I just finished reading the best book I’ve read so far this year, Majorie Hansen Shaevitz’ The Confident Woman.
First, let me say that the title (although relevant) just doesn’t do the book justice. It really should have been called:
How to Be a Be Confident, Happy, Positive, Successful, Well-Cared For Woman Who Knows Who She Is, What She Wants, How She Should Be Treated, and How She’s Going to Make it All Happen.
Ok, I guess I understand why she didn’t try to fit all of that on the cover!
Anyways, the author does want to teach women how to be more confident, and she packs reams of research, advice, and interviews into 300 easy-to-read-and-apply pages.
But that seems like a too-simple version of all that the book has to offer. I hesitate to say the book will change your life, but her practical exercises, blunt truths, logical explanations, and well-researched advice will all have far-reaching influences on your life. Shaevitz sets out to get women thinking about everything from the health of their relationships to what they do in their free time, to their career path and physical exercise routines (or lack thereof).
I’m telling you, its good stuff. Gets you thinking!
Top 5 Good Things about the book:
1. There is a How Confident Are You? quiz that you can take before you begin reading. It’s supposed to give you an indicator of how you’re doing with things like self-knowledge, life balance, having a positive attitude, and effectively using your feelings.
2. A large part of the book is dedicated to getting the reader to THINK about (and articulate) who they are and what things they like/dislike. She calls these exercises the Who Are You? exercises, and says they are paramount to becoming a confident person.
Why so important? She says we need to first get to know more about ourselves, so we can have strong identities, so we can be comfortable with ourselves, then we will take care of ourselves, which makes us confident.
3. LOTS of “How To” sections for real life. How To Raise Confident Children, Take Control of Your Life, Take Care of Yourself, Change Negative Thinking.
4. You will learn some cool new words, like fealty, garrulous, fallow. I feel smart. And confident. Ha! See, its working already!
5. At the end, Shaevitz has provided an entire section with further reading materials for every topic she covers in the book – abuse, assertiveness, beauty and body image, finances, negative thinking, women’s health, etc.
I think this book is a must-read for women who are wanting and willing to make changes. Loved it!
