Book Review: Instant Wisdom
Author: Beth Burgess Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ISBN: 9 780957 321731
Christmas is over and we are officially in the 2018 homestretch. And that means it’s that time of the year for New Year’s resolutions! (Woo, cue festive fanfare)
I know, I know! How can you be thinking of resolutions when you’re so full from Christmas dinner that you’re dealing with brain fog? It’s a difficult one.
While I’m not a huge reader of self-help or advice books, I quite like picking them up around this time of the year. I have found that they provide that bit of inspiration and motivation that I need to get myself in order to plan my New Year’s resolutions, projects, and goals for the following year. So, this year I wanted to share what I read as my self-help book as my companion to starting the new year off on the right foot.
We were so lucky to have Beth Burgess contact us asking us to review her new book Instant Wisdom: 10 Easy Ways to Get Smarter Fast. Immediately, I was curious, as one thing I was intending to tackle in the New Year was how to hold to my resolutions more…well…resolutely (no pun intended).
New Year’s resolutions (and resolutions in general) are often born from moments of motivation and inspiration, but holding oneself to them and working towards improvement even in the face of struggle is a completely different experience. With Burgess’ book, I was looking towards how to make smarter resolutions that I could and would want to hold myself to for the long term, and not just until the motivation has worn out.
“Sometimes, changing just one thought, view, belief or behaviour can change your entire life”
This quote opens the book and is really the guiding message throughout Burgess’ writing. A message that demonstrates how being more intentional with your thinking and directing one’s energy towards your New Year’s resolutions and goals.
Opening the book for the first time, I was not prepared for the immense feeling of familiarity that came with reading it. One of the things I enjoyed the most about her writing is that Burgess does not purport to be superior in any way by being the author of this self-help book. Rather, the familiarity of her writing brings her closer to her readers.
Often, I felt as if I were sharing a coffee with a friend as we talk about issues in our lives and how we intend to better ourselves. These are conversations I have had frequently throughout my life with friends, so to have it in a book form to reference whenever I want has been such a pleasure.
Moreover, regardless of the familiar writing style, which can often lend to a judgement of poor writing, I found that Burgess’ book was incredibly well written. Every sentence added to the point she was trying to make, and every point was elegantly and articulately made. The combination of Burgess’ quirky humour, extensive knowledge, casual science-for-dummies approach, informal speech, and succinct paragraphs makes reading a delight.
When I picked up this book for the first time, it was baffling at how few pages I got through before I was reading content that legitimately changed my life. As a sufferer of anxiety, downward mental spirals are a common occurrence. Things like work, family and relationship stress can get to me very easily. Thus, I am always in need of methods to better my mental state, but often don’t have the energy to seak out the resources. In particular, I found Burgess’ practice “See Through Different Eyes” the most game-changing. It’s such a simple concept.
“It involves changing perspectives – first by seeing through the other person’s eyes, and then by observing the scene as if you were a third party.”
Burgess uses her own experience in a previous relationship to demonstrate how positive this practice can be. It made me realise that, oftentimes, we barely make the effort to see past our own lens – especially when something upsets or angers us. But instead of raging out and creating a toxic, negative environment, it’s incredibly useful to take the time to sit down, think of your own feelings and perspective, and then to use the third party approach. It forces us to search beyond the blind emotion that colours our perspective, and honestly? It took me out of the angry, upset spiral that I often get caught up in. I found that when I took on this practice, my relationship, anxiety levels, and life stresses immediately improved.
It is through these self-care processes that can make it easier for us to think and succeed. As mentioned before, I was incredulous as to how simple these ideologies are. Yet, they are innovative, because Burgess makes sure to walk you through every single step. She backs these practices up with anecdotes, examples, and scientific case studies. There’s even a section full of brainteasers. The interactive, informative nature is what makes the text approachable. Burgess is careful never to be condescending, and it is precisely her well-rounded style that makes this possible.
One of the only odd things that jumped out for us both is that the physical spacing of the text is a bit strange. As mentioned before, the paragraphs are succinct, but there’s something about the formatting that looks a tad unprofessional. However, we both found it easy to get over this oddity, as it doesn’t detract from the quality of the text whatsoever.
The title is maybe a little misleading, as I found that there really is no quick (instant) way to wisdom. And in fact, Burgess seems to be saying the same. Her tips for instant wisdom arise from the notion that if you can change your perspective and certain notions, you are better positioned for wisdom at all times. As well, the “instant” nature of these tips arises from the fact that you can instantly, or easily, re-adjust the way you think in ways that will change your perspective entirely. From this, here are some of my favourite things that I learnt and will definitely incorporate while crafting my 2019 New Year’s resolutions.
Stay Curious
We lose our curiosity more and more the older we get. Burgess’ brings to attention just how important it is to ask ourselves questions more often and to question our beliefs. Doing so will force us to think in different perspectives which can be a reward in itself, but particularly it can lead to some extremely successful ideas or behaviours if we incorporate it into our New Year’s resolutions.
Be Childlike
Buried under the mound of responsibilities that are inevitable as one gets older, we often tell ourselves that it is better to grow up and stop being childish. However, Burgess points out that in fact, when it comes to learning and creativity, children have a natural penchant for it that adults have suppressed. So, keep your childish attitude no matter what anyone says, and it just might result in some great ideas coming out.
Have a cup of tea
I’m not kidding, Burgess actually said so! And the reason being is that when we are more emotional and stressed out, the power of our brains lessens, causing thinking to become more difficult and connections slower to be made. Which is all to say that if you want to be productive and successful in the new year, prioritising your mental health is going to help you do that – it’s science! We’ve talked about self-care in another post you should check out too: Self Care Practices for a Productive Mind
For more great life lessons, make sure to pick up Instant Wisdom for a surefire way to become more intentional and smarter in your thinking!
~S & Z~
