I recently dove into Brianna Wiest’s “101 Essays That Will Change the Way You Think,” and I cant recommend it enough. The book is a collection of short, digestible essays that tackle everything from self-sabotage to happiness to why we hold onto things that no longer serve us.
What makes this book different from your typical self-help fare is how Wiest doesn’t sugarcoat things. She has a refreshing directness that cuts through the noise. There’s an essay where she talks about how our emotional triggers are actually showing us where we need healing—not something to avoid but something to pay attention to – cuts to the chase and nails it!
The format makes it perfect for those of us with busy lives. You can read an essay during your morning coffee or before bed. Each one stands alone, so you don’t need to read them in order or remember what happened in previous chapters.
Some of best essays deal with reframing how we think about success and happiness. Wiest challenges a lot of those ingrained beliefs we don’t even realize we have—like the idea that constant happiness should be our goal or that discomfort is a bad thing. She makes a compelling case for embracing the full spectrum of experiences and emotions.
If you’re in a place where you’re questioning your patterns or feeling stuck in certain thought loops, this book offers practical wisdom without feeling preachy. It’s not about following a specific program, but more about shifting perspective in ways that might open up new possibilities you hadn’t considered before.
