Blogger Book Club 2015: Motivational

I recently joined a group of bloggers to take part in SarahOhm.com’s Blogger Book Club 2015. Each month, we read a book of our own choosing based on each month’s theme. Since I’m already an avid reader and enjoy it, I thought this would be a fun way to read new books and connect with other bloggers. Each month, we’ll have a linkup where you can share your posts and read about other books from bloggers too! I’m excited to see what everyone chose, as well as get ideas for other books! I’m always looking for new things to read.

This month’s theme was to read a motivational book. It’s the perfect theme for January when most of us start setting goals and looking at ways to improve ourselves throughout the new year. I was actually already reading a motivational book before I even knew what the theme was so I’m so stoked it worked out!

I read Wild by Cheryl Strayed. Firstly, I chose the book because I wanted to actually read the book before I saw the movie. I’ve finished the book but still haven’t seen the movie yet. Typical me! Secondly, I was interested in her journey and the huge undertaking it took for her to hike the PCT (Pacific Coast Trail).

Brief Summary

The book is an autobiography and it’s written about Cheryl’s adventure as she hikes the PCT. She took on the journey as a way to deal with some life struggles that were thrown her way. She needed something to mix up her life, shake her up and help to get her back on track. She didn’t love herself much, she didn’t believe in herself, and doubted what she was capable of doing in life. She writes about her day to day life out on the PCT, the people she meets, and the positive changes she notices in herself as each mile goes by.

How I Related To Her Journey

Although she was truly at rock bottom when she started her journey, I wasn’t that low, but I can relate to her feelings of not being happy with herself. Before I started running again, I wasn’t too happy with myself either. I needed something to shake it up and make me find “me” again. Running did and still continues to do that for me. Her journey was not without a little self doubt, a bit of luck and a whole lot of bravery. She wanted to make the change more than she wanted to quit. Much like my running, I felt the same. It wasn’t easy, I doubted myself at the beginning, but I wanted it enough so I kept pushing.

This is a really enjoyable book! I thought several times as I was reading it if I would be as brave as she was to take this one by herself. I’m not sure I would be able to hike it alone. Several times, I questioned how she felt so comfortable out in the middle of nowhere, at night, by herself. I loved reading about a lot of the people she met along the way and why they chose to hike the PCT. Through her experience, I feel like I’m may be more willing to take on big challenges as well, even if they are a little scary.

You can check out what other bloggers have read this month by heading to our link up below.