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Jordan Lee Dooley's second book, Embrace Your Almost, illumines the path women can take after failing to achieve a life goal or a dream. As a Christian, writer, podcaster, and entrepreneur, Dooley helps women materialize their dreams without compromising overall well-being. She is an achiever and her journey in building her career and creating her business has its peaks and valleys, corroborating the fact that life indeed has wins and losses, highs and lows, successes and failures.
OVERVIEW
Jordan Lee Dooley is familiar with what happens after a dream falls flat. She had great dreams for her career and marriage but hope, excitement, and contentment were replaced by doubts, frustrations, and dejection after her endeavors failed. She becomes personal in sharing her own struggles that pushed her to a bumpy place between starting a dream and achieving it.
The feeling of being swallowed by darkness could make it easier to surrender and believe there's nothing to expect in the future anymore but Dooley didn't give up. Instead, she used failure as a beacon of light that reveals what's more important in her life, veering away from what the world tells her what she should be.
Dooley demonstrated that it's possible to create a life that you really like even if you are stuck in the middle.
- When you see that other people's dreams are coming true and yours don't, it doesn't mean it's the end of the road.
- Being stuck in the middle is temporary. You can move forward when plans change.
- There are two kinds of dreams: one that is right for you, the other that you have to let go of. Dooley shows when to surrender a dream and what to do after letting it go.
- Gems of wisdom and clarity can be found even in life's darkest period.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
- What was your first reaction when you read the title of the book?
- What are the most crucial moments in Dooley's life? How did she handle them?
- What are the most helpful tips you learned from this book? Why are they helpful?
- What decisions did you make after reading the book?
- What questions would you ask the author?
QUOTES
"It can seem nearly impossible to love our life when we’re focused on what hasn’t gone right."
"Even if on the surface we seem to have failed, if we allow the experience to grow us into the women we were made to be, then we will have succeeded far beyond any superficial achievements."
"When it comes to our hopes, plans, ambitions, and dreams, the reality is that we have control over only a few key things: what we choose to focus on next, why we choose the things that we do, and how we respond when plans work out and when they don’t."
"Choosing to flourish is more than merely deciding to feel differently. It’s taking action. It’s changing our focus and allowing our feelings to follow suit."
"When the road gets long or when things almost but then don’t quite work out, it can make us bitter or it can make us better."
WHAT I LOVED THE MOST
- The title "Embrace Your Almost" is only three words but its impact on me was so powerful that I didn't have second thoughts to read it right away the moment I got my copy. I have several dreams and goals that I have almost achieved in my life. Seeing this title changed the way I felt about my almost. It invites me to embrace it and use it as a guide to becoming a better person.
- The author's bravery in telling her personal stories with all honesty and rawness is laudable. She has to recount hurtful events of her life in order to share the things she learned with her readers. She paves the way to a better process in dealing with failures, which is surprisingly a springboard to a future with a clearly defined purpose.
- The book is not a collection of stories from hundreds of different people but an account of Dooley's personal struggles which make her relatable. Her tone in the book is sincere, encouraging, and hopeful.
- The steps to take to move forward are concrete and practical.
WHAT I LOVED THE LEAST
I've been trying to find the parts that I didn't love but I couldn't find any. This book hits me hard because I am currently in the middle-- between the time I was full of dreams and the time of creating a life that I want. This book is what I needed to read at this point in my life. I appreciate every story, every wisdom, and every piece of advice Dooley wrote in this book that enlightens the truth that I could still create a life that is meaningful. Where God plants me, there I flourish.
Perhaps, the one thing that must be noted is Dooley also shares her faith in the book. She's a Christian and she's been helping church communities as a volunteer. Nevertheless, with all the things she struggled with and overcame, I learned a lot from her.
SUMMING-UP
Embrace You Almost is a must-read by women who want to navigate the possibilities in life after an unrealized dream. It bares the struggles of women and the consequences they face for not measuring up to the standards of society. With the advent of technology and social media, failure can affect women's self-esteem, making it appear that there's no more hope, only despair. But Dooley thinks otherwise. She was able to show through her personal stories of loss and disappointments that there is still hope; an open mind and a receptive heart are needed to see this. A newfound clarity will also be achieved that makes life even more purposeful.
Although the book also talks about Dooley's faith, women can still find helpful tips that are easy to put into practice. It is evident that Dooley acknowledges the difficulty of moving forward as illustrated in her suggestion to just take a small step and do one small thing at a time. This is just one of the different, important lessons that can be learned from the book.
I am grateful to Jordan Lee Dooley, WaterBrook, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC and to share my honest review.
FURTHER INFORMATION
Book Information:
Embrace Your Almost by Jordan Lee Dooley
Published on April 5, 2022, by WaterBrook
210 pages (eBook)
Find it here:
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