Lessons
Read in 14 min.
Listen in 18 min.
Learn the key ideas of the book by Gisele Bündchen

Lessons

Lessons from Giselle Bündchen on how to live more mindful life

As well as being one of the most popular models of our time, Gisele is also an independent woman, a mother, a wife, lover of family and nature, a volcano of ideas and energy, and a passionate voice for the environment. Nowadays for Gisele Bündchen, being a supermodel comes last on the list of her accolades. Her book Lessons: my path to a meaningful life tells us a lot about her, both past and present. Each chapter is presented as a lesson that Gisele has learned in life, and which she wants to share with us: these lessons include getting to know ourselves, improving the quality of our relationships, learning to appreciate nature and enjoy healthy food, the power of positive thinking, and last, but by no means least, self-discipline.

Lessons
Read in 14 min.
Listen in 18 min.
IDEA CHIAVE 1/9

Gisele the model and Gisele Bündchen the woman: two separate people

Gisele Bündchen was born in 1980 in Horizontina, a small town in southern Brazil. She is a fifth generation Brazilian, but her maternal and paternal ancestors come from Germany. She has five sisters - one of whom is her twin - and grew up in a stable family environment. When she was still in school, she dreamt of becoming a veterinarian or a professional volleyball player.

At the age of 14, she was discovered by the Elite Model Management agency. It was 1994, and her career took off rather quickly. Her professional portfolio was studded with successes, including countless extras in advertising campaigns, magazines and catwalks. She became known as “The Body” and, with her athletic physique, she was different from the other androgynous models that defined that era.

This was what people knew about the public figure, Gisele Bündchen, but as a model she was very different (at times even disconnected), from the real Gisele. She has never really felt at ease in the role of model, so much so that, almost from the beginning of her career, she created a sort of alter ego, one which was able to model and pose with confidence. She let this alter-ego make the most of the enormous opportunities her work brought her, and she will always be grateful for each and every one..

The real Gisele stayed in the shadows while the model role had to take the lead, and she only began to really express herself as she stepped into the roles of woman, wife, mother, and environmental ambassador. A person who defines herself as simple, happy in bare feet, jeans and a t-shirt, who loves animals and spending time outdoors. She describes herself as a student of life, someone who is always curious, always wanting to know more. A genuinely free spirit who, over the course of her life and career, has learned to listen to her own inner voice, and to recognise the connection between her thoughts, words, and actions.

  

The key ideas of "Lessons"

01.
Gisele the model and Gisele Bündchen the woman: two separate people
02.
Lesson #1: you won’t get anywhere without discipline
03.
Behind every challenge lies a unique and precious challenge (almost always)
04.
Thoughts and words are powerful: we need to learn to choose them wisely
05.
Your body is your home: treat it well and give it the nourishment it deserves
06.
Nature is our biggest teacher
07.
Our quality of life depends on how well we know ourselves and on our relationships with others
08.
Quotes
09.
Take-home message
 
 
4books preview

Try 4books Premium for free!