Why Women Entrepreneurs Are Reading Eat, Pray, Love - It's Not What You Think
By Susan L. Reid













So, have you read the book yet?

Seen the movie? Whatever you do, don't skip reading the book in favor of watching the
movie or you'll miss all the rich storytelling-texture the book has to offer.

Elizabeth Gilbert has written a book that many women entrepreneurs can relate to.
Some will enjoy her playful prose with its mix of intelligence, charm, and wit. Others
will resonate with the honest and transparent way she talks about the good, the bad,
and the ugly that led her to and through her yearlong journey.

There have been mixed reviews of the book. Oprah loved it and dedicated two
episodes of "The Oprah Winfrey Show" to it. Maureen Callahan of the "New York Post"
harshly criticized "Eat, Pray, Love" and Oprah for devoting so much time to it.

So what does this have to do with being an entrepreneur? You might be surprised.

First and foremost, this memoir about Gilbert's yearlong travels to three continents
underscores just how much a woman's inner journey affects her outer life journey.

For the woman entrepreneur, it is also her inner journey that makes her
entrepreneurial journey worth taking and ultimately determines the success or failure
of her business.

Five Quotations from "Eat, Pray, Love" to Sustain You along Your Entrepreneurial
Journey


1. "Stop wearing your wishbone where your backbone ought to be."

That's a tough one for many women in general and women entrepreneurs specifically.
Because women are such community and consensus builders focused on the good of
the whole, we often lack the backbone to just stand up and tell it like it is.

In fact, that's the main thread of Gilbert's book: Tell the truth. Tell the truth about who
you are and what's important to you. Tell it to yourself and to those around you. And
when you do, you'll find you've developed the backbone you need to complete the
entrepreneurial journey.

2. "I am stronger than Depression and braver than Loneliness and nothing will ever
exhaust me."


This quotation is part of a much longer one that both calmed and strengthened Gilbert
when she was at her point of greatest despair. Alone and crying out for the first time to
God, what she heard, from deep within herself, was this: She was never alone,
eternally loved, and always protected.

As women entrepreneurs, haven't we all been there? Alone. Crying out in the dark.
Looking more for a connection than for answers. Whether that calm, all-knowing voice
actually comes from God or from within, it is good to know that we are not alone.
Together, we are stronger than we ever realized, with a deep reservoir of energy.

3. "'Tis better to live your own life imperfectly than to imitate someone else's life
perfectly."


This quotation from the "Bhagavad Gita" is a powerful mantra for women
entrepreneurs. Shades of what society once considered women should be—perfect
daughters, wives, and mothers—still color our world today. Yet times have changed.
No longer is the right of passage for modern women one of age (from girlhood to
womanhood); it is one of thought.

As a woman entrepreneur, you already have a strongly developed thought form of
wanting to live life on your own terms. You already have as your driving forces
independence, wealth, and wanting to make a difference in the world. This quotation
reminds us that the perfection of the entrepreneurial journey is in its imperfection.

4. "I am a better person when I have less on my plate."


What "Eat, Pray, Love" exhorts you to do is fill up our body, mind, and soul with
smiles. "Smile from your liver" with what is pleasing to you. From an energetic
perspective, that which we focus upon is added upon. It may sound cliché to say, "Let
go, let God." However, you must find a way to let go of the little irritations that occur
throughout your day and move quickly past that which annoys you to a more pleasing
thought form.

5. "You need to learn how to select your thoughts just the same way you select your
clothes every day. This is a power you can cultivate. If you want to control things in
your life so bad, work on the mind. That's the only thing you should be trying to
control."


The first time I read this, I laughed out loud! How true. How true! Show me a woman
entrepreneur who doesn't want to be in control of her life, and I'll show you a woman
whose business is struggling.

The key, though, is to select what thoughts to think. "...select your thoughts just the
same way you select your clothes every day." I like how easy this quotation makes it
sound. After all, controlling someone else's thoughts is not easy. It's not even possible!
However, controlling your own can be done, can only be done by you, and is well
worth the effort.

"Eat, Pray, Love" is not the first book of its kind nor will it be the last. However, its
popularity means that it struck a universal chord of realization with many readers. As
a woman entrepreneur, this book is a timely reminder to you about how important
your inner journey is to your entrepreneurial journey.


If you want to run a successful business, first learn to control your own thoughts. Let
these five quotations from "Eat, Pray, Love" remind you to select your own thoughts
each day, to smile both inside and out, and to stay strong along your entrepreneurial
journey.








About the author: Dr. Susan L. Reid is a business coach and consultant for entrepreneurial
women starting businesses. She is the award-winning author of "Discovering Your Inner
Samurai: The Entrepreneurial Woman's Journey to Business Success," and has a free chapter
PDF of her most popular chapter: "Doing What You Love: Multiple Streams of Passion" for those
who want see how persistence, patience and practice can really pay off at:
Alkamae.com

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