Take Two: How a Simple Daily Habit Increased My Health, Wealth and Happiness

by Paden Hughes

Step out of your demanding life, and listen to the demands of your soul.
What happens when the stressed-out CEO of a nonessential business, in the middle of a pandemic, with two kids under four, actually does the takes two hours a day to find a source of joy — and then continues to do it almost every day of her life?
Take Two shares the transformative journey of an overworked and overwhelmed high achiever whose 21-day sprint of self-care evolved into a daily pilgrimage and gave her the framework she needed to invite peace and contentment into her life.
Paden Hughes pivoted from burned out, insecure, emotionally reactive, resentful, and depressed to energized, confident, emotionally equipped, balanced, and positive by stepping into a two-hour window of time each day with no expectations and no pressure.
Take Two is not a traditional self-help book. There’s no “five-step process for unlimited success” between the covers. It’s the raw, authentic story of a lived experience — a “Soul Adventure” that shows readers what can happen when they stop doing and start being.

282 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 6, 2022

Reviews

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was not at all what I was expecting. At the recommendation of a friend, I downloaded it on audible, and the voice of the author shared her part memoir, part self help, part hilariously relatable motivational business book in such a compelling way that I knew listening on audible was right for me. As a fellow type 3 enneagram “achieved” I related to Paden’s descriptions of working night and day to find what she thought was success… until one day she landed on her kitchen floor, waking up to her terrified children asking why mommy couldn’t get up. It turns out she was putting her needs on such a back burner that her body eventually gave out. She details all the eye opening changes she made, and how they’ve impacted her — notably, the biggest impact was in taking two hours a day for herself as the cover suggested. Now at first I was like “uh huh, sure, that’s realistic” 🙄 but as she started describing how everything, literally everything, around her changed, I felt called to try it too. This is not for the timid — she doesn’t skim the surface. I felt like I was on her therapeutic journey with her — through reclaiming her connection to God without church to finding sex was way more fun and liberating when not confined to the societal expectations of putting kids first, burning the candle at both ends, and success at all costs. I’ve since been following her on social media and am finding all the bite sized nuggets of brilliance a wonderful daily reminder of the import of pouring from a full cup. Recommending it for anyone who feels balance and peace between work and family is perpetually out of reach.