eat. pray. love

If you know me, then you know I’m a huge fan of the book and movie EAT, PRAY, LOVE by Elizabeth Gilbert. And here is why:

1. I believe in love. I believe in the personal transformation that one can attain through the experiences of love,
2.  I believe in doing all that you can to find and attain authentic happiness.

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However, I must admit, the idea of leaving all your problems behind and running away to some foreign land like the story presented in the book can be problematic. In reality, real courage is staying and facing your problems head on. Real courage is fighting back, I mean there’s no miracle that is going to happen when you run away from all your issues and think that they would suddenly disappear. On the other hand, what makes Elizabeth Gilbert’s story in EAT, PRAY, LOVE so relatable to many of us, is:

1. First, her quest to finding bliss, no matter where she stumbled across it.
2. Second, her relentless desire in sharing her truth and living authentically.
3. Third, the idea that finding your purpose and recognizing that you too deserve a good life, is a theme that regardless of how you feel about the book, can agree upon.

​I loved this book/movie so much, that I have nearly memorized line for line some of my favorite quotes. Here are a few quotes that really resonated with me.

“I have a history of making decisions very quickly about men. I have always fallen in love fast and without measuring risks. I have a tendency to not only see the best in everyone, but to also assume that everyone is emotionally capable of reaching their highest potential. I have fallen in love more times than I care to count with the highest potential of a man, rather than with the man himself, and I have hung on to the relationship for a long time (sometimes far too long) waiting for the man to ascend to his own greatness. Many times in romance I have been a victim of my own optimism.” -Elizabeth Gilbert

This is so TRUE, as many women can attest to this. Sometimes we hold on to relationships for far too long hoping that the person that  we are  in love with, can rise up to the occasion and grow into the man that we know he can be. Sometimes all the signs and red flags are there but we choose to remain in denial because we are so caught up with the “potential of the man” rather than recognizing the “reality of the man” we are dating.  

“In desperate love, we always invent the characters of our partners, demanding they be what we need of them, and then feeling devastated when they refuse to perform the role we created in the first place.” -Elizabeth Gilbert

Can I get an Amen on this one! Seriously,  no two people can truly become a single unit in a relationship- and this is what I mean by this.  Everyone has their own individual perspectives and experiences that they bring to a relationship and that should always be respected. When your partner starts to project his or her way of doing things or pushes unrealistic expectations on you, it only shows that they have stopped seeing you as an autonomous individual, which results in their lack of respect, love and appreciation for you and your individuality.


“Happiness is the consequence of personal effort. You fight for it, strive for it, insist upon it, and sometimes even travel around the world looking for it. You have to participate relentlessly in the manifestations of your own blessings. And once you have achieved a state of happiness, you must never become lax about maintaining it. You must make a mighty effort to keep swimming upward into that happiness forever, to stay afloat on top of it.”-Elizabeth Gilbert


I am a huge advocate in finding authentic happiness and doing all that you can to maintain your peace of mind. I find myself constantly searching for this. But as I go through the highs and lows of life I have realized that happiness isn’t mysterious nor is it elusive. It definitely has to start with your mindset, and you have to be able to recognize that your happiness is your responsibility and no one else's. I think once you acknowledge this, then you can truly begin the journey of attaining authentic happiness.


Have you read EAT, PRAY, LOVE or watched the movie? Share with us what were some of your favorite quotes from the book and how did this story resonate with you?

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