I’m super excited to start a new series here on the Stay Wild Love blog all about…..(drum roll please)…..books. Writing and reading is such a big part of my heart and when I’m able to share what I’ve learned with others it fuels me in a way I can’t quite explain.

This series is less about business and more about life and that makes me excited. Throughout September and October I’ve been practicing this idea of what rest and slowing down looks like in my life so I thought what better book to share than my all time favorite, Chasing Slow by Erin Loechner.

Now, I don’t know about you, but I go through seasons of craving more and seasons of craving less ALLL the time. But I never quite feel content, you know?

If I’m craving more, I have this pit in my stomach that I’m not grateful for the things God has given me right now in this moment. And if I’m craving less, I feel as if I’ll be forgotten in this crazy world or that I’m lazy to even think about slowing down. But I think we have the wrong idea about what more versus less really looks like and what chasing slow in your life can mean. 

What I’ve found is that chasing slow is different for everyone and it can also be different for yourself throughout the seasons you’ll walk through.

“More, she said, is a never-ending immeasurable. It can’t be counted or valued or summed or justified. More is always, by definition, just ahead at the horizon. That’s why we never stop chasing it. More is never enough.” – Erin Loechner, Chasing Slow

Can I get an AMEN?!

The Power in Chasing Slow

Whenever I need a little reminder of this, Chasing Slow is one of the first books I pull off my bookshelf because the wisdom within is a constant reminder of God’s love for me and this life I was created to live.

There are so many nuggets of wisdom, but here are three of my favorite!

1. GRATITUDE IS EVERYTHING

When I first picked up “Chasing Slow” I wasn’t sure what I would get out of it. Maybe another minimalist book teaching the right way to incorporate a capsule wardrobe into my life or how to eliminate the stuff from cluttering up my house. And while all that is truly great, Chasing Slow is not that.

Instead what I got was such an authentic tug on my heart to slow down and be grateful.

“Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for.” – Epicurus

It’s so easy for us to constantly chase more, accomplish more, and then go on to the next big thing. But instead, we need to slow down, count our blessings, and gratefully see wow, what we have right now is something we once wished we had.

2. MORE CAN MAKE YOU FEEL LIKE LESS

“Who could have known that more isn’t what we truly need? Who could have known that more would make us feel like less? Are we being inspired when we are meant to inspire?” – Erin Loechner, Chasing Slow

This book is so much of my heart. If you saw my copy in person, you’d probably laugh or if you’re one of those book lovers who doesn’t believe in “writing on book pages”, well then you would be very disappointed. Either way, this book is a treasure for me.

There is washi tape marking almost every page. Highlights across more sentences than not. And my chicken-scratch handwriting in the margins where I had my biggest ah-ha moments. 

Those markings I’m so grateful for. Because whenever I go back to revisit this book and the lessons I’ve already learned once I’m able to teleport back in time to when I was sitting there reading Erin’s words for the first time. Those chicken scratches are my reflections and thoughts from years ago and although I’m not that same girl anymore so much of how I felt is important to who I’ve become. And so much of what I’ve already learned, I need to be reminded of even today.

Who could have known that more isn’t what I needed?

Who could have known that chasing after more would make me feel less?

Was I being inspired by what I was chasing after when I was meant to inspire?

Amen. Amen. Amen.

Truth bomb after truth bomb Erin cut through the noise and got right to my heart. She showed me the things that truly matter to me in this life. 

One of my favorite quotes from the entire book is this:

“Remove the weight from your wings.” –  Erin Loechner in Chasing Slow

I started to see the weight, but was so unsure of what would happen if I removed it. Would I fall? Would I fly? What would happen if I removed the more and saw instead what I have?

Oh the beauty in the slowness.

The beauty in the gratitude.

The beauty in the seasons.

This book will challenge you in so many ways, but that challenge is truly life changing.

3. THE AUTHOR WALKS THE WALK

The last thing I loved about this book is that the author is EXACTLY who she says she is. Have you ever fallen in love with someone’s work only to meet them in person and feel like you’ve been lied to? Like the person in front of you couldn’t possibly have written the words that so deeply shaped your thinking?

Erin is exactly who I thought she would be. If not even more beautiful inside and out then I imagined. I had the privilege of working with Erin at Shanna Skidmore’s Blueprint Summit in 2018 where Erin was a keynote speaker. As a behind-the-scenes gal on the team I was able to spend some time with Erin that completely blew me away. Not only did she genuinely sign every book an attendee brought with them (including my own!), but she also sat in on the entire Summit listening and taking notes while other speakers shared their wisdom, too.

I don’t know how many events you’ve been too, but so often keynote speakers show up for their session and check out shortly after. But Erin was there. She was involved. She got to know every single attendee and team member. Her heart was created to serve and carry. To love and inspire. Every single world she wrote in Chasing Slow is how Erin lives her life.

And I don’t know about you, but that’s the kind of woman I want to look up to. The kind of woman who I want to soak in words from daily. And the kind of woman that I want to become myself.

“Sometimes, when we’re not looking for what we want, we find what we need.” – Erin Loechner, Chasing Slow

If you’re in a season of searching for wisdom in your own life, for grace while you navigate the season you’re currently in, or to understand what chasing slow can look like for you I highly encourage you to go grab this book off your bookshelf and give it another read or head here** to add it to your reading list!

I hope you enjoyed this book review! I’m so excited to continue sharing more and more nuggets of wisdom I’ve learned through some of my favorite writing in the months to come but am also always adding new books to my reading list.

What are some of your favorite nonfiction or fiction books?

*Feature image of Erin Loechner by Sarah Ingram at Shanna Skidmore’s Blueprint Summit. 

**This is an amazon affiliate link. Please know, I only share products that I adore and love and am excited for you to get your hands on this book, too!