“The Year of No Nonsense” Thoughts and Review

Overview/Premise: The Year of No Nonsense

I purchased this book on my never-ending self exploration about why it is so difficult for me to accomplish some goals even though I consider myself to be a very task oriented person.  

“The Year Of No Nonsense” by Meredith Atwood is about the soul searching journey of a mom that found herself dangling precariously from the entanglements of life.  She achieved a career as a lawyer and became a successful triathlete but still felt unfulfilled and unhappy. The book is about her journey to discover what really mattered to her self growth. I loved her honesty and well….her “no nonsense” approach.  The author is very raw about her personal journey and it was easy to relate to her examples of getting off track when it comes to personal goals and self satisfaction.  These obstacles include social media, too much people pleasing, and neglecting to evaluate what we really value in our own lives. Life gets messy but you can clean it up!   This is a great how to for getting rid of all of the “extras” in life and sticking to what matters and what contributes to your best whole self.

Start with the End

At the end of each chapter, she poses some questions to ask of yourself and lies the groundwork for a map of self exploration.  I would recommend reading that last chapter about mapping your journey first, so that the questions are understood for their larger purpose.  

On mind maps

I personally enjoy mind maps.  I made a mind map when I started this blog!  It’s a great visual that works as a quick guide and reminder of why you are doing what you are doing.  There are many apps for mind maps.  The one I used in my blog was developed from an app called Canva.

Final thoughts 

*back stops – I loved the idea of these.  You can read about them in her last chapter.  Basically, they are a reminder to yourself of things that are positive for you.  When everything else may seem to spiral out of control, you can remind yourself of what is still positive so that you can curtail the spinout.

*everyone is doing the best they can – I loved this reminder to give others, as well as ourselves, a break.  While realizing that we all have room for self improvement, she reminds us that sometimes we’re just doing the best we can in that moment.

Peace v joy – The idea of seeking happiness can seem overwhelming if at all possible.  We can’t always be happy.  Those are fleeting moments.  We can’t always predict when they will occur. I liked the idea of focusing more on being at peace with ourselves. When we make inner peace our goal, we are actually allowing ourselves more opportunities for joy. It’s really about a love affair with yourself ❤️