3 Things I Learned from “101 Essays That Will Change the Way You Think”
Change the way I think, change the way I live.
I read some reviews about this book before exploring the content. Some people thought it was more of an unpractical “Chicken Soup” series. But to me, it was one of the vital assets that yielded a tremendous return on investment.
Of the 101 essays, three common themes profoundly touch my heart. The most valuable assets I obtained from Brianna Wiest are establishing another perspective to view who I detest, the mundane, and the “happily ever after” stories.
1. “What I hate about others say something about me.”
I have the belief that those who I hated most are those who I loved most. Not only both of these affections are the opposite of each other, but they rest upon the paired spectrum that enables individuals to feel relativeness.
However, it was an interesting angle that Wiest brought up who and what I hate and love implies what I hate and love about myself, respectively.
By repetitively delivering this message, Wiest prompts me to reflect on one diary entry I once wrote about how I dislike my sister spending immoderately on toys. I justify this feeling as a “helpful” emotion that will save her from the financial troubles she might face soon, given that the little amount she spends will accumulate. But deep down, I felt the purchases were unnecessary and irrelevant.
As I read further, I moved from justification to acknowledgment and ultimately found my detestation about my sister’s unnecessary purchase of toys insinuates my unnecessary purchase of stationeries. It’s not too much about my loathing for her being a “spendthrift”; it was more about me hating my prodigality at the end of the day.
2. “All I have is now.”
There were moments when I was absent from the presence. Moments when I think about what goals to pursue. Moments when I think about who I would become in the next few years. As well as moments when I regretted not doing or doing something.
A word about planning the future: I thought about a clever woman in a TV show who once said, “I want everything to plan out, but I neglect the fact that plan often does not go as intended.”
A word about reflecting on the past: it is true that who I was led to who I am. A decent amount of constructive reflection is necessary to see what I can improve today. However, despite how much I reflected, there are no technologies for me to change what I did in the past. Thus, to hang on to the past is building unnecessary impediments for me to move forward in the present.
Focus on now; focus on the little things I need to do today. Because the path to “extraordinary” is through doing the “ordinary” now.
3. “Happy people will have unhappy days.”
At last, Wiest relieves my melancholy after learning that some “happily ever after” stories are indeed not “happy” at all times.
*Caveat: Spoiler ahead for “Ojamajo Doremi”
Lately, I rewatched one of my favorite childhood anime, “Ojamajo Doremi.” As I approached season three, I stopped and was deeply inspired to learn what happened beyond season four, where I knew they graduated from elementary school and intentionally did not become a “witch” despite undergoing a series of adventures with the initial goal of turning from witch apprentice to a real witch.
From what I recall, it was a “happily ever after” story because through their adventures, the protagonists formed a strong friendship, and they learned the most well-built tools beyond using magic to solve their problems are their minds and determinations. It seems like their “worst” adventures have been overcome. Yet, I learned that as “life” continues (of course, in their two-dimensional world), the end of an adventure is the beginning of another (similar to our three-dimensional world).
The protagonists in “Ojamajo Doremi” experienced all kinds of suffering as they grew up: failures, bankruptcy, injuries, death, and many others.
At a glimpse, the afterward plot is not a typical “happy ending.” But through Wiest, I re-conceive what a “happily ever after” story is. The “happy ending” happens when the characters (and we) learn how to face predicaments. A happy life is not about living with zero struggles; it’s about living with intention, where such purpose will help us acknowledge and overcome any obstacles as we encounter them.
Reference
Wiest, Brianna. 101 Essays That Will Change The Way You Think. Thought Catalog Books, 2018.
