Seeing People

I love the many messages in your book, and felt so uplifted and inspired by the entire thing (and downright entertained - I laughed out loud many times and thoroughly enjoyed the pop culture quotes at the beginning of each chapter). As a recovering perfectionist/overachiever myself, I really needed to hear what you wrote. And it makes me want to give a copy of Seeing People to every single person I've ever met. 

One of my favorites lessons was chapter 11 -  I LOVED this chapter so much. Seriously, after reading this chapter, I was so inspired that I spent a week not reading the book to do what I called a "overall life overhaul". I looked really seriously at how I was spending my time, money, energy, and compared it with what I truly value. This chapter helped me realize the many areas of my life that my behavior and choices were not congruent with my values. I started spending way less time on my phone. I deleted a social media profile. I spent more time reading my scriptures, journaling, playing guitar, connecting with my spouse, and I finally planned and booked the vacation I'd been saying I would do for years to visit my best friend living in a foreign country. This book is not only changing the way I see others, but also how I see myself. 

As a therapist, I wish that everyone would read  Seeing People. Much of the work that I do is helping people cultivate mindfulness and empathy for themselves and others while helping them also define and live out their values/wants/needs. This is a constant uphill battle in a society that teaches us to run on a mindless treadmill - getting nowhere we actually want to be fast, staying exhausted and unhappy in the process. All of which often leads to maladaptive coping strategies like numbing with substances to escape our society where we can never be enough or have enough because of the ridiculous, unhealthy standards that have been normalized. And yet we keep running on the treadmill instead of stepping off and living differently, that is, unless we hit rock bottom, start going to therapy, or read something like this and wake up to what we were missing before. 

Thank you for your lessons and contributions to the world that are rippling in hearts in ways you will likely never even know about. 

Eliza Robinson 

Professional Counselor Associate, MA, NCC