Atomic Habits by James Clear

"Stress compounds...negative thoughts compound. The more you think of yourself as worthless or stupid or ugly, the more you condition yourself to interpret life that way." --James Clear, Atomic Habits

"Making a choice that is 1% better or 1% worse seems insignificant in the moment, but over the span of moments that make up a lifetime, these choices determine the difference between who you are who you could be. Success is the product of daily habits, not once-in-a-lifetime transformations. That said, it doesn't matter how successful or unsuccessful you are right now. What matters is whether your habits are putting you on the path toward success. You should be far more concerned with your current trajectory than with your current results." --James Clear, Atomic Habits

Mic drop here, pretty much. I mean wow and yasssss and praise hands.  

But I will add my thoughts...Thanks to @tshoxenreider and @thelazygenius and whoever else recommended this book. It met me in my time of need, (which apparently has been all my life because I never learned to develop habits.) I read and loved Charles Duhigg's The Power of Habit and loved it, but just as he claimed, Mr. Clear brilliantly took things to the next level of understanding and application. What I loved most: the foundation he laid for the importance of habits (in a sense, who you are is comprised of the things you regularly do, and the things you regularly do make you who you are); the insight that lack of autonomy diminishes willpower (so you can stay motivated by giving yourself choices, even small ones); and the practical advice for how to build habits--slowly and with such small steps that it's actually easy (I mean, that just might work!)

Will return to this one again and again. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫—I really, really liked it

May Reads

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
2.5 stars, rounded down
It started out quite charming. A few chapters in I was thrilled with what a delight this book would be: a likeable protagonist who loves books, a love story on the way, and just enough WWII info to make it feel not quite completely frivolous (but not enough to be a downer in this lighthearted, sweet book.) I was disappointed. I finished the book only because I was hoping that the ending would redeem it. Everyone said this book was so amazing, and usually I agree with the hype. In this instance, however, I think I just didn't have the suspension of disbelief required. I was not convinced of the easy, universal adoration that was gushed toward Juliet, and that her correspondents who hadn't even met her would share personal, traumatic details of the German occupation. (I had similar skepticism toward the idealized Elizabeth, and then waves of guilt for feeling so.) I furthermore was not convinced that the members of the literary society would be such good writers, and would all write in the same style. I found the love interest plot predictable but disappointing. I was not a fan of the manner in which the details of wartime were sprinkled throughout, only to accent the much lighter and inadequate plot, as if having survived such things just made the characters that much more endearing. By the time I finished, I was relieved it was over.
"Goodwill isn't nearly enough, is it, Juliet? Not nearly enough." --Dawsey

Emma
Of course picking this one up in the throes of a Pride & Prejudice hangover was unfair. To always be comparing Emma and her story to Elizabeth Bennet and hers is undoubtedly setting Emma up to disappoint. So let's phrase it this way: reading Emma made me more in love with P&P. Emma's naivete was initially sweet enough, but her slowness to learn grated on me. Emma's self-centeredness to the very end left her an unlikeable protagonist (which is HUGE). Emma contains many characters I also found grating. I'm sure it was set up as satire, but their dialogues would just go on and on, and I found the grating excessive. Austen is smart and witty, as always, but this one just doesn't shine.

The Gifts of Imperfection
More listy, but not as great as Daring Greatly. Probably says I still have a lot to learn about shame that I found the lists more deflating than inspiring. Still, so many good points. Such a needed voice.

None Like Him by Jen Wilkin

"So it has been ever since: human beings created to bear the image of God instead aspire to become like God...Rather than rest in the immutability of God, we pointed to our own calcified patterns and declare ourselves unchanging and unchangeable" (23).

"While God is not able to be fully known, he is able to be sufficiently known" (34).

"Because God is infinite, he is incomprehensible, unable to be fully known. Because humans are finite, we are able to be fully known. And the implications of our own knowability should change the way we live...Others...can't know us fully. One reason this is true is because we are masters at concealment, even from those we love and trust. We excel at showing our finer qualities while carefully tucking away our shortcomings. And because other people have a limited interest in plumbing the depths of our character, we can get away with it. "Man looks on the outward appearance," and is content to do so, being so typically intent on his own hidden issues that he has little time to concern himself with the hidden issues of his neighbor. No, our neighbor cannot know us, but far more concerning is that we do not and cannot fully know ourselves. "Who can discern his [own] errors?" (Ps. 19:12)" (35-36).

"God is not only an expert on God. He is also an expert on me" (37).

April 2019

The Invention of Wings (reread) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Still Waiting (reread) ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Courage, Dear Heart ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Daring Greatly ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I Think You’re Wrong (But I’m Listening) ⭐️⭐️⭐️
White Fragility ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 
Atomic Habits ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Courage, Dear Heart by Rebecca C Reynolds

"Then one day it hit me--dissecting the miraculous from the mundane isn't the primary goal of a believer. God is not sitting around waiting for me to give him credit for some divine activity that he's hidden inside obscurity. He's placed me inside a miraculous whole, a macro universe that operates according to his mind-blowing laws of biology, chemistry, and physics. Inside this miraculous whole, micro compressions of God's creative power--miraculous instances--sometimes display God's direct intervention. For example, on the same day that grapes grown by common grace were fermenting slowly in jugs (the miraculous whole), Jesus also turned one batch of water very quickly into wine (the miraculous instance). Both exist on the continuum of the divine creation. Both testify to our Father's involvement in the universe" (91).

"When the Bible speaks about fear--which is often--if speaks to all of this complexity. God knows your defaults. He knows your instincts. He knows your biology, your chemistry, your genetics, your experiences, ad your intellectual capacity. Every connection that occurs in your nervous system, every fluid released by every gland, every physiological reaction--from the lump in your throat to the drop of your stomach--is seen by the God who made you.
"This means that when JEsus comes to the believer saying, 'Do not fear,' he's not like humans who tell you not to worry. He understands what others cannot understand about us because he knows us back and forth, inside and out. He knows that for some of us, this is a command to walk on land, and for others, it's a command to walk on water" (93).

"So when feelings of fear, anxiety, or restlessness do hit, it's important to see them for what they are. They aren't indications that God has abandoned us. They aren't indications that we have messed up or that we are on the wrong track. They are emotions to address. That's all" (101).

"So if you struggle with fear while someone in your religious community brags about his or her boldness, don't let that comparison go too deep. This difference might not result from spiritual maturity so much as chemical capacity. And besides that, you serve a God who isn't limited by your fear. In fact, it's possible that your inborn sensitivity is vital to the specific work God has prepared for you" (102).

"So what if instead of shaming ourselves for our feelings, trying to pull ourselves up by our bootstraps and hating ourselves when we fail, we took time to admit the real truth of our situation to God? What if we just said, 'Lord, I am scared. I need some help with this fear'? This is a powerful step to take because the gospel isn't about working harder to prove ourselves--it's about the power of God living in incapable humans" (103).

March 2019

Eats Shoots and Leaves ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 
None Like Him ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 💫
The Path Between Us ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 
Swing ⭐️⭐️⭐️ 💫
Digital Minimalism ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 
Pride and Prejudice ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 
Where the Crawdads Sing ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

I love the idea of this, of opposing sides coming together for conversation rather than debate, of valuing the relationship more than winning. So many of the things Holland and Silvers said in the first third of the book that I read were quite true, even inspiring. But honestly, they are saying what I already intuitively know: we have a real situation with how polarized things are right now, and if anything is to improve, we need to listen with compassion and open-mindedness instead of self-righteousness and assuming the worst, and that most of us need to be more informed of the facts in general but it's tough to do that when most of the information reaching our ears is from pundits.

"Empathy does not equal endorsement."

"Judas both made a terrible mistake and remains beloved. Judas is both sinner and child of God just as we are." I'm with you when you say that I can value the sanctity of life AND value a woman and her body, but I'm not sure I agree on your theology there.