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For the last year or so, I’ve been reading two books at once: a novel or nonfiction book for entertainment and escape and one self-improvement book.
I typically read the self-improvement book at a slower pace so I can spend more time digesting the content. Anyway, the book I’m talking about today is my latest self-improvement read: “More Than Enough” by Elaine Welteroth.
She is best known for her work as the Editor-in-Chief at Teen Vogue (starting in 2016) when it really started making waves with stories and covers focused on issues unrelated to beauty trends.
I purchased the book excited to read about her time at Teen Vogue, but it’s so much more than that. “More Than Enough” is her memoir, and she does not spare a detail about her career in the magazine industry, from the early days through Teen Vogue.
She shares so much about her perspective as a Black woman working in a predominately white industry, which affects so much of her job and life, from beauty trends to politics and deep-rooted racism. I learned so much from reading this book!
Here’s some of what I highlighted:
- Whenever I remember that Life is for me, not against me, I hear and see and feel it all. And I can find good in every shadow, in every cloud. It makes every day brighter.
- With only one semester left, I used graduation as a deadline to figure out what the hell to do with my life. I quit the party scene, pulled away from shallow friendships that were taking me nowhere, prayed hard for clarity on my next move, and searched for signs that could point me in the direction of my destiny. I was embarrassed to admit it at the time, but I actually started looking forward to those Friday nights in — just me, myself, and Google, dreaming up the possibilities in candlelit solitude.
- I realized that if we aren’t vigilant, we can move through our entire lives feeling smaller than we actually are—by playing it safe, by unconsciously giving away our power, by dimming our radiance, by not recognizing there is always so much more waiting for us on the other side of fear. But when we are brave enough—to go there, to grab what we want, to tap into who we are—damn, it feels so good.
- As a culture, we love a celebration. We love a first. We hold them high. We all marvel at headlines and highlight reels. But we rarely discuss the marks and scars, and bruises that come with breaking through glass ceilings.
Aside from being informative, I found this book to be so inspiring. Elaine and I are close in age, so I enjoyed the cultural references she included, and really felt seen in much of this book.
I’d definitely recommend this one, especially if you’re looking for a push of inspiration.
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