Published on the Deaf Auntie website on July 12th 2013, a website by Laraine Callow.
Everything I’ve Ever Done That Worked is a toolkit for life. Lesley Garner, journalist, writer and agony aunt, has been keeping her own ‘personal resource file’ for many years. In this book, she picks the ideas, actions and tools she has used that work for her, in hope that they will work for others. From meditation to money advice, this toolkit covers everything from emotional troubles to money worries.
Everything I’ve Ever Done That Worked is a compendium of short essays distilled from Lesley Garner’s own personal resource file, that she refers to when she is going through something – whether a trying emotional time, money worries, a change of career, relationship issues. The book is something readers can dip in and out of. Throughout her lifetime, she has tried many different things, from meditation to life coaching, from flower remedies to gratitude. She has kept note of all the things that have worked for her – and compiled them in a book.
The book is broken up into medium and short essays. Some of the essays are more practical – such as the importance of having a financial safety net of savings and keeping a journal or diary – and others are more emotional and spiritual, for example learning to let go of negative feelings, and how to embrace your fears. All of the essays can apply to anyone, no matter where they are in their lives.
There are, for example, techniques for being assertive, how to cope with overload, and how to focus. In the 21st century, the internet and globalisation mean that we are often switched on all the time; in a state of permanent alert. Lesley Garner gives the reader the tools for exploring ways to slow down, and carve out periods of time to stop and think without all the distractions of modern life.
Some of the suggestions also include therapies such as flower remedies and crystals. The author herself says she was a sceptic, and what works for one person might not work for another, but she is an advocate for trying different things in order to discover if it works for you. She also encourages readers to keep their own resource files of things that have worked for them, to refer to again and again. Everything I’ve Ever Done That Worked is a beautiful compendium of advice, one that people can refer to again and again.
Cats and Chocolate 