Over the past few years, I’ve made a concerted effort to diversify the inputs in my life. From the humans and organizations I follow on social media and LinkedIn to the podcasts I listen to and the authors I read, I’ve been purposefully exposing myself to people who don’t look like me, sound like me, or have even remotely similar lived experiences to mine.

I do this because I believe we are all image bearers and because I know I can learn something from everyone. Also, the patriarchy is a legit cancer on our society and it must be smashed.

When I was presented with the opportunity to review Everyday Magic: The Joy of Not Being Everything and Still Being More than Enough by Mattie James, I jumped at the opportunity. She’s new to me, and I really enjoyed learning about her and how she manages her busy and fulfilling life.

Mattie James is first and foremost the daughter of immigrants from Liberia. She’s a wife, mom, entrepreneur, former Miss Liberia USA, blogger, and social media influencer…and now, an author.

In Everyday MAGIC, Mattie shares the secret to her success: a framework called everyday “MAGIC.”  By MAGIC, she’s not referring to tricks or spells or trickery. MAGIC is simply a memorable acronym to describe her approach to life:

“MAGIC is the discipline of showing up and doing the work to make every day Meaningful, Aesthetically pleasing, Goal-oriented, Intentional, and Consistent…It takes showing up every day to do work that matters to you on a consistent basis and that brings you closer to your goals in an intentional way.”

p. xv

Written primarily for women, Everyday MAGIC is an easy read filled with practical tips and tricks (hacks) to help you create the kind of life you want. Mattie masterfully covers a variety of topics including physical and mental health, home, family, tasks, time management, possessions, making memories, and creating moments. She also addresses the importance of creating healthy boundaries and making sure you’ve got a village to support you.

The MAGIC acronym provides the structure for each chapter ensuring that each topic is fully explored and lots of fantastic tips are shared.

Personal development, self-help, and business management have been my favorite genres for decades, and I’ve probably read at least 2-3 books on each of the topics mentioned in the above paragraph. I was curious to find out if Everyday MAGIC would offer fresh insights or inspire me to do something different or new. It did, and I found every chapter to be insightful, accessible, and packed with practical tips I can adapt to my own life.

Holistic Health Is a Priority

I especially enjoyed the chapter on health where she posits that our health is more than just workouts and clean eating. She offers, “Health is a sum of your physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual conditions” (p. 21) and that self-care should include all four layers for overall health. I couldn’t agree more. Neglecting even just one of these areas consistently will deplete the value of the others. Together, the whole of self-care is greater than the sum of the parts.

James devotes a few pages to de-stigmatizing mental health care while advocating that everyone should have access to a good therapist. Why?

“Think about it—as an adult, where else do you get to work on yourself without the process relating to anyone else?”

p. 46

Therapy (and life coaching) provide us a safe space to go deep with someone who is committed to helping us process our issues, set goals, and celebrate with us when we achieve them. #truth

Recommendation

I found Everyday MAGIC not only to be refreshing and uplifting but also inspiring and hope-full. I definitely encourage you to read it, especially if you’re wanting a new way to organize your life so every day is filled with Meaning, Aesthetically pleasing spaces, Goals on their way to being achieved, Intentionality, and the Consistency you’ve been craving. Highly recommended. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

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Graphics & Photo credits: All photos licensed for use on this blog by Laura Zielke unless otherwise noted below.

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.  I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”