You know how when you read a book that you love SO MUCH, you want to tell everybody about it?
That’s how I feel about Tara Mohr’s new book, Playing Big, which launched just last week.
I don’t share book reviews very often, but I know the women who read my blog are looking for a lot of the same things as I am—like a life filled with ease, a fulfilling career, and a hospitable habitat that nourishes you…including the atmosphere of thoughts whirling around your brain. I can’t help but share this book with you, because it contributes to an aspect of the conversation about how women are in the world, that so desperately needs attention.
It’s a book about how women can play bigger – not according to the world’s definition of playing big, but according to what playing big truly means to you.
Having followed Tara’s blog for a couple years and loving her wisdom about self-care, using your voice, and overcoming fear in order to do the work you’re made for, I had been anxiously awaiting the opportunity to read what I was sure would be a masterpiece.
I went in with high expectations…and I wasn’t disappointed. Over and over again as I read, I kept thinking…I needed this book. People need this book.
And that’s where I think this book stands apart from the rest. Rather than simply telling a working woman how to “make it in a man’s world”, or whining about patriarchy without constructive ideas of what to use instead, or providing advice that sounds good on paper but doesn’t feel congruent with the way I naturally am…Tara approaches the discussion from a stance of recreating the world from the inside out. Starting with yourself. Creating a new structure in which men and women coexist and thrive, where no one needs to compromise on their own nature or way of being.
That’s the big picture of what I love about Playing Big…but the details are beautiful, too. Tara draws on her knowledge of working with hundreds of women to share insights into the ways we keep ourselves playing small. In many ways, reading the book felt like seeing my reflection in the form of a book, for all the brilliant ways she articulated my experiences and thought patterns. And each insight is accompanied by practical, tangible ways to tweak your behavior, communication and approach to be more true to your bravest, wisest self.
And most importantly, I love that this book accounts for being individual and human in your approach to playing big—whether that means planning for dips and detours on your road to “self-improvement”, or learning to not compare your road with someone else’s, or learning how to play big with ease instead of pile driving your way to success.
Reading this book felt nourishing, and internalizing the lessons in it makes me feel more like myself. If you recognize yourself playing small in any aspect of your life and you feel a desire to play bigger, I highly recommend this book.
Now, I’m off to read it a second time…
Get the book right here
(PS That’s an affiliate link. But I wrote this post because I love the book and wanted to share it.)
