The heart wants what the heart wants, and our hearts want books.

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Bless me readers for I have sinned. Mea Culpa. I did not listen to my book buddy soon enough for the soul-changing work that Kendra Adachi has put into the world with her book The Lazy Genius Way. I have been so ready for this book that Nikki knew I needed, but I didn’t find the time to fit it in until now. I am sad that I didn’t make the time sooner. It wasn’t even a lot of time. A few hours, truly, for drinking in these 13 life changing Lazy Genius Principles like they were water in the desert of my soul. I have some really big feelings about this book. These feelings run deep and wide and gave me some MORE moisture droplets in the corner of my eyes just  because I re-read the highlights and notes I made in the book so that I could settle down and write this blog post. I’m not apologizing for sharing my feelings and my notes, and boy howdy do I have a LOT of them. 

I’m going to let Nikki write more about our author today because she has way more meaningful things to say about Kendra and her work over at The Lazy Genius Collective and on The Lazy Genius Podcast. I’m just going to write about this book and all my big feelings. Firstly, we must list the Thirteen Lazy Genius Principles. It is very important to note that all of these principles are helping us to “be a genius about the things that matter and lazy about the things that don’t.” We EACH get to choose the things that matter to us and we’re not judging other people on which things matter to them. And good lord isn’t that a freeing thought? I feel like 20 lbs just dropped from my shoulders, even though that could be the posture corrector that I’m currently wearing while I type this. (Not even a joke, here’s the one I ordered. Because having better posture is important to me. It matters.) I’m sorry, I got sidetracked, here’s the list of the Lazy Genius Principles, in order:

I have 72 highlights and 16 notes in the 221 pages of this glorious little book. Around the time I hit chapter two I texted Nikki and asked, “Is Kendra an Enneagram 1? I’m getting big One Vibes.” It was really easy for me to see myself in literally all the things she was saying. Then, Nikki shared with me this Typology podcast episode where Kendra discusses her One-ness. Someone was cutting onions when I was listening to this too. I had more big feelings. I just need to warn you that this book, and everything Kendra says about what it feels like being a One, is like having a telescope into my tiny Grinchy heart (before it grew three sizes). At least that’s what it feels like having an inner critic constantly telling you things you did wrong and all the ways you can make it better. Using these thirteen principles to help name what matters is like giving that inner critic the space to do what she does best in order to give her a well-deserved rest. Giving myself permission to take the time and do the things that matter to me, oh, it’s a game changer.

I don’t want you to think that this book is written in some serious tone, because it most certainly is not. Three of the notes I made of the previously mentioned sixteen are some variation of “Bahahahahaha. Dead.” which means I was actually laughing out loud in response to the written word. Kendra uses humor and personal anecdotes to draw you in and give you permission to see yourself as you ARE, to help you realize that you are ENOUGH in this moment. It is the thing that a One needs to hear constantly, because our inner critics are constantly, without fail or ceasing, telling us that we are not good enough, that we can always do better. My biggest feelings came from this quote right at the end of the book and I’m going to share it with you now because, wow, I think I might just need to frame it and read it everyday:

First, never ever feel guilty about what matters to you. If eating out and enjoying your city and engaging with strangers and being the life of the party matter to you, don’t you dare think that’s not valid because it doesn’t look the same as someone who would rather have people around her kitchen table and go to bed at nine. Everything matters because we all matter, and different things matter to each of us. Name what matters to you. If it matters, it counts. Second, you are enough. You can stop trying to be the ideal, future you, carrying a load you were never meant to carry. Let go of the working, the listing, the striving—all the things you’re doing to deserve the love of the people around you. You are enough. 

Gah, she’s so heavy handed with the onions in this recipe. We’re both crying, ok? I could wax poetic about literally every single piece of this book and there’s not one that is more important than the other, except for maybe the quotation above, because you are enough. I am enough. If you couldn’t tell by now this is a 1,000,000 star review from me and the lesson I truly learned is that I’ll be acting on my book buddy’s recommendations with more urgency from now on. The Lazy Genius Way is a fabulous tool to get down to the core of who we ARE not who we want to be in order to live the life we deserve. I can not more highly recommend this book, which, as it happens, is also a great way to ‘goal set’ for 2022 by taking the time to sit down and name what matters.

I’m just going to remind you, darling reader: YOU ARE ENOUGH. Because we can never hear this too much.

~Ashley

One sentence review: Kendra Adachi can shut up and take my money, except I never want her to actually shut up.  

Long review:  Kendra Adachi lives in North Carolina with her husband and three children, the youngest of whom just started school.  She went to school to be an English teacher and now shares her love of reading and wisdom with a broader world than she ever imagined.  Yes, Kendra has worked in vocational ministry and as a SAHM, but her words and her ideas don’t just apply to people of faith or parents.  She is real, open, and vulnerable in ways that are magical and life giving, and personally, I find it a joy to be guided by her sage words and soothing voice.  

Oh readers, Ashley has been listening to me wax poetic about my beloved Kendra Adachi since I started listening to her podcast over two years ago.  My fantastic colleague suggested The Lazy Genius podcast as one of interest to me, and just as Ashley should listen to me on books, I should listen to said colleague on, well, probably like everything.  (She’s also helped me curate my Instagram feed and I’m forever grateful for that, among many other things.)  According to my podcast app, I started listening in 2019, either in the summer, or I just picked up enough backlist that the start of me listening to each episode dates back to then (plus a number more I’ve picked up due to their topic, including #5 with Ashley’s beloved Jamie B. Golden, and yes, our podcast / book world is incestuous and I don’t care).  I must say though, anything labeled as a pep talk is my favorite (try this one), and I’ve probably listened to all of those more than once.  

Based on this, it should come as a surprise to no one, that during the spring of 2020, I signed up for The Lazy Genius Way launch team.  In return for an ARC e-book, I read the book, wrote a review, and shared the good word.  Over and over again, and still.  I finished the book, and immediately pre-ordered the case-bound, hardback copy from my local indie (because dust jackets are not lazy genius material), which my eldest stole from me within minutes of it entering our home, and keeps removing from the bookshelves and starting again (yes, I let my then eight year old read this, but no pressure).  Since then, I have also purchased the official e-book for easy searching, in addition to my dead tree copy.  For this review, I listened on audio.  Y’all, it was a JOY to have Kendra read her work to me, mostly as I was cooking, doing dishes, or cleaning.  I don’t remember which part, but I distinctly remember feeling like she was giving a benediction over me one night while I was at the kitchen sink.  Am I obsessed?  Perhaps, but these words matter to me, they help me feel like a person, and I have no regrets.

I want to say so many things about how this work and this woman have changed me, but it’s too much.  Mondays are made better by The Lazy Genius podcast.  I’ve reread (because audio counts) The Lazy Genius Way (a 2020 top 5 favorite) already, and it may become an annual thing, at least for a bit.  And, when Kendra asked for supporters to give $10 to finance some dreams she had for her next book, I did.  It’s been a joy to contribute to her ability to do these fun things in a private Instagram account (yes #BlameKendra for my presence on Instagram).  In October, I *may* have had a splurge day and ordered four books, including The Lazy Genius Kitchen.  Yes, more than five months before it releases, and you know what readers, those pre-order boni have been hitting my inbox since November and I am not sad.  (Also on that day, I pre-ordered House of Sky and Breath by Sarah J. Maas and am delighted to share that Kendra also loves ACOTAR, TOG, and YA fantasy in general.  Like I said, kindred spirits.)  

I’m only sorry this has ended up being a broader review than just The Lazy Genius Way, but Ashley covered it thoroughly.  Even though I’m an enneagram six, all she said about inner critics applies (just via committee for me), and this book is a balm to my weary soul.  One thing that matters to me is that I’m a part of others feeling the enoughness Kendra has helped me to feel, through whichever medium you prefer to access her wisdom.  As a favorite of 2020, I’m still giving this book five enthusiastic stars, even though that doesn’t feel like enough, and will likely reread it again, and again.

Who is a person that speaks into your soul and makes you feel able and enough?

~Nikki 

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