Four-Word Self-Help: Simple Wisdom for Complex Lives [Hardcover]

Patti Digh (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2010

Pithy, provocative, poignant advice on a variety of
self-help topics—in four well-chosen words

Is life really all that complicated? What if we could solve all our problems with just four simple words?

 

Four-Word Self-Help is a pithy nod to the fact that life is simpler than we try to make it. It shows how the truisms for most of our woes can be boiled down to four well-chosen words. Author Patti Digh (Life is a Verb) takes the issues of our busy, burdened days and proves that rather than “solving” a complexity with another complexity, the answer may well lie in simple actions.  

 

Following an introduction reflecting on the power of words in self-improvement and self-discovery, Patti introduces twelve hot-button “issues”—each addressed by wise and witty four-word missives, 101 in total. Each concise nugget of advice has been interpreted in original art submitted by artists from around the world, making this book a visual feast for those who could, simply, use just a little bit of help and inspiration.

 

 

be a surge protector

eat less, move more

use your own voice

give up toxic people

 

Editorial Reviews

Review

Praise for LIFE IS A VERB:

 

"Damn, girl. You write good." -Lee Hancock, Dallas Morning News

 

"I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again: I adore Patti Digh’s book Life is a Verb: 37 Days to Wake Up, Be Mindful, and Live Intentionally.  I love her writing, her depth, her sizzle. This is a book that makes me sing with life and the possibilities we all have for transformation and awareness. It is the best antidote I’ve got these days for the pain and fear raging around us--that and loving hugs, long naps, frevent prayer and letting myself feel whatever I’m feeling."

--Jennifer Louden, author of The Woman's Comfort Book  

 

"Life is a Verb is brilliantly-crafted, raw, gorgeously-designed, and daringly different from 'self-help' books. It relates, through stories that sparkle and astonish and soar, how to move, to be on your way, to realize who you really are through your actions. Through exercises that you participate in, as if in conversation with the author, you will learn, as she promises in the prologue, 'deeper things—how to know what to care about, how to treat others around you (and yourself), what to question, how to love, what to stand up for, and why you should tell stories and listen to the stories of others.' There is no more important learning.

         So read it. Inhabit it. Breathe in every word, because every word of this book is essential. Let it animate you. Annotate it to make it your own. And then let it let you change yourself, and become who you were intended to be. Begin now. You have no time to lose."
--- Dave Pollard, author of The Natural Entrepreneur, and the weblog How to Save the World

 

 

"Patti’s guide for the last 37 days of life will turn every one of your next 3700 days a fully lived experience. If you had some unsolved fear for death, that would be your season ticket to have a free ride on the train with the author. I have never seen such a simultaneously practical, esthetic and soul-caressing book in my life."

--Kichiro Hayashi, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus, Aoyama Gakuin University, Tokyo

 

 

"I laughed.  I cried.  I want the t-shirt!  Seriously, Life is a Verb may well be the single book that will change the world or maybe only your life . . .    Artful, funny, heart-breaking, Digh reminds us that today isn't a dress rehearsal and we can start today celebrating the magic of ordinary life. Reading Life is a Verb is like mainlining goodness. Digh shows us what is real and what matters, and she gives us insiders tips on how to make minuscule life corrections that result in quantum shifts in experience.  She reminds us that life can easily be fun.  This will surely be the last self-help book you will ever need or want to read."
--Patricia Ryan Madson, Stanford Emerita, author of Improv Wisdom: Don't Prepare, Just Show Up

 

"Life Is A Verb is a wonderful treat! Good exercises, stories, and examples. Reading it will help you appreciate just how much can be gained through living with intention. It's also a lot of fun."
--Roger von Oech, author of A Whack on the Side of the Head: How You Can Be More Creative

 

From the Back Cover

Is life really all that complicated? Do we need seminars, self-help books, more therapy? What if we could solve all our problems with just four simple words?

Four-Word Self-Help is a pithy nod to the fact that life is simpler than we try to make it. Author Patti Digh gives truisms for most of our woes in four well-chosen words, taking the issues of our busy, burdened days and proving that rather than “solving” a complexity with another complexity, the answer may well lie in simple actions.  

Twelve hot-button “issues” are addressed: Community, Love, Stress, Travel, Soul, Wellness, Success, Green, Activism, Children, Generosity, and Endings. Each concise nugget of advice, 101 in all, has been illustrated with sumptuous original art from around the world by readers of the author’s blog, 37days.com.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 176 pages
• Publisher: skirt!; First edition (September 1, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1599219808
• ISBN-13: 978-1599219806
• Product Dimensions: 6.4 x 4.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #149,515 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

In 2003, Patti Digh's stepfather was diagnosed with lung cancer and died just 37 days later. She woke up on day 38 and asked her a question that she has asked every morning since: "What would I be doing today if I only had 37 days to live?"

Her award-winning blog, 37days.com, emerged from the lessons she learned by asking that question. And her most recent book, LIFE IS A VERB: 37 Days to Wake Up, Be Mindful, and Live Intentionally, emerged from that writing when Globe Pequot Press approached her about shaping essays from 37days into a book.

The project took on the feel of a "literary and artistic barn raising" when readers from around the world contributed original works of art to illustrate the 37 essays chosen for the book--and when readers from over 40 cities in the U.S. arranged for Patti to visit their communities for readings from the book.

LIFE IS A VERB was one of five finalists for the prestigious "Books for a Better Life" award and nominated for the "Book of the Year" award by the Southern Independent Booksellers Association.

Patti is a writer, keynote speaker, and social justice activist. And as important as those jobs are to her, the most important job she has is being a mom to two daughters, Emma and Tess. She and her husband, book seller and writer John Ptak, live with their family in the beautiful mountain town of Asheville, NC. In addition to being 7th grade ping pong champ way back when, Patti is a fan of novelist Richard Powers, poet Billy Collins, and a little known movie star named Johnny Depp.

Her new book, CREATIVE IS A VERB, is due out from Globe Pequot Press in Summer 2010 and will also be illustrated by readers.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Small Gem Big Inspiration, August 24, 2010

By 

O. Brown "Ms. O. Khannah-Brown" (Twopeas, WA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Four-Word Self-Help: Simple Wisdom for Complex Lives (Hardcover)

*****
I received my book today and read it tonight, eager to enjoy this latest gem from Patti Digh, author of the wonderful blog 37days.com. It is filled with wise sayings of only four words each, reflecting her attempts to simplify her life, to distill her life to its precious essence. Some of my favorite four-word sayings from the book are: "Create your own tribe", "Let yourself be beloved", "Give up itchy clothes", "Protect each other's dignity", and "Live like you're dying". There are 101 in all.

Decorated with spectacular artwork from readers of the author's blog, this is a beautiful little book to read and treasure or to give to someone to bless their life. It includes inspiration to create your own four-word words of wisdom, too!

That's not all though--the book is interspersed with poignant stories, precious stories elaborating on some of the four-word sayings that highlight central values in a well-lived life.

Although it is a quick read, the message of this book stays with you a long time. It can be (and will be, in my case) read over and over again to bring love and beauty into your life.

Highly recommended.
*****

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars small and charming and yet whole, August 26, 2010

By 

Shoofly - See all my reviews

This review is from: Four-Word Self-Help: Simple Wisdom for Complex Lives (Hardcover)

The book, small and charming and yet whole, is full of mantras and recognitions. It is like a book of little word bonsai trees - elegantly shaped phrases crafted and surrounded by an artful thoughtfulness. A review without mentioning the art would be amiss - the variety and depth of interpretation brought from artists around the world make the book one that should easily grab your attention as a book that makes for a great gift, one that would allow you to wordlessly tell your own four-word phrases: "Because I love you." or "Thanks for being there."

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Words That Stay With You..., September 5, 2010

By 

Tracy A. Mangold (Combined Locks, WI) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Four-Word Self-Help: Simple Wisdom for Complex Lives (Hardcover)

Four-Word Self-Help by Patti Digh is one big hug in one little book. Buy it as a gift to yourself, then go out and buy more copies to give friends and family. Patti once again shares some wonderful insights and advice that not only encourages but also invigorates the soul and the mind. It's not a book you simply read through once, then place on a shelf. It is a book you keep in your purse or bag, your bedside table, on your desk or next to your reading chair because it is a book you will go back to again and again for a dose of wisdom and warmth. Enjoy!