Review #1: How To Save Your Own Life

Book Title: How to Save Your Own Life

Author: Michael Gates Gill

Year Published: 2009

Publisher: Gotham Books (a part of Penguin Group, USA)

My Tidbits

This is my second book by Michael Gill, and it is just a simple choice to make it my first review as it is still fresh in my memory, i.e. I just finished it! LOL I just need to tell you one thing: this book was the first of two books that I encountered in a bookshop, although I made the right decision to buy the first title first, How Starbucks Saved My Life. 

I was already in love with his lemon-to-lemonade story in the first book, so buying this book is a token of my admiration towards his courage to take a leap in a mature stage of life, and also for his uplifting and descriptive style of writing =) 

Here, Michael lists down 15 life lessons that he has gone through that finally lead him to his happy life. He talks about on how actually losing (almost) every material things when he needed it the most, had helped him to understand that happiness in life actually comes from simple things like serving the Guests in his job as a barista in Starbucks, laughing with his young son or just simply by rising up in the morning and catches the sunrise.

Nowadays, these tips on how to lead a happy life are often found in articles all over the Internet, and it seems that it is easier to be said than done. We are living in a life where money literally runs the world. I mean it. Even as a person in my early twenties, I have thousands of reasons on why Michael is much happier than I am (sometimes) =p

I contemplate much on the chapters and as a Buddhism practitioner [just a newbie ;)], some lessons that he had learned makes much sense to me. Change is the only constant thing in life, and sometimes we have to gather our courage to leap with faith. It is fearful indeed, but sometimes we have just to close our eyes and see where will we land when we say yes to change. 

My favorite chapter is about asking oneself if we are really happy (Lesson 2). Michael gently reminds us to reflect at the end of every day, because it is not impossible to fall in love with our own life. We are in the driver's seat and trusting our heart is like trusting a GPS to navigate our way. A quote of Michael's summary in the end of the chapter, "I believe that a unique road to happiness is given to each of us, specially for each person - we just have to listen to our hearts to follow it".

My other two favorite chapters will be stories on the life of his father and mother (Lesson 7 & Lesson 8). As I have mentioned before, I love Michael's passionate way in describing details about a particular subject. In the two chapters, he revives the memory of his late parents. Michael's father, Brendan Gill, was a famous The New Yorker writer, who was described as an enthusiast of life. He was like a sun; a warmhearted and zestful man who enjoy sharing his passions in life with everyone. I love the stories on how gregarious he was and tried to seize every single day as he got older. I would love to meet him! =)

In the next chapter, Michael tells a moving story about the last days on his mother's life. She believed in miracles of life and she lived to the fullest, and never let time interfered it. I got the impression that she was as loving as her husband and indeed a great reminder for us to love all living beings =)

This book just came in time when I needed some 'supports' to lift up my chin and face the world. Michael made me sit back and ask myself on my true motives in leading my life and his wisdom and love of life got me to stand on my two feet firmly again =)