Heart Talk- Poetic Wisdom for a Better Life is written by Cleo Wade. She has been featured on prestigious lists such as America’s 50 Most Influential Women by Marie Claire and 100 Most Creative People in Business by Fast Company. She has written for many magazines such as Vogue and The New York Times. (Just a brief summary of her accomplishments that I have grabbed from the back of her book.)
She beautifully writes about love, anxiety, self acceptance, being “a work in progress” and being the best version of yourself. While this book may be considered to be poetry, I loved how Wade wrote about things that reached me so powerfully. I am someone who loves reading books that help me delve into my self-awareness and encourage me to continue on my journey of being my best self. I love “self-help” books, I find them insightful and frankly are frustrated by people who add negative connotations to them. I hope that if you are someone who enjoys them, you don’t shy away from the section or hide them in a pile of other genres when you are checking out or making your purchase. There is no shame in reading self help books, it means you like to learn and you like to learn about how to make yourself at home within yourself! You want to be the best YOU you can and that’s super important! To have self-awareness, I believe, is the greatest kind of knowledge. Don’t be afraid to take care of YOU, you can’t fully take care of others if you can’t do it for yourself. I am someone who is always looking to better understand myself and how others work. I am all about learning how to make yourself the healthiest person you can be, especially during tough times. Self-help doesn’t mean you’re damaged goods or troubled, the genre, self-help, is empowering, if you let it. So don’t be afraid to take some time, reflect in or through the words of others and look out for #1, which should be you, unappologetically!
Here are some pieces I really liked:
“Know that you are valuable
Know that you are worthy
Know that you are rare.
How can anyone be better than you if you are the only you?”
(Wade 157)
Wade suggests a complaint cleanse. The concept is one I have been trying to pursue since reading the book and one that I want to continue to be mindful of. It keeps your mind and your heart healthy.
“When we live with honesty, positive intentions, fairness, love, integrity and transparency, we do not need to spend our time explaining ourselves to others. Explanations are necessary only when our actions require justifications, and justifications are necessary only when our intentions are murky. Live your life with clear and good intentions and you will never have to spend your time explaining what you do or who you are.” (Wade 35)
I love the mentality of being a work in progress. Here is what she has to say about it.
“To know that you are a work in progress means to recognize that your goals are also a work in progress. A friend of mine once said to me that there is no … “there.” It reminded me that every single day we are growing into who we will be tomorrow. Because we go through so many stages and phases, it is important to consistently reset our goals so that they can grow with us. When we reset our goals, we allow for each one to flow into the next and connect with all phases of our life. Refresh your goals regularly and with intention. It will help you stay continuously motivated and inspired.” (Wade 77)