Author Elizabeth Gilbert
is well-known for her bestselling book, Eat,
Pray, Love. The travel memoir sold more than 10 million copies worldwide,
spent more than three years on “The New York Times Best Sellers List”, and
became a film in 2010. Gilbert’s new book, Big
Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear, offers insights on how to live
creatively. Using anecdotes to express her unique perspective, Gilbert inspires
readers to uncover the “strange jewels” that are hidden within each of us. By
exploring our own curiosity and creativity, we can live with more mindfulness,
passion, and joy.
She shares an anecdote about
her friend, Susan, who flipped her life around by doing exactly that. When she
was in her forties, Susan was feeling "plain" and "bored." Pondering
the last time she had felt "free" and "lively," she
remembered her pastime of figure skating, which she had quit because she simply
wasn't "the best." But after twenty-years, Susan “didn't win medals,
wasn't the top but gave back permission to herself to live in a way that made
her feel like she was unfolding and becoming more than just an accumulation of
her daily obligations.” Gilbert also shares her own generative process and
experiences as a writer. Being rejected too many times to count, she encourages
readers to do what we love and to face down what we most fear.
Whether we long to write
a book, make art, embark on a dream, or figure skate, Gilbert displays the
magic in creativity that can bring more joy into our lives. She encourages us to
overcome fear and let go of the things holding us back from acting on our
ambitions and desires.
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