How to Be Love(d): Simple Truths for Going Easier on Yourself, Embracing Imperfection & Loving Your Way to a Better Life

by Humble the Poet

The last book on love you’ll ever need. Explore simple truths for going easier on yourself, embracing imperfections and loving your way to a better life through insightful stories and down-to-earth advice from artist and international best-selling author of Unlearn, Humble The Poet.We all want love, everything we do is in pursuit of that love, but that journey has gotten difficult and complicated. We’re programmed to seek love outside of ourselves, and we’re trained to love as something to earn, or a destination to reach; that programming blinds us to the simple truth that we are beautiful, eternal sources of love, and to BE LOVED is to BE LOVE.This book is a guide to self-love that helps to clear the blockages on your path inward towards love and throw away old ideas that prevent us from realizing the love we’ve always had.Clear away the misguided notion that you must be ENOUGH before you are worthy of love—you are worthy. Clear away the expectations for love you have learned from the media—love is messy and real, not "happily ever after." Clear away your lack of self-awareness—see yourself for who you truly are.Instead of earning more, achieving more, and gaining more attention, what we really need to do is clear pathways and make room for love to enter, be realized, and flourish. Whether we're talking about love for ourselves, or love for everyone and everything.

Genres: Self Help, Nonfiction, Memoir, Relationships, Spirituality, Personal Growth, Personal Development

329 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 27, 2022

About the author

Humble the Poet (Kanwer Singh) is a Canadian-born rapper, spoken-word artist, poet, internationally bestselling author, and former elementary school teacher with a wildly popular blog with over 100,000 monthly readers. He has more than 930,000 social media followers, and his first edition of Unlearn is a Globe and Mail bestseller. He has performed at concerts and festivals including Lollapalooza and has been featured in major media including BuzzFeed and Huffington Post.

Reviews

[Morgan MacLean · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love is so much bigger than romantic love. Everyone should read this 🥺

[Savannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just read it

[Brown Girl Bookshelf]

In this refreshing take on a self-help book, Kanwer Singh, professionally known as Humble the Poet, breaks down the painful truth that we often treat others better than we treat ourselves. “Unlearn: 101 Simple Truths for a Better Life” offers a unique and authentic perspective on how to live a fulfilling life. Instead of the usual clichés, Humble the Poet delves deep into the complexities of relationships, both with others and with ourselves. The author's rare perspective as a South Asian male discussing love adds a refreshing and valuable voice to the conversation.

Singh explains the difference between self-care and self-love. I learned to appreciate the value of both. Self-care addresses specific problems troubling our body, mind, or spirit;. self-love teaches us that we are not broken and fosters inner contentment. The book’s message is clear: we must learn to love ourselves before we can love others. Humble the Poet stresses the importance of embracing our imperfections, flaws, and vulnerabilities. He shows readers that true love isn’t about trying to be perfect, but about accepting ourselves and others for who we truly are.

What sets this book apart is the author’s ability to combine personal stories with practical advice. Moreover, the bonus accompanying digital workbook offers exercises to help readers apply the concepts to their own lives through exercises around experiencing and attracting love, as well as sharing loving with yourself and others. Humble the Poet’s funny, vulnerable, and insightful stories help readers cultivate self-love and build meaningful connections with others.

[Patrick McNerney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everyone should read this! Fantastic.

[Randy Hall · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so good. I finished it in 2 days but feel like I need to re-read it. There is so much truth crammed into it and so much that strikes a direct chord in me. "Being selfish isn't putting yourself first, its expecting others to put you first" That stuck out as something I needed to hear. I recommended this book to my husband because before I even got to chapter two I realized that we both needed to hear these blunt truths about ourselves and life. Little did I know that one of the last chapters would feel like he was literally speaking to us and our relationship directly. I would 1000% recommend this book. When he got to the part about others making plans with you and then always canceling.... that is something that has always sent me over the edge. So many times!!! Now realizing that it's easier for people to say YES in the moment knowing good and well that they are going to cancel later when its easier to cancel... So many people do this!!! I have never realized this is a thing. If I accept an invitation its never even crossed my mind to just assume I wont go, but to say yes just to appease the person extending the invite. Wow. If I say yes to something, I show up!!! Unless something earth shattering gets in the way. I show up. When people cant be there for you it says so much more about them than about you. I've never looked at it that way before. Its ok to give a couple chances and then completely move on and remove those people from your lives. This applies to girlfriends in my situation. Ah... what a breath of relief! I've always felt so guilty about how I respond to what others do and don't do. I really cant wait to read this book again and really let things sink in and take notes.

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always love Humble’s work, and with how life has been going for me lately, this one hit especially hard. Split into sections about putting love into the world, self-love, and relationships, he touched on many key points that are easy to forget, like the importance of being honestly and always staying true to ourselves. At every point where I was thinking, “well that’s easier said than done…” Humble always mentioned that and reminded us that implementing most of what he talks about isn’t easy, but it’s so worth it. My only complaint, which is all in all quite minor, is that I felt it was hard to follow exactly what message he was trying to portray in some chapters. That being said, this was another wonderful book from Humble that gave me lots to think about and put into action for myself.

[Sangjun · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so enlightening to me – I love the way the author talks about love and relationships with others and yourself. The visuals in the book are helpful for taking out the author's key points, and the short chapters make the sometimes heavy topics digestible. The author's conversational tone made reading this book fun, and I feel like I now have a better sense of the author's heart. :)

[Ash Raichura · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m considering purchasing this book to keep as a “regular reminder read”. The short 2-4 page “chapters” lend itself well to being that kind of book for me. And of course, to continuously learn and remember ‘about love’ and to love yourself.

[Peaarly · Rating 5 out of 5]

3 words, Just read it.

[Koumal · Rating 4 out of 5]

<3

[Sarah Bailey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love love loved this book. Such a good self help, relationship, and what you deserve kind of book. I think I might have to it this one.

[Annie Taal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fresh, funny, relatable, and enjoyable look at love, yourself, and relationships. Short chapters so easy to pick up and read but that also doesnt always grip you in!

[Alberto Tupputi · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐REVIEW: How to be Love(d) by Humble the Poet

Have you ever wondered what love is and how you can create more of it❓

🫵 I don't know who you are, but I am sure you have. Love has always been a central theme of the human condition. We all want love. We do things in pursuit of it. We are constantly reminded of it by movies, songs, and books.

📌 Humble the Poet has an important message: instead of seeking to be loved by the world, we must be love.

📖 With short chapters filled with insight, advice, and personal anecdotes, this book is a guide to self-love that will help you understand and value the love that is within you.

What you will encounter in this book:

🔷 How Love works;
🔷 How to love yourself more;
🔷 How to love others.

The book is:

1️⃣ Inspiring;
2️⃣ Accessible;
3️⃣ Practical.

Why should you read it❓

📌 If you are looking to create a healthier relationship with yourself and with the people you love, this book is what you need to grab and read

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked some of what was in here but found it veryyyy repetitive

[Vignesh Ramachandran · Rating 3 out of 5]

A digestible book with good advice. The parts where he refers to “the media” as a scapegoat, I think it’d be better if he was more specific: Is he referring to movies, cable TV, social media, music, something else? That would make the arguments and writing stronger. Overall I liked hearing Humble the Poet’s perspectives on life, though much of the advice felt a bit generic. The best parts were the anecdotes from his own life.

[Stephanie Wilcox · Rating 2 out of 5]

Picked up this one randomly while on the evening shift. Some interesting points but honestly not for me lol

[Deborah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid read great points made

[Graycen Grimm · Rating 5 out of 5]

I chose this as my book for the month of March, to really kickstart my journey into reading again. There's been a lot that has either happened in my past to now, and I needed to just full on dive into something that I felt would help me be more aware. This book does an excellent job at just that, it helps you become more aware of not just life around you, but yourself and how you connect yourself to just love and to understanding behind the concept of love. Personally, I felt it was really eye opening just to see the highlighted quotes in the book, since it helped to grasp exactly what the meaning behind each chapter was. Even though there can be that argument of it feeling repetitive at times, I personally found that there was always something new to each chapter, but just referring back to other previous, or even future chapters. It in general, guided the reader to have a clear idea that each step to becoming aware are going to be connected, which is why it may feel at times that it was repeating itself.

Overall, I loved the book and would highly recommend it to anyone that feels that they just need to discover new ways to love oneself, or love things around them.

[Ainsley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent book.

I see this book as more empowerment and self realisation. In my mind I thought this book would be about love as a concept.

What is it, What are the types, why do we feel the need to have it. What makes love this idea? I thought it would be more on the lines of romance and relationships, because personally, I've never been in one. It feels foreign to me, and sometimes I wonder what the hell I'm missing out. Hence, the reason why I bought this book. Perhaps to try and understand what love in relationship can mean, how it feels, because this portrayed image of love on social media and the likes does not help with forming my own opinion on what to expect within a relationship.

I'm not too keen on the layout of the book. Having all these microchapters makes it seem like I've read 30 pages when I've just read 6. There isn't like some flow of structure to bring the next point, and just abruptly ends. I can usually read a 300 page book within 2 weeks but every time I picked up this book, it felt like after 3 chapters I felt tired having to jump ship from changing my chain of though again.

Although, I do still think it has some good points.

[Neil Pasricha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kanwer Singh, aka Humble the Poet, has had a fascinating path over the past few years. He went from public school teacher to reaching the upper echelons of Internet stardom – amassing millions of followers around inspirational posts on self-love, body acceptance, and social justice – and yet he’s managed to hold onto all of it with a very loose and humble grip. This book continues his gift of sharing with deep vulnerability as he continues to seek and share. I really admire him. Here's a sample quote from Page 164 under the Chapter heading "Be What You Love, Not What Loves You": "Humble The Poet the creative made dope shit, but Humble The Poet with the big social media following got paid to wear clothes, use technology, and attend movie screenings. Creating was nutrition for my soul but being famous paid the bills and was junk food for my ego.... I was no longer doing what I loved, I was doing what made people love me."

[Sarah Haight · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing! Cried throughout in the best ways. Absolutely raw and realistic. No sugar coating the truth about love and why it’s so necessary to start at your core.

Not only does Humble make this book accessible for humans like me that have ADHD—with short, concise chapters and highlighting key points—he uses language that is easy to absorb quickly and share with others. I recommend Humble’s books to basically every one I meet and I think this book is just the perfect gift to the entire world. It’s clear that he is a teacher in life and cares deeply about sharing his experiences and knowledge in one of the most critical times for the world.

Definitely about to read this book all over again! And I honestly think you and everyone you know should too.

[Anna-Maria Vassiliou · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book!!!!!! So much knowledge crammed into a single book to the point that after lending it to a friend I already feel the need to read it again (and maybe take notes this time)!! It really surprised me and surpassed all my expectations. There is so much more to love than romantic relationships and this book really highlights that. I now want to look into reading more books from this author; I love his casual, conversational way of writing that feels like I’m talking to a friend. Self- help books can sometimes feel redundant as the content can be “common sense” but this book is full of analogies, memorable quotes and little reminders to help the reader really put what they’re reading into practice and I loved that.

[Johnnysbookreviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

How to be loved. The big thing is to work on yourself and insecurities. This is what I've been working on. I believe couple's therapy isn't bad and should be used for many couples out there. It will only make the relationship stronger if both parties put in the work. Relationships consist of work on both sides, and that's the key.

Tip 59 made me think of how expressing emotions is deemed weak for men. I don't think so. It makes the them express their emotion on what's going on and that's a strong trait as not a lot of people do it well.

I'll be rereading this book over a period of time. Let it digest and apply the ideas in my own life.

[Matt Cooper-Kay · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not generally one for 'self help' books, but this really resonated with me. I won't call it unique or profound - what can be found within are things that have no doubt been discussed and pondered before. But what this book does is present everything in an easily digestible, highly relatable, and fun format that creates countless 'aha!' moments. Each chapter is short, only a few pages, giving you space to take time out and reflect on each of them, and easily return to them.

Would definitely recommend this book.

[Vennela Bhimavarapu · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't know why i picked up this book. I usually don't pick the best sellers/ currently trending / most popular ones. But this one is surprisingly good. Nothing goes inside my head unless anything is explained in a scientific manner. My stupid brain. As i read this book, my inner voice kept on screaming oh you are talking about love . . "Try me". But how the author pulled it off by explaining in such simple words is brilliant . No big scientific terminologies , like "how do you explain complex stuff to a five year old".

[Julie Kwiat · Rating 2 out of 5]

At first, I did like the book, but after a while, it seemed very preachy to me and it was hard to listen to. I would say that I got 30% done the book and then it started to get repetitive and kind of just blurred together. One thing I did take away from this book is the authors ability to combine personal stories with practical advice. Overall, I like the fact that he brought to light that you need to take care of yourself before you can take care of others. Maybe if I read this book at a different time of my life I would have a different opinion.

[No N · Rating 5 out of 5]

An essential read for anyone looking to understand love/ relations/ with yourself and other in a mature way. objectively one of the best books I have ever read. 2 years ago I went through a breakup that left me shook for a long time. And I wish I had this book then, it would absolutely set me on another path or recovering much quicker . This book could potentially save your time/ stress and help you grow faster as an individual.

[Tatyana · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very very interesting book. I have learned a lot from it. I couldn't stop reading it. I have learned the importance of learning how to fully embrace imperfections, how to be love and receive love and loving myself more and others to allow more love to flow into my life. I have also learned about the importance of building and designing a relationship and maintaining it the right way. I really liked reading this book. It is a very good book.

[Jakob Wachter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tbh, nothing groundbreaking. A very casual approach to learning how to embody love and share it freely. Some great one liners and quotes, but not a lot of practical tactics and methods to put the message in place. Great coffee table book though…and each chapter felt like a little poem. Easy to digest and the author is quite witty…so I giggled a few times. I definitely feel inspired to love and be loved more fully, but also like whatever. Read if you’re bored, but don’t rush to add to your TBR.

[Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is by far the best book I have read in some time now. I was skimming through it at BAM and after reading a few good lines I decided to buy it. Me and my boyfriend had just broke up a few weeks prior. It’s hard to explain but the way he words and explains things just makes sense and gives you a familiar feeling. It’s not another self love cliche book and I like that. I can relate a lot to parts of this book and the feelings you get from it. I would deffinitely recomend this read.