Book of the Month: The Mountain is You - Brianna Wiest
For Companioning Your Journey’s tenth Book of the Month, Brianna Wiest’s, “The Mountain is You”.
About the Author and Publication
Brianna Wiest is a bestselling author with a current seven titles to her name including her second best-selling book, “The Mountain is You”. Brianna is a writer and public speaker who taps into her history of self-healing to provide relatable and impactful works. Brianna works to tackle the themes of empowerment, hope, and self-reflection. Her first bestselling title, “101 Essays that will Change the Way You Think” was claimed by Forbes as a “must-read”. One of the things that I was most impressed with by the author when I began to research was how insightful they are and how much depth they provided without any “formal” education or training around mental health and/or well-being. This, to me, is a reminder that you should trust your compass and your experience over any other preconceived idea about “the way”. You, as you are right now, you are the way.
Key Take Aways
Overall Premise
The first thing that Wiest sets out to do is to provide some clarity and understanding around “self-sabotage”, what it is, what it isn’t, and why it makes sense that this is a function in our lives. The idea behind the function of “self-sabotaging” is that it is a means our brain tries to help get an unmet need filled, even if the approach might be considered maladaptive. In a previous blog, (10 Tips to Stop Procrastinating) I review how procrastination is a similar occasion where our brain lulls us into what is familiar or comfortable in the moment instead of addressing what will provide us lasting change. Part of addressing self-sabotage or procrastination is to acknowledge hope, desire, and decision. For us to make a change, we must first hope that things can be different, then desire the change, then make a commitment to see it through.
If You Want to See Growth, Look for It
To quote Weist, “Start quantifying your days by how many healthy, positive things you accomplished, and you will see how quickly you begin to make progress.” We so often overlook the things that we do on a regular basis that make a difference and affect change in our lives. By hyper focusing on our shortcomings, we often miss out on the places where growth can be witnessed. Your successes are not a coincidence and if you are alive today, reading this post, it is reasonable to say that you have gotten up more times than you have been knocked down. What might be a way for you to reflect on your wins? How might you view yourself as growing day by day.
Accepting Risk Above Comfort
One of the choices that we have in making change is to accept risk above comfort. Self-sabotage or procrastination are our subconscious trying to keep us in a place of comfort and rest. Change is intimidating and it does involve a degree of risk. How might you decide to begin looking at the rewards for your efforts? What would be different in your life if you were to start right now?
No One But You
This book emphasizes the power that we have to affect change in our lives. You are capable of remarkable things and you have to decide not to let your strengths go unexpressed. You have been given gifts to share with the world and cherish within your life. Make the choice today to live your life. Make the choice today to dream.
What Made this the Book of the Month
Every now and again, you pick up a book and feel like there was someone writing you a letter that held the things you were needing to hear. This is a book that I listened to during my commutes and I found myself looping back and playing sections over and over. I, like many, have struggled throughout my life to view myself as the solution instead of the obstacle. This read walks a delicate balance between honoring pain while exploring choice and our ability to look at the world and ourselves in a more healthy way. There were some sections, particularly those surrounding “self-sabotage” or negative self-talk that I am certainly going to revisit within myself and with the work that I do with my clients. This book also aligns with my mission with Companioning Your Journey. It perfectly follows the idea that the best way for us to overcome obstacles and thrive in life is not to simply change ourselves, but rather to show up for ourselves fully, to Companion Our Journey.
Conclusion
If you are looking for an impactful read and could use a reminder of your immeasurable power, take a look at Brianna Wiest’s “The Mountain is You”.
What has been one of your most impactful reads? Are there any that you feel like more people should get their hands on? Let me know and I would be happy to read and review in a future post!