The Life That's Waiting

by Brianna Wiest

On the other side of the life you are trying to keep together, on the other side of the pain you think will never dissolve into peace, on the other side of everything you are forcing—is the life that is waiting. The life where you are not pushed by your fears, but moved by your vision. The life where the right things arrive, and remain, and you do not have to contort your truth to make them so. The life where you are actually living, not just waiting to begin. The life that is really yours. The life you arrive to the end of with tired eyes and a full heart. The life that you are proud of. The life that you actually want The life that is gently asking you to let go, and see it. The life that's been waiting, all this time, for you to arrive.

Genres: Self Help, Nonfiction, Personal Development, Audiobook, Psychology, Philosophy, Poetry

Paperback

First published March 18, 2025

Reviews

[Dea · Rating 1 out of 5]

Word salad.

[Amy Lea · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5⭐️ Not my favorite of Wiest’s books but still a worthwhile read in small doses. Reading this for a prolonged period results in the content getting a bit rambley and repetitive. Like her other books, not all the subjects hit for everyone, and for me the majority weren’t the most relatable. Those that were though, were beautifully written and profound. I love reading these books for like 5 minutes in the morning with my coffee, setting the tone and intention for the day.

[Besad · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you’re going through a hard time in your life this book will definitely help you guide through the way. I love Brianna Wiest, every single one of her books are a weighted blanket for the soul

[justmiaslife · Rating 2 out of 5]

Tatsächlich sehr nichtssagend.

[Gianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everything that I needed in my life right now. I’ll definitely be pulling this off the shelf time and again as an “encyclopedia of feelings” of sorts as she mentions.

[Ana · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a marvelous book, with stunning wisdom and poetry in every line. I’ve been reading Brianna’s works since 2018 & I’m never not astounded at how beautiful she can make lessons sound and how true it all resonates at different points in my life. I read the first of her works in 2018 at such a vastly different point of my life and “grew up” with her books and had her books with me as I navigated my life and I even started a blog last year to finally showcase my writing with others and I’m so proud of how far she has come and how her words changed my life, truly.

[Cieara Shaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

This helped me through a really hard year and is a book I will hold on to forever, and will probably revisit when I need to. Lots of insightful chapters that felt like therapy sessions and was filled with really good reminders for self-love, self-care, and emotional regulation.

[Eileen Creek · Rating 4 out of 5]

Before reading a lot of people said it was repetitive. The purpose of reiterating so many core values is to show the importance through different circumstances. I like that the book can be read in a sitting or whenever you need to read a segment of: read this when_. Will come back to it on hard or reflective days.

[Wildrose Reader · Rating 1 out of 5]

It’s safe to say now after reading 3 Brianna Wiest books, that her style of writing is clearly not my cup of tea. 2 books I rated 2/5, and this book I rated a 1/5. I’m an avid reader, and my perspective is generally that I can learn something from every book. Well … I’ve been proven wrong. This kind of rambling nonsense full of buzz words is just not worthwhile to me to listen to.

The book descriptions genuinely sound so interesting to me, but the books themselves that I have read just don’t seem to make an interesting book.

[Jola (czytanienaplatanie) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Czy zdarza Wam się zatrzymać w codziennym biegu i zadać sobie pytanie, czy życie, które jest Waszym udziałem, jest faktycznie tym, którego pragniecie? A może macie wrażenie, że wciąż tkwicie w oczekiwaniu, że to prawdziwe życie, które czeka gdzieś za rogiem w końcu się zacznie?

Jeśli na któreś z tych pytań odpowiedzieliście twierdząco, być może warto sięgnąć po najnowszy poradnik Brianny Wiest „Życie, jakiego pragniesz”. To już dziewiąta książka autorki, ale moje pierwsze z nią spotkanie. Nie ukrywam, że informacje o milionach sprzedanych egzemplarzy i tłumaczeniach na 40 języków zrobiły na mnie wrażenie. Czy po lekturze i ja uległam temu fenomenowi? Nie do końca, ale zacznę od tego, co mi się w tej pozycji spodobało.

To zdecydowanie lekka gabarytowo książka, podzielona na krótkie rozdziały nazwane od emocji lub lęków, które targają nami na różnych etapach życia. Autorka skraca dystans, zwracając się bezpośrednio do nas, co buduje więź i sprawia, że w swoich problemach nie czujemy się osamotnieni. Bardzo doceniam też fakt, że każdy rozdział kończy się jedną konkretną myślą, którą można potraktować jako własne motto na dany dzień czy tydzień.

Autorka we wstępie radzi, by traktować ten poradnik jak „encyklopedię uczuć” i wyciągać z niej to, co jest nam akurat potrzebne, a odkładać to, co nam nie służy. I to jest świetna wskazówka! Warto czytać tylko te fragmenty, które w danym momencie dotykają nas najmocniej. Paraliżuje Was strach? Idźcie do odpowiedniego rozdziału. Doskwiera Wam samotność? Wybierzcie właściwy temat. Dzięki temu unikniecie poczucia powtarzalności treści i weźmiecie dla siebie to, co w danej chwili dla Was najcenniejsze.

Muszę jednak zaznaczyć, że lektura wymaga sporego skupienia. Autorka pisze kwiecistym, momentami wręcz górnolotnym językiem. W tej gęstwinie słów zdarzało mi się zgubić sens lub poczuć lekkie przytłoczenie formą. Niektóre sformułowania wydawały mi się niejasne, inne z kolei ocierały się o banał. To jednak mój bardzo subiektywny odbiór, być może ten styl trafi właśnie do Waszej wrażliwości.

Co jednak we mnie zostało? Najbardziej uderzyło mnie podejście do porównywania się z innymi. Autorka stawia trafną tezę, że jeśli nasze życie naprawdę nam wystarcza i jesteśmy w nim „obecni”, po prostu nie mamy bodźca, by sprawdzać, czy trawa u sąsiada jest bardziej zielona. Własne doświadczenia pochłaniają nas wtedy wystarczająco mocno.

Moim ulubionym cytatem stały się słowa:
„To, czego najbardziej pragniesz, to nie to, co znajdziesz, lecz to, co zbudujesz”.

Mimo że styl Brianny Wiest nie do końca do mnie przemówił, to doceniam tę lekcję, że szczęście to proces i praca, a nie nagroda, która czeka gdzieś na odkrycie. To nie jest książka na raz do kawy. To raczej towarzysz podróży, do którego warto wrócić w gorsze dni, gdy po prostu potrzebujemy zrozumienia.

[Stephanie’s Libby Antics · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’d recommend picking any of her other books. This book has a lot of words that don’t seem to say anything of meaning.

[Luce · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐️

listened to this on audio 🎧

super short listen and so impactful. full of beautiful wisdom, that inspires and motivates.

I love brianna’s books so much and this one didn’t disappoint, the only reason why it wasn’t quite a 5 star was because of the length and format. you can definitely listen/read in one go but could also be one that you pick up when you need specific guidance, as the layout is ‘listen/read this when…’

brianna is such a go to author in this category for me

[Emma B · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 ⭐️ Briana Wiest is that girl. This was so validating but fluffy, it’s not that deeep. I listened to chunks little by little on my walks and it was just like therapeutic and reaffirming and someone was chatting with you like you can do this!!! It was things I needed to hear and funny enough it all came at the time I needed. I recommend if you need some hopecore and motivation in your life.

[miss_bibliophila · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sanfte Zeilen, tiefe Spuren

Dieses Buch hat mich tief berührt – so sehr, dass es mich zum Weinen gebracht und gleichzeitig ein kleines Stück meines Herzens wieder zusammengeflickt hat. Brianna Wiest schreibt in einem ruhigen, fast sanften Stil, der nicht drängt, sondern begleitet.

Besonders beeindruckt haben mich die kurzen Kapitel. Mit wenigen Worten schafft es die Autorin, so viel Inhalt, Tiefe und Bedeutung zu transportieren. Kein Satz wirkt überflüssig, alles hat Gewicht. Die ansprechend gewählten Kapitelüberschriften machen neugierig und führen behutsam durch die Themen.

Es scheint für jeden Moment ein passendes Kapitel zu geben, und ich weiß jetzt schon: Dieses Buch werde ich immer wieder in die Hand nehmen, um daraus Kraft, Trost oder neue Gedanken zu schöpfen.

The Life That’s Waiting ist kein Buch, das man einfach nur liest – man fühlt es. Es bleibt leise nachhallen, noch lange nachdem man die letzte Seite umgeblättert hat.

|Rezensionsexemplar als Ebook|

[taylor horan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brianna Wiest will always have a way with words. That being said, this isn't her strongest collection of work but there are still great pieces in it.

[Anubha (BooksFullOfLife, LifeFullOfBooks) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book came to me at the right time that’s why it made more sense to me than it might to others. If you feel stuck in life or like you are fighting a loosing battle, unsure of future, maybe you find this book relatable to you as well.

[Ashley Schoultz · Rating 2 out of 5]

Have been in a huge reading slump! Also just so busy these past few weeks that I haven’t found it in me to pick up my book. I needed something motivational and I did enjoy this at the beginning and it had some good reminders. However, got quite repetitive towards the end.

[Caitlin Epstein · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gifted to me and loved so many of the chapters - it’s one you would go back and reference vs have to read all in one go

[Bethanni Sundholm · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just love absolutely everything she writes 🩷

[Maria · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ich habe von dem Buch etwas mehr erwartet.
Tatsächlich hat die Autorin hier hauptsächlich ihre Gedanken in so eine Art Briefe verfasst, welche recht oberflächlich sind und maximal einen Impuls zum Nachdenken anregen. Wenn man mehrere Kapitel am Stück liest, fällt auf, dass die einzelnen Kapitel repetitiv sind, obwohl sie unterschiedliche Themen behandeln. Das Buch ist nicht dazu da, am Stück gelesen zu werden, sondern sich in schweren Zeiten ein Kapitel auszusuchen, welches zu einem passt und daraus einen positiven Blick zu erhalten.

Ich hätte bei dem Titel und dem Klappentext mit etwas mehr Tiefgang und Reflektion gerechnet. Schade, denn einige andere Bücher von Brianna Wiest haben mir wirklich gut gefallen. Bei diesem Buch hatte ich aber die ganze Zeit das Gefühl, viele leere und aneinandergereihte Worte zu lesen, ohne dass eine Bedeutung übermittelt wird. Es war, im Gegensatz zu anderen Werken der Autorin, eher nichtssagend.

[Faythe · Rating 4 out of 5]

The life that’s waiting

Meaning - seeking joy of what you want life to be. It begins where you are called and it’s usually simple.

Your meaning calls old emotional patterns

You cannot find your soulmate if you do not have embody your own soul.

You cannot know who’s right for you if you do not know what’s right for yourself

[Ty Williams · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book, it does have useful bits of information. Each chapter applies to slightly different seasons of your life or feelings, so not all of them hit but could be useful down the road. All and all I gained some great perspectives.

[Kylie Fuller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brianna Weist is my favorite. All of her books are so good but this just may be the best one. I love the way it’s laid out in sections or by ideas. It makes it easier to flip through and get a little chunk of inspo when you need it. I’ll be reading this one again and again

[Brittany Bolohan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved how digestible and bite sized each topic was. Each subject area opened up a new perspective and made you ponder without being overly heavy like some self improvement books. Perfect little read if you are in a transition in your life.

[Ewelina Kaminska · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's worth to keep and read again from time to time

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another great read from Bri Wiest !

[Nicole Janevski · Rating 5 out of 5]

INJECT EVERY SINGLE WORD STRAIGHT INTO MY VEINS

Brianna Weist never disappoints and this is probably the best I have read from her so far; utter perfection!

“Trust that life loves you enough to break your heart if it means saving your soul”

The way it is set out, each chapter written as “Read This When…” with a different topic was just brilliant. It makes it sooo much easier to use this book as like a bible of sorts where you can go back to whatever chapter you need and are feeling in that moment. It truly felt like not a single word was wasted on this page; EVERY WORD offered insight and meaning. And not only did I highlight pretty much the entire book on my kindle (not even exaggerating) but I also noted down most of it.

Suffice to say, I loved this book with my whole heart and can’t comprehend the giftedness Brianna Weist possesses at such a young age also.

“There is only the choice of whether we will hurt to stay as we’ve been or hurt to become who we might be. There is no workaround for discomfort, the shadows are rendered by the light.”

[Kara]

Sometimes I like this type of book, but it’s striking me as too fluffy right now.

[Eve Jappy · Rating 4 out of 5]

just what I needed, listened on audio <3

[Ioana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Chiar dacă nu am ajuns la evenimentele live cu Brianna Wiest de săptămâna trecută tot mi-am petrecut multe momente zilele astea alături de cuvintele ei inspiraționale 🤎 "Viața care te așteaptă" (trad. Andreea-Florina Mizdrea) este cea mai nouă carte apărută la Editura Nemira din raftul deja bogat dedicat scrierilor sale 📖
Lectura are o structură genială, fiecare capitol fiind creat pentru o anumită nevoie, de la momentele de singurătate, la deznădejde, frică sau eșec total 🤍 Tocmai de aceea nu trebuie înghițită pe nemestecate, ci savurată în reprize scurte de lectură, cu recitiri în situațiile anevoioase 🤓
Cartea nu este prezintă nimic nemaiauzit, dar felul în care o face, cu blândețe și înțelegere, o face să fie o lectură specială 🤎 Calea fiecăruia este unică și doar pentru că încă nu ne-am găsit drumul asta nu înseamnă că ne-am ratat destinul. Trebuie să ne eliberăm mintea de negativitate și să ne lăsăm purtați de propriile puteri înspre ceva ce ne va împlini. Momentele de stagnare nu sunt un eșec, ci un prilej de a ne descoperi pe noi înșine 🤍