Review: What Your Soul Already Knows by Salma Farook

We live life like automatons, moving with reckless inattentiveness through the preset motions. We have lost touch with our inner selves, the self that has all the answers, that is imbued with the natural balance of joy and productivity. What have we forgotten? What have we lost to this mechanical lifestyle?

The secrets to joy, aren’t secrets at all. They aren’t being whispered. You are just not listening loudly enough to the wisdom of your inner voice.

This book is a reminder to listen.

It is a detailed exploration of elements such as personal qualities, interpersonal skills and healthy habits that make up the path to intuitive happiness and productivity.

First of all I want to thank the author Salma Farook for giving me the chance to read and review her book “What Your Soul Already Knows.” And holy crap, it was a brilliant read. At this point while I’m writing my review I’m both at a loss for words and wanting to say so much because it’s been a while since a book has touch me this deeply. But I shall try my best. 


So it’s not a secret that I love nonfiction. Last year it was my most read genre but I’ve never actually read this kind of nonfiction. On Goodreads it is shelved as self help and I’ve always thought this kind of nonfiction wouldn’t be my thing as I’m mainly interested in nonfiction that deals with history but I guess I was really wrong about that. What Your Soul Already Knows resonated so deeply within me. This is something that happens very rarely and only to special books. I just HAD to give it five stars. 


One of my favorite parts of the book was the various quotes from famous people at the start of each chapter. I adore quotes and the author collected a lot of good ones, from Hippocrates to Oprah Winfrey. I just loved them! 


Other than the quotes at the beginning of each chapter, the author’s writing is actually also very quoteable. My favorite quotes comes from the chapter called contemplation, which is probably the chapter I loved the most because I somehow felt very connected to it and especially the actually quote, which is this: “The perfection of creation is astounding. Each breath is a celebration of being witness to such eternal splendour. Night shifts to day, and I am awed by the precision of this timeless clock. I am one of 7 billion souls, living on a green planet that flawlessly orbits a ball of fire, next to a moon that moves the seas. How could I not believe in miracles.”


I also loved this quote, which also is one that speaks for itself: “We are so obsessed about if the cup is half full or half empty, but the important thing is: There’s water in the cup; stop complaining and drink it.”


The chapter called Meditation I thought was also an important one because it’s certainly true that sometimes you just have to take a step back, take some rest for yourself and just breathe. A quote from it: “Remember to replenish yourself. You are not the ocean. You are not infinite. But, with regular rejuvenation, you can be.” 


My second favorite chapter next to Contemplation is Refusal because this also resonated with me. I know for myself I have a hard time saying no to people. And I’m sure a lot of other people feel the same and this chapter had a lot of reasons on why we should say no more often even if it’s something we think we shouldn’t do.


And lastly, the author’s writing was really beautiful and poetic. This is another reason why it spoke to much to me. Also with 128 it’s a very easily read book. I actually read it in one sitting because it wasn’t a very long book but also because I was so fascinated by it. And some stories that the author told about her life, family and friends were also very special to read about. I was simply blown away. And I really feel that everyone should read this book at least once in their lives. That is all.

About the author:
Salma Farook was born in Seychelles to two ‘very Indian’ parents. She grew up on the islands and went on to complete Med-school in India. She believes the scenic beauty of the Seychelles and the cultural impact of one of the world’s oldest civilisations gave her the best of both worlds.

Although adept at observing tiny quirks in people and fascinated with the mechanics of human relationships, she regularly pushes doors that very clearly say PULL.

She currently lives on Mahé with her husband. She loves, loves to hear from her readers so reach out to reach.wysak@gmail.com
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