Safety is often dangerous. An easy life is like quicksand: Before you know it, you’re trapped and can’t move, can’t breathe, can get to where you really wanted to go. Don’t coast unless you’re rolling downhill on a bicycle.
We all do it. We shoot ourselves down. We get bored. We feel stuck. Confused as to how we got here. You know the feeling, suddenly you feel trapped in the monotony of day to day life. Sometimes we need reminded that we create our lives, our day to day is our choice, and each of our lives are as interesting or uninteresting as we make them.
Jessica Hagy‘s new book How to Be Interesting: (In 10 Simple Steps), is less of a guide on how to be interesting and more of a way to push yourself to live the best life possible. Jessica Hagy pairs life lessons with simple hand drawn graphs that may inspire you to lead a richer life.
A breathe of fresh air. Sometimes we all need to be reminded to be kind to ourselves, to dream big, to do what you want to do, and to be more childlike. A dose of inspiration that would make a great graduation or happy day gift.
This book nudges us to leave the comforts of our comfort zone. It is so easy to get comfortable, I value all reminders that being uncomfortable is more than okay, it is healthy, and good for our souls. As the book jacket says, “it is what you don’t know that is interesting.”
It’s okay to be scared, but don’t let it be paralyzing, do it anyway.
Here are some of my favorite excerpts:
Find your CIRCUS. Don’t run away and join the rat race. Run away and join a circus full of people who are living their dreams. If you seek a circus, you’ll be running toward something enjoyable, instead of merely exhausting yourself.
Practice vicarious pride. Have you ever been overwhelmingly proud of someone other than yourself? If you have, you know how buoyant and uplifting it feels. If you haven’t, you need to get close enough to someone to try.
Ponder your luck. Do you deserve what you have? Maybe a little. What you don’t have? Probably not. Acknowledge the roles coincidence, chance, systemic processes (and yes, maybe even luck) play in our world.
Mistakes happen. Often. Sometimes they’re your fault and sometimes they are your misfortune. Freely admit to both kinds.
What you have is worth a lot. Seek out the people who need it. Know what you can do an tell people that you are willing to do it. They will treasure and remember you. Your time. Your talents. Your compliments. A seat at your table. A cup of sugar. A clean pair of socks.The more often you are amazed, the better your odds of being amazing.
Leave the safety of home. You grew up with certain people who did certain things in certain places. Leave home to see how unique and universal your childhood was.
If you have a personal dream or a wish or a desire, know that you’re the only one who gives enough damns to see it realized.
Maybe your past isn’t perfect. Maybe it was brutal. Maybe you were brutal. Maybe you’ve got more scars than you thought one skin could hold. You can’t linger on those thoughts. You will drown in them.Give extra chances—especially to yourself. If you’re not dead you can still change things.
Pick up your own copy at Elliot Bay Books, or Amazon.