What I Know Now About Success: Letters from Extraordinary Women to Their Younger Selves

by Ellyn Spragins (Editor)

Erma Bombeck once said, “When I stand before God at the end of my life, I’d hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left and could say, ‘I used everything you gave me.’” How each woman defines success might be a personal matter, but there are certain gems of wisdom we can all share. Editor Ellyn Spragins invited women from all walks of life to write letters to their younger selves, filled with the knowledge they wish they’d had before beginning their own journeys. Including tales from trailblazers like legendary news journalist Barbara Walters, finance expert Suze Orman, pro golfer Annika Sorenstam, fashion designer Kate Spade, newscaster Soledad O’Brien, and fashion icon Diane von Furstenberg, these letters highlight what helped each woman get ahead, what got in her way, and what really mattered.Whether they address launching a company, running for office, starting a family, or succeeding in less conventional ways, these voices will both move and inspire any woman who counts herself a success-in-the-making.

Genres: Nonfiction

208 pages, Hardcover

First published September 28, 2009

Reviews

[Kate · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting, but not as inspiring/uplifting etc. as I'd hoped it would be.

[Athena · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was given this book as a gift as I started medical school. Given that I normally read novels with a clear narrative, I kind of shelved this book and took it out with the intention of having a book to motivate me further as I graduated and head to residency.

Overall, I thought that the majority of these letters were so specific to the person writing them, and so topical that it was difficult to really feel impacted by them. There were a few letters that I thought were particularly well written and contained some broader pieces of advice, and those were really sweet to read. I just hoped that there would have been more of them in this collection.

Maybe the other books in this series would have been a better fit for me in terms of what I was looking for in this collection.

[Eileen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Intros to each letter feel a bit like reading a Wikipedia/fashion magazine interview hybrid and were longer than the letters themselves. Rather dated, many of the women are famous enough to be recognizable these many years later, but the focus on 'success' seems to be based on money and fame rather than fulfilment, happiness or purpose. There's also a kind of bragging/formulaic humblebrag in the letters that I found offputting. Seek inspiration elsewhere. This one goes back to the free swap box.

[Vartika · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was expecting it to be lot more vulnerable shares than some obvious pick me up + business advice.

Nonetheless some accounts were really good.

[Robin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ellyn Spragins' book consists of a brief bios of successful women and a letter that each writes to her younger self at a difficult time. In just a few words, the older self shares the lessons she's learned through years of experience. Even though the women come from a wide variety of backgrounds and industries, there are some common threads through many of these lettersz: trust your gut;make time for your friends and family;follow your bliss. Reading about failures that many of these now successful women expereinced, illustrate the advice that it isn't how many times you fall down, but how many times you pick yourself back up. Now it's time for me to write my letter....

[Airess · Rating 3 out of 5]

What I Know About Success is a collection of bios and letters from some of the world's most famous women. From basketball coaches to fashion designers, makeup artists, and news anchors, this book can help you learn from some of the experiences that they had in their lives. There were some interesting stories and I learned things about these women that I did not know before. It was a very short read and part of me kind of wishes that the excerpts for each person went more in depth. This is also a good for anyone that may be in a career or looking for one and may need some advice on handling pressure and hardships.

[loafingcactus · Rating 1 out of 5]

Summary: People who call you stupid are stupid.  Unless it is you noticing that in the past you have done something stupid.  In that case, stop doing those things.

In addition to being trite, this book norms an attitude of poor self-esteem, so I would not suggest it as a self-help or motivational book. (Book was given to the attendees at something that was supposedly going to be inspirational and helpful to mid-career professional women.)

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

More like a 3.5. I would have appreciated more letters from women in fields other than business and fashion. But I did find the letters relatable, and as a chronic worrywart/overachiever/recovering co-dependent, it was nice to see that even famous women struggle with these things too. Paula Deen's letter totally surprised me!

[Arissa Reiriz Siaba · Rating 5 out of 5]

C

As a young woman who has just recently graduated from university, reading this book could not have come at a better time. The letters and the stories of these women are extremely inspiring and comforting, it just goes to show that behind every successful woman there is a journey and trials that are unique to her.

[Megan Bowers · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this. It's always interesting to hear what advice people would give to their younger selves. As when reading horoscopes, you take what parts you need and leave the rest. One critique is that the book focused heavily on women who achieved mainstream business-type success rather than other types of success (eg. personal or community).

[Anna Anthony · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great inspirational read!Successful women from various industries write stories to their younger selves during the darkest point of their lives or careers. Many great quotes. Would make a great gift to an aspiring professional woman.

[Renee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not as great as the other two in the series, but still quite good. Reminds you to be yourself and hold your ground.

And I did just reread the other two books, and I kind of wish there was a way to mark that in goodreads. Oh, well. They are excellent.

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Little snippets of advice from notable women. A light read.

[Emily Emer · Rating 5 out of 5]

A nice inspirational read with advice from successful woman of all walks of life!

[Kelly · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting with some good advice, but not as inspiring as I had hoped.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

More self-reflective. Don't like a story, skip it. I won't tell.

[Valerie Gordon · Rating 1 out of 5]

One great quote: "when you hit a cement wall, turn right... Or left..." The rest of the book doesn't dig deep enough to make it different or truly relatable or inspiringly helpful.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

fun read, may be of some inspiration especially for young women who are interested in business pursuit.

[Kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book with my mom and we both loved it.