For something a little festive, I’m reviewing 2 books together; Goodbye Busy, Hello Happy, and The Power to Rise Above. Both books feature the author’s and other women’s stories, all worthy of praise and recognition. Collaborations of this nature have become more and more popular, and rightly so; they represent a powerful coming-together of shared triumph after adversity.
Both of these books belong in the self-help category, which is why I was drawn to them. Like memoirs and autobiographies, I enjoy the insight into someone’s life, sharing their battles, struggles, and how they’ve overcome the difficulties in life. I have learned recently that success and true joy often come from a place of learning from experienced hardship.
Another unique connection between these two titles is that Peace Mitchell and Katy Garner (Goodbye Busy, Hello Happy) and Sandy Davies (The Power to Rise Above) are all constituents of the Ausmumprenuer family, like me.
In my Ausmumprenuer experience, I have learned that perspective is super powerful. Reading through the collection of experiences in these books helped me find perspective again and reminded me that overcoming adversity is something we must continue to work on. No one’s life is a fairy tale, no matter how things look from the outside. The stories were heartbreaking, from domestic violence victims to poverty and bankruptcy, but they left me feeling inspired, connected, and uplifted. Why? Because every single story is about survival.
There are so many ways in which life can bring us down. What’s important to remember and what shines through in Goodbye Busy, Hello Happy, and The Power to Rise Above is that the true measure of success is how we respond to adversity. And what perspective gives to us is an open heart and open mind. By reading 1 woman’s story before bed each night, I felt I started the next day with a heightened sense of gratitude for the people and opportunities in my life, as well as feeling equipped to take on the day unhindered by negativity and doubt.
Goodbye Busy, Hello Happy focuses on how we see ourselves in the world and what being busy really means. An insight I was keen to learn from! The biggest lesson I took away from this book was that being ‘busy’ isn't necessarily a reflection of how much work we're doing or how much success we have. Busyness can sometimes reflect poor time management, over-extending ourselves, and recognizing the need to engage help in our business. We all come to a point in our business where we realize that being a one-woman show is no longer sustainable and that outsourcing assistance will be the difference between your business becoming stagnant and your business soaring to new heights. It's a daunting consideration that I’ve personally grappled with this year.
The Power to Rise Above is another amazing book filled with survival stories. Created by Sandy Davies, an American woman living in the Daintree rainforest, she shares her incredible journey through life’s challenges and how they’ve guided her into small business and success as an author. Sandy's experience of being bullied very intensely in her primary and middle school years has equipped her with the strength of character and courage to share her story and other women’s stories of hardship, followed by survival. Uniquely, The Power to Rise Above is a collaboration of stories from women worldwide, not just in Australia. This special book teaches the reader that no matter which corner of the globe you’re from, challenges can be very similar. The Power to Rise Above amplifies the voices of the women who have been victimized at some point in their lives and how those struggles became their superpower.
No, not their crutch, their superpower.
I believe that we all have a superpower that is hidden away until a very big jolt of adversity awakens us to a new stratosphere of fearlessness. A willingness to identify our happiness and turn that into business, success, better relationships, a vessel for helping others, or just simply, inner peace.
No matter who you are, no one is everyone's cup of tea. A bully will exploit your weaknesses or their perception of your imperfections and make your life a living hell. Dominating personalities exist among us everywhere. I was bullied in primary school because I liked playing sports. How stupid is that!? A particular group of girls didn’t like me because I preferred to wear my Reebok pump high-tops and keep up with the boys on the basketball courts at any opportunity during the day. Not my fault – I was just doing what I love. Overcoming the negative energy and lowered self-esteem because of my bullies took hard work and a very different environment once I entered high school – my sporting obsession was welcomed and celebrated!
Finding the power to rise above the negativity made me realize that sport was my ticket to becoming a great leader and team player; it improved my social skills – on and off the court/field, and opened up doors to like-minded people who encouraged and supported me—what a valuable foundation to build when my life landed me in a mentoring and motivational speaker space.
Realizing that my bullies’ perception of my weakness was actually my superpower was the most valuable lesson I learned from reading The Power to Rise Above. Some of my dearest friendships were born on a tennis court, dance studio, or soccer field - isn’t that just the most ironic turn of events, considering my younger years on the basketball court were tainted by bullies?
I enjoyed both books immensely and feel grateful for the courage of the women who shared their stories. Special thanks to Sandy, Katy, and Peace for bringing together such inspiring women in this way, I have learned so much about myself and the power of perspective. I highly recommend either of these books to anyone wanting to escape a negative headspace or seeking guidance in their business or personal successes. Goodbye Busy, Hello Happy, and The Power to Rise Above would also be extremely valuable to anyone looking to start their own business while seeking a little bit more insight into how to turn something you're passionate about into your superpower.
Purchase The Power to Rise Above HERE: Home - The Power To Rise Above | Inspirational Book
Purchase Goodbye Busy, Hello Happy HERE: Goodbye Busy, Hello Happy: The magic of breaking up with busy and finding more time for joy : Mitchell, Peace, Garner, Katy: Amazon.com.au: Books
And don’t forget about Bowerbirds Publishing’s very own books; Boy of Steel, My Brother Sebastian, and 6 Steps to Self-publishing. Find them all HERE: Books | Crystalleonardi.com | Queensland