Loving What Is: Four Questions That Can Change Your Life by Byron Katie
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
When I started reading this book I had a very strange sense of deja vu until I remembered that the first chapter had been assigned as required reading in a previous course. I was glad that I had the opportunity to read the entire book, since the first chapter did hold some interesting points.
In this book the author introduces her concept The Work, which provides a person the ability to see reality for what it is, reduce cognitive confusion and make peace with the uncontrollable aspects in life. The author simplifies that which most of us spend too much time worrying about and provides the reader (beginning practitioner of this concept) with the permission to judge (ourselves and other people) in the comfort of the page in order to uncover stressful elements in one’s life.
Generally speaking, this book can be a good resource for finding peace within through the act of writing (non-creative/non fiction writing) and reducing stress. It is a book that needs to be treated like a manual, read and re-read as one familiarizes themselves with the steps and procedure of The Work.
Personally, chapters 7 and 9 contained the most value for me, someone who has been studying the field of (creative) writing for personal development, although up until chapter 7 the explanations and elaboration can seem a bit long winded and drawn out.
A word of caution: this concept is meant to aid in the acceptance of reality; however, I found the steps listed in the book may sometimes sound like an easy way into oblivion. Therefore, this concept is a process that needs time and practice.
Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone, who shows interest in the field of writing for personal development.
