Smile At Your Challenges by Danielle Pashko Review

After losing her mother to breast cancer and having an absent father, Danielle Pashko was living as a teenager on her own in Manhattan. She worked as a model to support herself, although much of her free time was spent studying yoga, massage, holistic nutrition and healing modalities.
 
While later working as the "go to" practitioner for everyone's health issues she ironically was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. Her strongly ingrained philosophy of restrictive eating and physical discipline had to be questioned. Danielle believes that we can take all the external measures in the world to achieve health and happiness, but there are never any guarantees.
 
Even with all the trappings of success – the house, the car, the closet full of designer labels, membership in all of the best clubs, and the admiration of friends and colleagues – none of it will ignite your passion, warm your heart or feed your soul if you’re expecting happiness to be brought to you by someone else.
 
And so we diet. We exercise. We meditate. We juice. We cleanse. We visualize. We pray. We seek therapy. We take medications. We buy new wardrobes. We change our hair color. We marry. We divorce. We change jobs. We relocate.
           
Yet when we take a step back to assess the results of all these major makeover campaigns, we’re still left wondering, “So where’s the happy that was supposed to happen? Why isn't it here yet? ”It’s not only delivered through the eyes, wisdom and savvy business acumen of someone whose own journey was far from smooth, but also through the awareness that every lesson, every challenge and even every setback is something we all have the strength within ourselves to overcome. Why? Because you’re one step closer to figuring out why you’re really here. And once you do, don’t be surprised to discover that you’re not alone.


Replete with anecdotes and observations about the human condition, this "Smile At Your Challenges" is a book that invites thoughtful consideration of our relationships with others, our relationship with a higher power and, most importantly, the ongoing relationship we nurture – or should be nurturing - with our own selves. 

My Review:
This is a great book about changing your attitude to get healthier. The book was definitely sad because the author went through so much, and she still came up on top. It doesn't matter how much yoga you do if you are unhappy and binge eat. I am giving this book a 4/5. I recommend this to anyone. There is so much to get out of it and it is a quick read.