A couple of months ago, I walked into a Barnes and Noble for the first time in many years. It slipped my mind for quite some time that bookstores existed, which is a crazy thought. I was headed there on this day to find Silence of The Lambs after I had just watched the movie and loved it. To my dismay, I did not find it, but I think I found something much better.

Around that time period, I had just come to the general conclusion that I wanted to start improving myself. I was, and still am, very interested in self-care books, practices, and mindfulness exercises. After I had experienced many life-altering events in a span of two months, I needed some guidance. I stumbled upon a section titled “Self-Actualization,” picked out a few books, and sat down to decipher which one needed to come home with me. I landed on one titled Good Vibes, Good Life by Vex King, and I am so glad I did.

Vex King, a mind coach and self-love writer, started his career on Instagram where he now has 1.1 million followers. He uses his platforms as outlets to express his teaching through his writing and words. 

King did not have an easy childhood — his father died when he was very young, his family was homeless quite often, and he struggled to get by in very troubling neighborhoods. However, after everything life threw at Vex, he never gave up and let the negative forces win. Through his powerful words and talented storytelling, King was able to transform all of these negative experiences into positive ones, helping himself as well as millions of others.

Good Vibes, Good Life is split into six parts: A Matter of Vibes, Positive Lifestyle Habits, Make Yourself A Priority, Accepting Yourself, Manifesting Goals: Mind Work, Manifesting Goals: Taking Action, and Pain and Purpose. The book starts by outlining the difference between the Law of Attraction and Law of Vibration, exploring why we should apply the Law of Vibration to our daily lives.

In simplistic terms, the Law of Vibration is based on atoms. Everything in the world is made out of atoms, which we learn at a young age. These atoms have a vibration, and we can control whether we give off positive or negative vibrations. 

King believes that each person has an internal vibration that can fluctuate from high to low, based on who we surround ourselves with and what we do. Vex goes through many subchapters in each part of the book, with each subchapter spanning a few pages. The subchapters vary from how to deal with family, friends and relationships to how to meditate and increase awareness of the present. These are all viable skills that can increase the positive vibrations within each of us, in turn increasing our happiness levels. 

The most shocking chapters are those regarding food, water, and posture. There is a chapter on nutrition that sets all food groups into four levels, from high to low vibrations, relating what you put into your body to your vibration. I also learned that the amount of water you put into your body can increase your internal vibration, as well as how you sit and stand. 

What makes this book such a good read is not only the interesting facts and case studies but the way that King uses personal experiences to develop his argument. Hearing firsthand how meditation, for example, changed his life in just a short month made me want to try it out for myself. He also includes original pictures, many of which can be seen on his Instagram.

Teens around my age spend most of their time focusing on school, working, and socializing. I believe that we need to spend more time learning about our own selves and how to increase our personal happiness and vibration. King’s book made me rethink a lot of things I do in my everyday life, and I am attempting to put his strategies into effect in my own life. I recommend this book without reservation, for I think there is something in it for everyone.