Why Bother: Discover the Desire for What's Next

by Jennifer Louden

Overview

Nautilus Award Winner: Silver, Personal Growth/Large Publisher 2020

The most important question you’ll ever ask yourself.

In Why Bother? personal-growth expert Jennifer Louden challenges you to open your mind, your heart, and your life by following where the question leads. Through reflection and stories from others, Louden demonstrates how to bother when it feels impossible or like too much work, whether after professional defeats, heartbreak, illness, or life-changing loss. She shows why you must prioritize what’s calling you at any time of your life, especially when you’ve sidelined your dreams to raise kids, pay the rent, or take care of aging parents. And crucially, she shows you how tapping into your deepest desires can give you the energy to move forward—even when the world seems in such dire straits. It’s time to reclaim the dignity and beauty of your desires. It’s time to get your bother on.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781989603123
Publisher:	Page Two Books, Inc.
Publication date:	04/21/2020
Pages:	360
Sales rank:	338,423
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.40(h) x 1.00(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Jennifer Louden is a personal growth pioneer who helped launch the concept of self-care with her first bestselling book The Woman’s Comfort Book. Since then, she’s written six additional books on well-being and whole living including The Woman’s Retreat Book and The Life Organizer, with a million copies of her books in print in nine languages (note: most of these books were sold before electronic tracking). Jennifer has spoken around the U.S., Canada, and Europe, and has written a national magazine column for a Martha Stewart magazine. Plus, she’s been profiled or quoted in dozens of major magazines, two of Brené Brown’s books Daring Greatly and Dare to Lead, appeared on hundreds of TV, radio shows and podcasts, and even on Oprah.

Jennifer has been teaching women’s writing and self-care retreats since 1992 and creating vibrant online communities and innovative learning experiences since 1999. She writes weekly to her email list and hosts an online paid community of over 600 members. She lives near Boulder, Colorado. www.jenniferlouden.com

Table of Contents

Part 1 Why Bother Indeed 1

1 Why Bother Indeed 3

2 Still Need Convincing? 27

3 Savor versus Serve 33

4 Take Stock 43

Part 2 The Stages of Bothering 53

5 Leave Behind 55

6 Ease In 107

7 Settle 137

8 Desire 161

9 Become by Doing 217

10 Be Seen 293

Conclusion Always Begin Again 325

Acknowledgments 335

Notes 340

Editorial Reviews

I love this book like I love my closest girlfriends because just like them, it is funny and smart and brave. Like them, it is comfortable with the mess and the vulnerability—in me and in life. Like them, it digs into the details, the nuances of how we forge our paths, the stuff it often seems no one is willing to talk about. Whenever I put it down, I craved going back to it for more mentorship and comfort. It’s a truism among us personal-growth writers that everything we are writing about has been written about a thousand times before, but I’m telling you—this book has never been written before.
—Tara Mohr, author of Playing Big: Practical Wisdom for Women Who Want to Speak Up, Create, and Lead

A truly brilliant book. Jennifer Louden is warm, down to earth, and thoroughly practical as she explores the profound question of what matters most to each of us. It’s quite stunning how she weaves together personal stories, deep reflections, inspiration, and immediately useful actions. A gem.
—Rick Hanson, PhD, author of Resilient: How to Grow an Unshakable Core of Calm, Strength, and Happiness

I ended my own book with the words, ‘Now what?’ When I picked up Jennifer Louden’s book, I felt as if it were a follow-up to my own question. Why Bother? spoke to me as if I were speaking to myself (in a loving voice, instead of the jerky one) and it has become my guide, my map, my bible, my confidante. I want everyone I know to own a copy as tattered as mine.
—Jennifer Pastiloff, author of On Being Human

In Why Bother? Jennifer Louden shows with great honesty that feeling what is ours to feel is how we endure our way into a more authentic dream where who we are is more than enough. Without being prescriptive, this book is a strong and sensitive companion on the path of becoming fully human. It will help you unravel your entanglements and live.
—Mark Nepo, author of Drinking from the River of Light and The Book of Awakening

This book is a revelation. Why Bother? woke me up from my creative slumber and revitalized the desire I had pushed to the side in favor of ‘getting things done.’ Jennifer Louden’s words gave language to the areas of my life that felt stagnant, and immediately catapulted me into the action my soul craved. If you’ve been looking to tap back into your truest desires and deepest purpose so you can craft a life of meaning, this book will help you do exactly that.
—Amber Rae, author of Choose Wonder over Worry: Move beyond Fear and Doubt to Unlock Your Potential

Why Bother? is a reclamation. With curiosity, wisdom, reverence, and grace, Jennifer Louden shows us how to transform two simple words from the ultimate expression of futility into a path back to desire and, eventually, meaning. Read it, then live it.
—Jonathan Fields, author and founder of Good Life Project

From the Publisher

05/01/2020

For anyone wondering how to get past heartbreaks, career defeats, and other soul-crushing events, Louden (The Woman's Comfort Book; Women's Retreat Book) suggests turning the question of "why bother?" around to find reasons to go on and plan the next step. She presents a six-stage approach to assist readers in moving from feeling envious to wishing others well, self-judging to welcoming all experiences, and dithering to fully committing. Louden's message is backed with numerous examples, pertinent quotes, self-assessments, and links to more resources and information. VERDICT Ideal for those who feel stuck in a negative spiral and wish to move forward.

Library Journal