to achieve happiness. Life is simple.

The book is split up into five nights.

What it has taught me:

The First Night

Teleology states that when you have a goal, you create symptoms.

This may be subconscious. For example, in the book, there is a story of a man who cannot leave his room because he feels afraid. The real deep reason for why he doesn’t leave is because it is the only way he gets attention from his parents. The fear of leaving the room is a symptom he created.

Trauma does not exist.

We determine our own lives according to the meaning we give to these past experiences.

People fabricate anger

You choose to be angry. For example, if you were having an argument with someone but then someone important e.g. the headteacher came, you can change your mood instantly and act nice towards the Headteacher. Anger was a choice.

‘No matter what has occurred in your life up to this point, it should have no bearing at all on how you live your life from now on.’

You can change now and don’t lack the courage to be happy.

The Second Night

Have interpersonal relationships that are horizontal not vertical (mentioned in fourth night)

Treat everyone equally and as comrades. Encouraging others can show a hierarchy so don’t praise or rebuke. This will stop feelings of inferiority or superiority and stop the power struggle.

There are three main tasks in your life.

These tasks are the tasks of work, friendship and love.

The Third Night

Freedom is when you have the courage to be disliked by others.

Do not live to satisfy the expectations of others. Don’t be afraid to be disliked by people.

Separation of tasks

Everyone has their own tasks and you should focus on yourself and on your own tasks. ‘Choose the best path that you believe in.’

The Fourth Night

The goal of interpersonal relationships is community feeling. Don’t be attached to yourself.

Have a community feeling around you. Attachment to self is when you focus on yourself and you are afraid of being judged. We are all connected to each other so you can be life’s protagonist.

To feel that you are worthy, be beneficial to the community.

You are irreplaceable and you do contribute to the community. You are important because if you disappeared, there would be at least one person in this world who would be upset by your loss.

‘People can be of use to someone else simply by being alive, and have a true sense of their worth just by being alive.’

Again, remember that we are all worthy due to our level of being.

The Fifth Night

‘Accept what is irreplaceable. Accept ‘this me’ just as it is. And have the courage to change what one can change.’

Self acceptance is key.

Have confidence and trust others.

Instead of having the mindset that you will be taken advantage of if you trust someone, trust the people who you want to have a good and close relationship with. If you don’t want to be friends, go ahead and cut that relationship off. At the end of the day, they choose to break your trust, but focus on your tasks and then cut off that bond if needed.

Workaholism is a life-lie.

You need to prioritise and balance all three tasks of life mentioned above.

‘To shine a spotlight on the here and now is to go about doing what one can do now, earnestly and conscientiously’.

You can enjoy the journey and have goals.

‘If I change, the world will change.’ ‘You should start.’

Get started with living a happy life, and have the courage to live a happy life. Life is simple.

What I like about this book:

This book had a few lessons I have never heard of. This made the book unique and interesting to read. The conversation made it easy to understand the ideas were constantly challenged by the young man, but also answered back.

The possible improvements to the book:

Some of the tips can get repetitive but I believe it is to reiterate and dispel any doubts of the book. The book is also quite formal so it may feel like you are reading an academic text, but to me, it was still quite fun to read.

My Rating: 5/5

This book is amazing for anyone! It is especially good for those people who have faced trauma or who want to find happiness in the simplest way possible! Even though I don’t agree with all the ideas in the book, I would recommend this book.

Where to buy the book from (not sponsored):

https://www.google.co.uk/aclk?sa=L&ai=DChcSEwicydKeyv31AhVV6-0KHYyHDwYYABAKGgJkZw&ae=2&sig=AOD64_3aoPaN_HgzQujlHtkoZ42r37fluQ&ctype=5&q=&ved=2ahUKEwivnsmeyv31AhWaQEEAHY83CQ4Q9aACegQIAhBJ&adurl=

I hope you have enjoyed reading this article. This link is not sponsored. Comment down below whether you have read the book too. If you enjoyed this article, please check out my other articles too:

http://surobiscribbles.com/category/book-reviews/

Thank you for reading, and have a lovely day!

I Watched 6 Seasons of Hetty Feather / Was It Worth It?

Surobi Mohammed — Mon, 30 Aug 2021 13:14:21 +0000

When I was a child, I was an avid reader of Jacqueline Wilson books and the first book and my instant favourite book was ‘Hetty Feather’. I also realised that there were episodes airing on CBBC. This summer as a GCSE student, I came back to looking back at my childhood and noticed that there was the full series of Hetty Feather available on BBC iPlayer for free! I ended up watching all 6 seasons and all 55 episodes were available. In this article, I will be reviewing this series, the lessons I learnt, my favourite and worst season, my favourite character, rating and whether I would recommend it.

Disclaimer: This article may contain spoilers so please take caution if you don’t want spoilers.

What is Hetty Feather?

‘Hetty Feather’ is originally a book written by Jacqueline Wilson, but it is also now a drama series. As per Wikipedia, it is:

Hetty Feather is a British children’s drama series, which focuses on the life of the title character who was abandoned as a baby, lives first in a Foundling Hospital in London, and later works as a maid for a rich family in their home. It is based on the book of the same name by Jacqueline Wilson. The first series aired from 11 May 2015 to 6 July 2015. The series began airing in the United States on BYUtv in 2018.^[1] Cast member Fern Deacon confirmed that the sixth series, accompanied by a feature-length special, would be the final series.

What Lessons Did I Learn?

I learnt so many lessons from this simple series. I loved that it contained the perfect hint of everything such as action, comedy, drama and romance. Here are the top 5 lessons I learnt:

Be proud of your identity.

Your identity is so special and this whole show is about Hetty trying to find out who she is and all the obstacles she overcame. I personally think that we should all be blessed to have parents/guardians and be proud of our roots because children like Hetty do not have that privilege.

Never give up.

Hetty is a big risk-taker (which I would not recommend all the time in real-life) and when she starts something she wants to finish it. Even though she usually gets into a lot of trouble, she eventually solves her problems. Therefore, I think you should always do what is best for you.

Stick together.

One of the famous quotes that a lot of foundlings say is ‘Us foundlings, we stick together.’ In real life, this relates to us because we should always seek support from our loved ones and help others when needed.

Forgiveness is key.

One thing that I have recognised is that Hetty and her true friends always forgive others, even if it is difficult. This allows them to grow as a community and progress in life, instead of keeping the burdens of the past. For example, Hetty forgives Blanche, Sheila and even Matron for all the bad behaviour they have committed. So, I think you should always forgive yourself and others for past mistakes.

Know your boundaries.

For example, Emily Calendar knows she wants to pursue Medicine, and even though she is about to give in to marry a guy that she does not like, she still deep down knows her boundaries and that she wants to become a doctor. Harriet also rejects Matthias when he goes and messes around and this makes him realise his mistake and chase her.

What Were My Favourite And Worst Seasons?

I thoroughly enjoyed all of the seasons to some degree which is why I finished it till the end.

But if I had to choose, I would pick Series 1 to be my favourite because it introduced everything so well, the character development was fabulous and it was so entertaining to see the different relationships between the characters.

I would say that the season I enjoyed the least would have to be Series 5 because I felt quite confused about the Dawn Star and thought it was a bit too complex than required. I didn’t really understand the meaning behind the star but altogether, I did enjoy the reunion of Lady Grenford with the gang.

Who Were My Favourite Characters?

I would say that my favourite character would have to be (drum roll….) Hetty (played by Isabel Clifton). Isabel played Hetty really well and she is a very feisty character who goes and pursues her dreams. She is also very helpful. However, she can make others and herself get into problems and trouble, and she can suppress her emotions.

I also enjoyed seeing the character of Sheila (played by Polly Allen) evolve. At the beginning, she is quite evil and even makes Hetty’s real mother get into trouble and leave the Foundling Hospital. This is very rude but in the Calendar Hall, she is so helpful possibly because she realises that she values relationships more than her position at work. Polly also played her wonderfully. One thing I didn’t really enjoy about Sheila was that she pursued the soldier and gave up her position too quickly which was unlike her.

The last character is Harriet. Harriet is so calm and soft and helpful at times too. She has her own boundaries (as I said above) and again played amazingly by Ava Mersen-O’Brien.

Rating: ⅘

I would highly recommend this series and wish that it had continued. Again, it contained a mixture of everything, full of twists and the actors played the characters really well. The reason why it is not a 5 is because Series 5 and 6 were a bit confusing and felt a bit rushed but nonetheless, the vast did an amazing job. All the details of the Victorian era were also beautifully portrayed here. I would recommend watching this series when you are free! I also think the movie is better than the book!

Those were some of the lessons that I learnt from ‘Hetty Feather’. I really hoped you enjoyed this little record of some of the lessons I learnt. I surely believe that if you look for value in something, you may find it, so the next time you watch a movie, try to see what you can learn from it.

Thank you so much for reading, and have a lovely day!