Oprah – Say Yes to Happy

I had seen the movie when it came out years ago, and had always wanted to read the book. Better late than never, right?

I recently saw Elizabeth Gilbert’s interview with Oprah on her show, Super Soul Sunday. She speaks so eloquently and makes so many good points about so many different topics, about honoring our needs as women, women being the central character in the hero’s journey, and soulmates. It was a great interview that I really enjoyed.

I just love her adventurous spirit!

I wish I had the time to devote 4 months at a time in one place as she did (in Italy, India, and Bali) and really soak up the culture. (Not to say that I won’t or wouldn’t love to, I just haven’t yet.) But that’s part of her story is telling women it’s okay to focus on ourselves and to put our needs in the forefront of our minds and not always putting other people’s needs as the top priority. It’s a very empowering story she has to tell.

It was fun to see how she finds different friends in different parts of the world and how we are all the same, with similar wants and needs. The people that came into her life were from all over the world and she learned different outlooks on life.

I think that’s one of the amazing things about traveling. It takes you out of your comfort zone, forces you to reevaluate your life and priorities, and you enjoy things more deeply.

It’s a really beautiful story about finding peace, finding herself and happiness, through food, prayer, and love.

I liked that there were a variety of topics covered in this book, including the mind, body, dating, mating,and life in general, but at the same time it was almost too many topics. Because of that I picked and chose which articles I wanted to read. I liked the format of the book because it was just articles it felt like a magazine and had lots of pictures and illustrations.

I did enjoy that there were different views and interviews from a variety of interesting people such as Michelle Obama, Jay Z, Tina Fey, Dr. Phil, Dr. Oz, and Ellen DeGeneres. There were also articles from everyday people talking about their issues and how they dealt with them.

I wouldn’t necessarily say it’s a must read, but there will always be die hard Oprah fans who eat up anything she’s puts out.

Next up is the Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin.