In a culture that values speed, efficiency, image, and busyness, some of us are aching for another way to live: more intentional, more connected. Simpler, slower, richer. Many of us have believed the myth that achievement and success bring us contentment, only to find it’s actually things like connection and meaning, not success and achievement, that provide true peace and genuine happiness.
Present over Perfect is best-selling author Shauna Niequist’s motto for how to live a rich, engaged, and loving life in the midst of what often feels terribly messy and imperfect. Similar in format to Shauna’s previous books, Present over Perfect is a collection of essays that focuses on the journey from frantic and tired to connected and free. Many of us find ourselves busier than we want to be, missing the sweetest moments along the way. We end up resentful and distracted, full of regret and feeling disconnected. Present over Perfect is a hand reaching out to a new way of living – full of grace, space, and connection.
As a wife, mother, friend, and writer, Shauna shares with vulnerability and transparency the reality of living wholly present in our relationships with our families and the others we love and inspires listeners to discover their own paths to this more fulfilling way to do life.
Present Over Perfect, is out today Shauna Niequist’s exquisite, gorgeously written new book, Present Over Perfect, is out today. It also happens to be her best. This is a writer at the height of her powers. Her prose feels effortless—though as usual, she is altogether honest about all the ways her life is anything but. This paradox captures much of what is so special about Shauna as a writer. Pavarotti singing opera, Kanye making beats, and Russell Westbrook driving the lane all feel effortless too, but genius…
I can’t explain how fabulous this is Can we talk about how much I needed this book? In her usual essay format, Niequist discusses how she strives for perfection, trying to prove something to an imaginary audience or trying not to disappoint even the merest acquaintances. Can I just say…guilty as charged?! She challenges readers to learn to say no and to, as the title suggests, be present instead of perfect. With her trademark honesty and openness, she shares her own struggles and what she has learned. If you want a new book,…
Life-changing, life-challenging, life-giving I devoured this book in two hours, ignoring a water glass long empty, a phone buzzing with jealousy and the swarm of mosquitos thrilled with my inattention. If you’ve ever felt life was going off the rails – stop everything and read this now. Take a sick day – from work, from life – and let this be the start of your healing. The topic is hard, so hard, but as always, Shauna’s prose helps your brain digest and your heart accept that parts that hit too deep. I am a lifelong book-lover, and this…