101 Essays That Will Change The Way You Think by Brianna Wiest is a compilation of expository essays by other authors about how our personal biases are creating the way we see and experience life.
Short Review
Author: Brianna Wiest
Genre: Self-help
Year Published: 2016
Review Date: 2025/03
Rating: 3 stars
Recommended: No
Writing Style: Expository, reflective, casual
Why Read This Book
Wiest emphasises on the importance of recognising and acknowledging our feelings, including the sad, painful, fearful, angry, stressful and frustrating ones. Our negative thoughts are directives that help us figure possible outcomes that we can prepare for.
Non-Recommendation
Although the book’s first pages were thought-provoking and persuasive, its contents heavily relied on works by other authors.
Several chapters were lists of self-reminders. Points made were repetitive, disjointed and could have been better developed.
Three Key Takeaways
An untamed mind is a minefield.
Without routine or regulations, we let our subconscious impulses and fears make the decisions that rule our day.
In order to change, start by doing.
It’s easier to act your way into a new thinking than to think your way into a new acting.
Focus on the discomfort of not doing.
Oftentimes, familiar discomfort feels the same as comfort, so we do nothing to change things. Although we understand what’s good for us, we choose to act otherwise (termed as the Knowing-Doing Gap). Shifting our perception of comfort can help us bridge the gap.