The gist of Shauna Niequist’s message could be written on the back of a matchbook: Love yourself. If you aren’t going to truly love yourself, then how will you live? That’s what the rest of the book is about. Writing in the calming tones of a smart and kind older sister, she avoids the sentimentality that could easily ruin such a message.
Instead Niequist draws on a wide range of literary and cultural sources to buttress her lessons, from poet Mary Oliver to rock group Florence + the Machine, Shakespeare, Rumi, the Indigo Girls and the Bible. None is more relevant than the quote she attributes to F. Scott Fitzgerald: “I hope you live the life you are proud of. If you find that you are not, I hope you have the strength to start all over again.”
Related: If You’re Not Happy, You’re Not Successful—So Enjoy the Journey!
Present Over Perfect
By Shauna Niequist
August; Zondervan; $23
This article originally appeared in the August 2016 issue of SUCCESS magazine.
