Book Review: Know Your Worth

How to “Know Your Worth”

A book review by Alexis A. Goring

Jessica Vaughn’s debut book, Know Your Worth: Conquering Your Past for A Powerful Future, is a gem!

She’s not shy on sharing her story from her heart, holding nothing back. Jessica’s honesty and transparency in sharing scenes from her life journey and lessons learned can truly make a difference in the reader’s life.

The first pages of the Introduction highlight Jessica’s experience in working in retail and how that work gave her “roughly four years of management experience.” So she was able to retire from her retail job in her early 20’s and open her first business as a fitness coach before 30. Jessica says that God used her experience in retail to prepare her for her work as a fitness coach. It’s not the first credit Jessica gives to God. She credits God for all of her successes. She shows that no experience in life is wasted, it’s all a part of God’s plan.

The author believes that God can use any experience to strengthen you, grow your character and help you become who He’s meant you to be in this life. A key example of this is a common theme throughout the book—relationships. Jessica talks about her failed relationships and the lesson she learned. She reveals her insecurities and shows her readers the value of knowing your worth and how it makes a difference in how you present yourself to this world.

A key quote from the book is found in Chapter 2 when Jessica says, “Everyday people are searching for a place to fi t in. Killing themselves for rank advancements, pay increases, more stuff, and so on. We want to feel loved and treasured, and we want to feel belonging. Your purpose in this world is far beyond anything you will ever be able to comprehend.”

Jessica talks about the importance of not being afraid to take a leap of faith. She quotes the Bible verse of Matthew 17:20 about how a mustard seed of faith in God can move mountains. A standout quote from Chapter 3 reads, “You will never be able to love yourself if all you do is listen to what everyone else has to say about you instead of what God has to say.” Such a quote resonated with me because I struggle with focusing more on what everyone has to say about me, everyone except God. It was a relief to know that I’m not the only one who struggles with that and I found inspiration in reading Jessica’s story about how she overcame that struggle. It gave me motivation to overcome it in my life too.

Another inspiring point was made in Chapter 4 where the author says, “Staring at the moon brought me to this thought: God is constantly working in our lives. We may never feel the move or the shift—we may never even see the progress we are making—but we have to remember He never leaves us. He is always bringing to my attention that when He is working it doesn’t always mean that things will be happy-go lucky. In fact, He could be forming you right now in His hands, and it may hurt just a little. God is moving in our lives even when we don’t feel Him or see the answers to our prayers. God’s promises are real, and when we find our confidence in Him—when we know who we are—then we can rest in His promises for us. We will know that, even when we don’t see our success right away, we will not grow weary and we will not worry. We must keep moving forward!”

The reader will move forward through this book in one sitting because it’s just that good! Every page leads you to wanting to know what happens next just like when you read a good fiction book. Only, this isn’t fiction; it’s real-life and that makes the story even more inspiring!

One of the take-away messages I received from reading this book is the value of “positive self-talk.” Jessica writes, “Your thoughts will change your life. Whatever you believe about yourself comes to light. Whatever you believe in your heart will show in the way you treat others and how you choose to walk around. So, let me ask you: What you are constantly telling yourself regularly?”

After reading that quote, I’m determined to speak words of life not just to other people, but over myself and I’m eager to see all the wonderful things God does in my life as I focus on His blessings and speak faith not fear or complaints.

Ultimately, this book is a great how-to guide. It shows you how to know your worth and see yourself as the priceless treasure of a person God created you to be. It shows you how to overcome negative thinking and gain a positive mindset. It shows you how to evaluate your relationships and let go of ones that are bad for you. It shows you how to have faith in God and trust Him with the outcome. Most importantly, it shows you how to never give up because God is always working in your life.

I’d recommend this book to everyone and anyone who doesn’t realize their value and needs to know their worth not in society’s status quo, but through the eyes of the Creator of the Universe who loves you endlessly and knows your worth.

*The author provided a complimentary copy of her book "Know Your Worth" in exchange for an honest review.