Reviewer: Sharon Brunner
Tamara Lauder’s The Spirit Within Us: Understanding the Gifts Within Us offers a practical guide to encouraging personal reflection and creativity. Most people have an untapped reservoir of unrealized potential attributes. The author offers a unique perspective by having the main character, Bicycle Betty, visit planets such as Planet Courage and Planet Trust as part of her self-awareness journey. Lauder expresses the importance of art. Any form of creativity, such as dance, theater, and poetry, helps heal bodies and minds. Expressive writing can open doors to understanding feelings, processing traumatic events, and connecting people to their needs. Both reading and writing poetry affect the brain’s neurochemical and synaptic levels, allowing it to rewire. In summary, the arts and creativity benefit an individual’s well-being. Bicycle Betty explored 14 possible personal attributes while on her self-discovery journey and found ways to improve her life. Part II of the book allowed readers to take an inventory of their personal attributes.
One of the book’s main themes is self-discovery. For example, when Bicycle Betty visited Planet Discernment, she discovered that revealing the truth about herself could put her on the road to recovery from past trauma. On Planet Acceptance, she learned that skin color does not matter. They were all elephant people. On Planet Presence, she noticed that she sometimes was afflicted by triggers and felt her behavior towards them was out of her control. Her realization and acceptance helped her gain knowledge that enabled her to control her emotions better. Bicycle Betty acknowledged she needed to make major changes in her life, moving from a grueling job to one that let her do the things she loved, like playing her guitar.
I have practiced self-examination regularly throughout most of my adult life, so I can definitely relate to this book. A favorite saying of mine is “An unexamined life is not worth living.” I have many self-help books and have read many of them. I have explored books by Louise Hay and other self-help authors. I want to explore Lauder’s books and the other books she mentioned. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. Part of my healing journey involved dealing with the repercussions of historical trauma. My mother and her siblings attended the Holy Childhood Boarding School in Harbor Springs, and I realized that horrible experience may have affected me as her offspring. I have also experienced traumatic events in my life such as car accidents and abuse. Lauder made a good point that it is important to reveal the truth about experiences and feelings.
While reading this book, I thought of The Obstacle Is the Way: The Timeless Art of Turning Trials Into Triumph by Ryan Holiday. People can feel stuck, stymied, and frustrated, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Famous people such as Amelia Earhart and Steve Jobs developed a formula for turning obstacles into opportunities. They faced impossible situations but still achieved triumphs. The book covered recognizing personal abilities, controlling emotions, practicing objectivity, living in the present moment, and thinking differently, to name a few useful techniques. The 2006 movie “The Pursuit of Happiness” also came to mind when reading this book. A homeless single father used his perseverance and intelligence to turn a difficult financial struggle into a career as a successful stockbroker.
I recommend The Spirit Within Us: Understanding the Gifts Within Us for its useful recovery techniques, its valuable information on attributes, its definition of personal reflection, and the self-help portion in Part II. Every individual has distinct attributes that can help them improve their life. Bicycle Betty felt stuck in her life choices, working a job that drained her of joy and contentment. She worked ten hours a day and then took work home to do at night before bed. She explored many aspects of her life, from courage to truth, and determined to make the changes necessary to improve it. Lauder clearly delineated how everyone can grow from struggles and use their gifts to have a better life.
Title: The Spirit Within Us: Understanding Our Gifts
Author: Tamara Lauder
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