Sometimes I find a book that just speaks to me at the particular time that I am reading it. This book – Four Word Self Help : Simple Wisdom for Complex Lives by Patti Digh — is one of those books. Oh my goodness. It is a simple idea but oh such a wonderful idea. It is kind of like Twitter where the poster is restricted to a certain number of characters. In this book written way back in 2010 the idea that author Patti Digh proposes is to simply put thoughts into 4 word phrases. Brilliant.

The really great thing about this book is the art that illustrates the author’s words. Patti Digh wrties a blog here and her blog is a great place to see what her writing is all about. The art that accompanies the words in this particular book is all done by folks who follow her blog. All of their names and information are included at the end of this short book and I loved how each page was even more brilliantly illustrated than the next.

So what are some of the four word phrases that Patti Digh shares in this little gem of a book? Take a look at a few of the pages that I took a quick picture of below.

Doesn’t it make you want to make up a few of your own four word phrases? Here are a few of mine. Let me know what you come up with in the comments and Comment for a Cause for Friends of DuPont Forest.

Be the ripple everywhere.

Always pay it forward.

Live life with gusto.

Know when to quit.

Love big – hug often.