Thoughts on the Velveteen Principles

The Velveteen Principles is a short and sweet book looking at the lessons that can be pulled out of the children’s story, The Velveteen Rabit.

I received this book as a gift about 4 months ago and finally got to reading it. It was a quick and well worthwhile read.

It talked about what it means to be Real. Many people go through life acting in ways that are not true to themselves. This could be because they think they need to fit a certain ideal or because they are nervous about how others will think about their real selves. I have been thinking about these ideas a lot recently, so the book came at a good time.

This past semester I found myself doing much more of what I personally enjoyed and I was much more myself. Because of that, I had a much more positive and happy semester. It is hard to quantify these things, though, because they are abstract. That is especially so to somebody that might be unfamiliar with these ideas.

The author of this book, Toni D’Antonio is also a therapist. I think she did a fantastic job of putting these thoughts and ideas into words. It probably could still be done better, but this is the best that I have seen.

It is much harder to make the choice of being yourself because it means abandoning many of the things that you have stood for or that have made up your self concept. Doing so, though, will lead to an easier and happier life. There will be less internal conflict and more time spent doing what you love.

Society and those around us tell us both implicitly and explicitly to act in certain ways. Those ideals and perceptions have played a big role making up the ways in which we act and think on a daily basis. Breaking them down and understanding what you care about at your core is difficult but extremely rewarding. This book is not going to change you, by itself. It can spark some thoughts and plant the seed, though, to live a more Real life.

It was a also bit crazy how this children’s story had so many deeply important ideals worked in. A lot more appreciation for the Velveteen Rabbit. I’m sure that’s the case in countless kids books, too.

Cool take on the story and ability to use it to become a better, more Real person. It was short and sweet. I’d recommend the read. Especially if any of the stuff above resonated.

Thoughts on this review/the book in general? Comment or send me a note :)

Full reading list here