"Beneath every heartbreak. Every pivot. Every triumph. Every fall. What pulls you back again is a deeper purpose: This is my story to tell." - Joanna Gaines
The Stories We Tell is filled with wisdom about how each part of our journey creates this beautiful story that is our life. Joanna Gaines is obviously a very accomplished person. This book is a glimpse into her world and inner thinking as she turns 44 and contemplates where she wants her life to go in her second act, as she calls it. As someone on the wrong side of 35, I found myself relating to her so much in this book.
I have always loved Chip and Joanna. As someone who is married to a Chip and is naturally less inclined to take risks, I truly understand her perspective in this book. I also recently had a major life transition when my husband and I sold our business, which left me searching for what is next in my story. This book shares a refreshing message for anyone struggling with purpose in life. Joanna vows to stop living for yesterday or tomorrow and start living for here and now. Instead of rushing through the middle part before reaching the outcome we are working towards, she wants us to start savoring those essential moments between starting and finishing that make up our story.
"This is my takeaway. The CliffNotes version of The Stories We Tell: Our stories aren't meant to be historical or exist in the past tense, but to live and breathe and morph and change as we do. And they aren't open and shut. But a thousand pages turning." - Joanna Gaines
This book is like Joanna releasing her personal journal to the world in an attempt to allow everyone to fully understand her story. She writes about pain and struggles she has faced. She talks about her fears and overcoming her need to make everything perfect. She works to unlearn the things she told herself for years were the right way in order to grow and find peace in her mind. At a younger age, I also struggled with unteaching myself things I thought were the right and only way to live. In time, I have learned this is how we evolve. Change in life is a good thing. As we learn more about the world around us, things we once held to be true may look different and that's okay.
"When I'm rooted in the right things, change doesn't threaten growth. It catalyzes it." - Joanna Gaines
While the book was filled with life lessons, my two favorite messages revolved around empathy and the need to look up and cherish even the smallest moments. Empathy is the power she feels will bring us together. In a world that feels so divided, the best way to bridge the gap is empathy. If we all look past the few things we disagree on and dig deeper, we can find those things we have in common. All of us are writing our stories together in this one moment in time. If we show empathy, we could create a beautiful world where we come together in our understanding of each other.
The chapter about looking up and fighting the need to constantly structure life resonated with me the most. We all need to slow down. The world is pushing us to move faster and be more efficient with our time. Social media pressures us to curate those perfect moments forcing us to look past the everyday things that tell our real story. I think the beautiful thing about Joanna's message is her journey to being more intentional with her time. We have to find ways to move slower and look up at the beauty all around us. It's those small, unplanned moments that make up our story. All those pieces of our life that don't seem like they fit together in the moment, end up making a beautiful picture at the end. So, enjoy the middle. Be present. Embrace all the moments that make up your story. The things that make you who you are. That is the message of this book, and it is a beautiful story that I hope you will read.
"Endings don't make stories. A good story is earned in the middle, in that sacred space of becoming." - Joanna Gaines
Ready to start writing your story? Our Coastal Views Notebooks are perfect for journaling. There are so many different cover options, and they are a gorgeous addition to your desk, nightstand, or shelf.
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