101 Essays that Will Change the Way You Think by Brianna Wiest is a collection of thought-provoking meditations that challenge conventional wisdom and offer new perspectives on life’s intricacies.
Wiest encourages readers to focus on finding a sense of meaning in their work and personal lives as opposed to solely pursuing passion which can often be fleeting.
She also introduces the concept of embracing negative thinking, suggesting that acknowledging and facing difficulties can lead to personal growth and resilience.
101 essays is too many for me to give a summary, so instead of 101, I have chosen 10+1 of the most powerful ideas.
Take responsibility for your thoughts and feelings
We were born into a world with entrenched customs and values, and as we grow, we pick up these values subconsciously or through deliberate instructions.
Society has mechanisms in place to shame and coerce us, as you might have learned at the dinner table or interactions on social media.
The question of how you can cope with this monoculture is where your journey starts, you have to recognise and take responsibility for your thoughts and feelings.
Your emotional base should come from inside you; disconnect them from the external distractions of daily life; understand that sometimes hurtful feelings have no cause and can be eliminated by focusing on something else. Feel the emotions that come along and then let them go.
Create a daily routine
Routine can be the direct opposite of a happy and adventurous life. Some of the most successful people we know have crafted daily routines that set them up to be titans in their fields.
Create a daily routine that guides you into a steady and familiar rhythm. It is the rhythm that puts us into a state of flow point where creativity seems to come effortlessly and endlessly. You craft your routine by recognising the small habits that keep your mind steady and calm and do that every single day it will help you find safety; eliminate anxiety, and kill procrastination.
Raise your happiness limit
Believe it or not, we do not want to be happy happy. We subconsciously create a baseline above which we become uncomfortable and slide back into an acceptable state of happiness. Think about it, do you remember times when you held back a celebration because you thought it would make your less-achieving friends uncomfortable.
That was your subconscious warning you about the dangers of standing out and becoming a threat but all we want to do is fit in. Wiest encourages readers to try to raise their happiness limit by holding onto that sweet feeling for longer; practicing gratitude, meditating, and letting it expand. We can be happy despite our circumstances.
It is a choice that is rooted in being your best self.
Let your creativity flow
We are all creative beings, we thrive when we attain a sublime state of expression whatever form we choose. Our hunter-gatherer ancestors still found the time to paint on rocks and caves despite the rugged lives they lived.
Humans cannot help themselves, we are always trying to observe and interpret our surroundings.
Allow your means of creative expression and work to flow, it does not have to be understood or accepted by anyone else.
It only needs you to enjoy doing it. Let it flow without judgment, do it for its own sake mindfully and repeatedly until it becomes a habit and an intuition.
Make your skills autonomous
How do you automate acquired skills to the point where they become as easy as breathing?
Wiest shows us a step-by-step path to genius. Learn all about the skill you are interested in and its application. Start to apply what you have learned and take note of your mistakes so you can improve upon them.
Try to recall all the separate parts that go into applying the skill as you do it. Then do it from memory because you are more likely to remember a series of events than one isolated incident. You will find that it becomes easier over time. The third phase will take you into autopilot, through repetition. It will feel easier and you will get into a state of flow as you subconsciously perform tasks.
Build your self-esteem
Remember what you learned about using your thoughts to control the way you feel. You can do the same to improve your self-esteem. Think of it as your ability to manage your affairs consciously and intentionally work and evaluate your skills, you will notice how your confidence grows over time through this process.
Set yourself high standards of morality, accountability, and ethics that are not dictated from outside but controlled by internal values and self-worth.
Learn to stand up for yourself in a way that is not defensive; defensiveness comes from fear.
You are not going to experience highs every single day but you will enjoy a sense of calm knowing that you are in control of your life.
Balance and purpose
We are advised to follow our hearts if we let our heads steer the ship. However, it is hard to understand where one starts and the other ends.
Passion may ignite a desire but will fade as you make progress. That is when the head starts to make sense.
Deliberate purpose will keep you focused and help you recognise and learn the skills that will accomplish daily tasks and grant you the courage to delay instant gratification.
Show gratitude for your small victories; calmness and grit of purpose.
Avoid distractions
In a famous essay, one enlightened philosopher described how being gifted a new scarlet dressing gown made him unhappy and drove him into debt. His older possessions became boring overnight, and he got rid of them to match the novelty of his new dressing gown.
If you have ever bought a dress and instantly thought about the shoes and bag that go with it, you get the point.
Ads, friends, and celebrities encourage us to buy more and more. It is such an elusive task trying to get satisfaction from a materialistic life but instead keep your mind focused on the things that matter.
Learn to rest
Learn to rest; sleep well; reflect and find the time to be laser-focused on required tasks. Often it is in the idle moments that our minds process events and problems while finding solutions.
Avoid judgment
Avoid judging people. This is especially important when it comes to younger people who are still trying to find their way in the world. We tend to suppress our feelings when we are judged. But this can often lead to stress and anxiety that pop up later in life.
Change your perspective
Finally, learn how to use the power of negative thinking to evaluate and improve your life. While you cannot control what the world gives you, you can choose how to play the hand life gives.
Instead of resisting negative thoughts, use these scenarios to contemplate how you deal with your fears and let them become a motivator.
Changing your perspective will also change the way you approach every hurdle in your life.
In conclusion, the point that Wiest is driving home is that most of our thoughts are inherited from the dominant culture around us.
To find your path you need to block the noise and learn to think on your own.
Consciously use your thoughts to decide what's important, this will change the way you feel about many things as you gain perspective.
It is easier to build a productive routine that will lay the foundation for your purpose and a healthy distance away from the whims of passion. You will find true fulfilment when your goals shift from the rush of the final achievement to the daily tasks. You will come to enjoy the daily tasks that will transform you into a creative force, as you start to function on autopilot.
Confidence in your ability to perform and manage your own life will improve your self-esteem, this is how you start to treat yourself with kindness, and it is also how you treat the world with kindness.
- This article was written on behalf of Trevor's Book Club
- Dhliwayo is an acclaimed restaurateur, award winning creative designer, photographer and entrepreneur. She is the founder and CEO of award-winning nutrition start-up Yanaya A Healthy Lifestyle, which is Zimbabwe’s first healthy food bar chain that is disrupting how people eat. Yanaya A Healthy Lifestyle has won numerous awards and serves as the first start-up to offer physician approved meals that cater for people with various health conditions from diabetes to hyperinflation. Nyary as she is often referred to continues to launch pioneering products into the market having recently launched a dairy free yoghurt range selling in stores nationwide. She continues to apply her creative mind to bring much needed innovation into the food industry. Her creative work and photography has caught the attention of local and international exhibitions. She holds an Honours in Design and Photography from Stellenbosch University (SA).
