Synopsis:
The Power of You Series
Yes-YOU Matter, YOU Are Enough is about celebrating your life and understanding and creating your value, while building confidence and resiliency.
The cover was designed with interlocking and layering lines to illustrate the many interrelated paths in our lives that give us the opportunity to change our direction at any time. This design reflects a journey toward self-reliance and resilience, encouraging us to embrace our true selves and build a strong inner foundation.
This is the book that will always remind you that:
YES-I MATTER, I AM ENOUGH.
For those of a certain age, reading YES - YOU MATTER, YOU ARE ENOUGH will channel memories of Daily Affirmations with Stewart Smalley (IYKYK). While initially, the target audience seems mature middle-school-aged to high-school-aged kids, this mom of five sent photos of selected pages to her thirty-something kids, and found a few pages that seemed eerily apropos and relevant to her nearly sixty-year-old self.
Early on, YES - YOU MATTER, YOU ARE ENOUGH shifts from pure pump-you-up motivation towards a self-help angle. With questions and topics posed and space given for readers to write responses, the level of reflection and introspection required lends itself to the book being beneficial for older readers as well. People going through relationship or job challenges, or even letting go of a friendship that has run its course, will benefit from the guidance provided. Don’t be intimidated - it’s not full-on journaling. There are checklists and even circle-yes-or-no sections that feel less pressured.
“Any time YOU feel sorry for yourself, reach out and help someone else instead. You will immediately feel better.”
The recurring emphasis on YOU, always all in caps, encourages readers to accept themselves, warts and all. YES - YOU MATTER, YOU ARE ENOUGH addresses life’s naysayers and how one must stay true to oneself and one’s path or purpose. Yet it also reminds readers that sometimes self-help and self-growth starts with gratitude, looking out for and helping others, and taking responsibility for not only consequences but decisions.
“If we don’t love, respect, and value ourselves, how do we teach others to love, respect, and value us?”
Rather than a one-sitting, cover-to-cover read, taking the book in chunks allows time for reflection and synthesizing of concepts, without being overwhelmed with trying to tackle and resolve every challenge. Pages get wordier as the book progresses, but the author doles out the advice appropriately, building up to the bigger, more complex hurdles in life.
There are not chapters, but the repeated, “Just remember, YOU matter. YOU are enough,” pages are dropped regularly throughout the book at critical moments remind the reader to take a break and breathe and think. There are a few shifts to the narrator intruding with first person opinions instead of general ones, which could be off putting or even preachy for kids (or adults) who are tired others telling them what to do. But this is a minor quibble in a stellar, valuable book that counselors, clergy, and teachers should keep multiple copies on hand.
“Celebrate YOU today, tomorrow, and forever.”
Well-designed, well-written, and well-edited, YES- YOU MATTER, YOU ARE ENOUGH offers just the right dose of motivation for anyone. Whether you’re experiencing self-doubt, some life confusion, or just feeling a little adrift in the world, YES- YOU MATTER, YOU ARE ENOUGH is sure to provide a beacon of light for readers.
Author Bio:
JOIN IN ON THE GIVEAWAY
Can't see the giveaway? Click Here!
Tour Participants:
Visit these other great hosts on this tour for more great reviews, and opportunities to WIN in the giveaway!
Get More Great Reads at Partners In Crime Tours
I love this review! And I loved this book! :-) I like books like this anyway. This was a fun one and very personal and helpful. I read it way too fast. I am looking forward to taking it slower next time and meditating on each page and quote. This was my favorite one ~ "We are meant to reach out to one another in friendship, respect, love, compassion, and without hate, judgement, jealousy, or envy."
ReplyDeleteThanks! I loved it too, and agree that the reminder that focusing outward is just as important as focusing on oneself. This is one that I'll read again and savor.
Delete