Book notes: Master of Me by Keke Palmer

Get the audiobook on Audible 👇 (affiliate link)

Master of Me: The Secret to Controlling Your Narrative by Keke Palmer

Synopsis:

“Keke Palmer thought she knew who she was. What it means to be a good person and what it takes to be a success. It all seemed so simple, until she realized the challenges she would have to face to prove to herself who she wanted to be. From feeling alienated to having to restart her career after ten years in to becoming a single mother just months after her son was born—everything she worked for in life that she felt granted her what she wanted now also reminded her that “life is going to life” and throw curveballs regardless of what you deserve. She found herself asking, Where do I find my power? How do I master myself?

In her own raw and intimate voice, Keke talks about everything from her struggles with boundaries to unconditional love, forgiveness, and worthiness. “Don’t block your blessings and potential opportunities by allowing the voices of other people to influence your actions,” she says. “How you’re choosing to set yourself up for success is between you and the person looking back at you in the mirror.”

Throughout the book, Keke also poses listeners with the questions needed to get them through their own challenging times by sharing personal stories and lessons she’s learned along the way. She gets candid about the tools she’s developed to take the reins, harness her vulnerability, and recognize ownership in the narrative of her life—which allowed her to turn personal power into major power.

In this exhilarating, deeply poignant, and often laugh-out-loud book, Lauren Keyana Palmer gets real about life, work, love, and belief. This book will encourage listeners to empower themselves with the truth, leverage their currency, and find the keys to master themselves and the art of alchemy. Keke writes, “You are not on anyone else’s timeline, only your own.”

The result is a tour de force.

They said, “Jack of all Trades, Master of None.”

She said, “No, I am the Master. Of Me.”” -Audible

---

~If you enjoy my summary, please consider buying me a coffee via my Ko-Fi link (click the button below) or support this blog in one of several ways! 📖 🎓

I appreciate every donation as it goes directly to the maintenance costs of my blog and creation of new content. 😊

Opening thoughts:

I saw this book on Audible recommendations, but it was also recommended by a friend. I am a fan of Keke Palmer’s work, and this book seemed to contain good insights into her life and career. I’m not sure what to expect but I’m excited to listen to the audio version since she reads it herself.

---

Key notes:

Part One: Performance

Chapter 1: Who Is Pulling Your Strings?

• Dissonance is isolating, whereas facing challenge head-on is where the magic happens
• Handle stressors by focusing on your best efforts, not perfection
  • Committing to trying your best always beats perfection

Chapter 2: Tuning Out the Noise

• The true fear comes from believing that you are worthy and capable, so now you have to be that 
• It’s crucial to separate your purpose from your right to exist 

“We can’t do great things, only small things with great love” – Mother Tereasa

• Discipline trumps talent
• The phrase “trust the process” is the most relevant piece of advice when backed by accountability and action
• There’s no right or wrong in creating. Creating is creating
  • When someone’s vision is consistent, that means it is on purpose, not by mistake
• Life is about experiencing many different versions of the same triggers and challenges, and it’s your bounce-back rate that proves your sufficiency

Chapter 3: The Freedom to Say No

• An important call out when deciding to take risks is seeing how they tie into your ultimate goal which only you know

Chapter 4: Freak the Systems at Large

• The true currency is time and how you spend it
• When working for a corporation, looking at them as a trade school instead of a job can be the most useful and empowering
  • You can think about the transferable skills and what you can learn from the job
• It’s not always about how good you are at the actual job, it’s also about how you show up to the job as well
• You can double your rate in any field if you create an enjoyable experience for the client 
• Having a sense of gratitude is a great source of power
  • To have faith that no matter how things go in your life, they’re going in the right direction for you

Chapter 5: Public Service Announcement

Part Two: Power

Chapter 6: Ain’t That ‘Bout a Bitch?

• You can and should always speak up against ignorance
  • It’s “you bought in on the lie” 

Chapter 7: America, We Have a Problem

• If you want more opportunities and better business opportunities, you should diversify your portfolio and leverage your other businesses against the ones you want to get more from
• Rather than trying to beat the system, we should focus on trying to master ourselves
  • As systems continually evolve, self-mastery allows us to remain adaptable and fluid, turning upheaval into opportunity
• It’s about knowing what you like, knowing what you’re good at, and using that as leverage against the system so that it works for you
  • Invest in yourself
  • Create and put out your own stuff
• Spread yourself out to many spaces
  • Let go of the college idea that you have to pick one major
  • If you do many things, eventually they will all pan out in a matter of time
  • Use what you learned in one thing and take it to another. That creates value that only you have

“Be water and be flexible” – Bruce Lee

Chapter 8: The Power of Parenthood

• Being a mother with a baby who needed her empowered her
• She’s focusing on building herself up because she knows her son depends on her
• Forgiveness doesn’t mean reconciliation
• We are who we are because of our parents’ sacrifices
  • And it’s important that we look at those aspects of ourselves that we got from our parents that are positive. Because then we are able to lean deeper into what our power is

Chapter 9: Understand Your Self-Worth

• We must take on the task of being the most important thing in our lives
• If that relationship is solely depleting you and not giving you the energy in return, you must move on, be better, and let it go
• People can only save themselves
  • But because you have survived, you will inspire other people

Chapter 10: Power Dynamics

• We ruin such beautiful people by not holding them accountable
  • We are all perfect on our own, it’s only when we get into relationships or close friendships that things become difficult
• To be a leader is to be a good example
• Having money doesn’t mean you have a plan, can communicate effectively, or have patience and the ability to diffuse

Chapter 11: For My Entrepreneur Baddies

• Corporatize yourself and see yourself as an asset because you are a business

Chapter 12: A Weird, Random Moment from Set

• It’s important to not get caught up in someone else’s drama because sometimes that’s all they want you to do

Chapter 13: The Darkness Will Actually Help You

• Use your moments of darkness like an exam. Learn something from it, so it won’t be pointless
• Thriving is not just surviving the traumatic event but living in the new you that was created through the experience with pride

Chapter 14: I Really Do Hate Misogynoir

Chapter 15: Affirmations for Keke (and Anyone Else Who Needs to Hear This)

• You can’t change what you did yesterday, but you can change what you do in the future and appreciate what you’ve learned
• True power comes from within, not external factors
  • Detach from external validation to reclaim personal power. Focus on delivering value, not seeking validation

Part Three: Purpose

Chapter 16: A Reminder

• What if purpose already exists inside of us and is achieved by following whatever is in our hearts? And it’s not necessarily defined by external confirmations
  • Purpose could be just a passion that keeps you going

Chapter 17: Leo

Chapter 18: Emerald Haywood

• Timing is real
  • Everything happens when it’s supposed to
  • Keep carving out the space to do the work

Chapter 19: Reframing Your Mind

• Artists should continue to test themselves
• Love yourself at any age and every stage you are and give yourself the grace to mature and change and evolve
• We gotta meet ourselves where we’re at

Chapter 20: A Student of Life

• Investing in your personal growth is all about consistency

Chapter 21: I forgive you. And I forgive myself.

• Are there people in your life you feel like you need to release your emotions to?
• Detail experience from your end and consider what they were going through too

Chapter 22: Big Boss

Chapter 23: It’s All About Patience

Chapter 24: The First Monday in May

Chapter 25: I’m Blessed to Do This

• The greatest form of activism is being authentic and caring about the thing you most care about, and focusing on the things that ring most true to you
• Being clear on you is the best thing you can do
  • No matter what you do or where you go, you will always know how to manage how you are perceived and how to manipulate your avatar self in a way that helps you navigate perception
• It’s important to lean on our elders and learn from them while also teaching them new ways to update their old ideas

Chapter 26: Keys to the Culture

Chapter 27: Not a Momager, a Boss

Chapter 28: She Ain’t No Diva

Chapter 29: Keep Living

• Following God to her means rising up again wherever you fall
• We are a reflection of God‘s desire for connection and community

Chapter 30: Jack of All Trades, Master of Me

• Say what you mean and mean what you say
• Make you your career
  • Master yourself
  • The freedom of choice is what makes any of us feel like we have purpose
• The career is you, and a job is the place you go to support you
• Becoming capable of all things requires self-mastery while mastering only one thing simply just requires focus on that one thing

---

Closing thoughts:

I loved this book. It was a great combination of narrative from her own story, as well as profound insights that she’s learned along the way. There were so many impactful nuggets of wisdom, it’s easily one of my new favorite memoir-biography-type books I’ve read in recent years.

---

One Takeaway / Putting into practice:

Maybe not surprisingly, my favorite section of the book was the part where she talked about self-mastery. If I had to choose one, these points sum up the most valuable parts of the book:

• Rather than trying to beat the system, we should focus on trying to master ourselves
  • As systems continually evolve, self-mastery allows us to remain adaptable and fluid, turning upheaval into opportunity
• It’s about knowing what you like, knowing what you’re good at, and using that as leverage against the system so that it works for you
  • Invest in yourself, create, and put out your own stuff
• Spread yourself out to many spaces
  • Let go of the college idea that you have to pick one major
  • If you do many things, eventually they will all pan out in a matter of time
  • Use what you learned in one thing and take it to another. That creates value that only you have

---

Nutshell:

Keke Palmer shares the insights and lessons she’s learned in her own career and life journey.

---

Similar books:

• Girl, Wash Your Face by Rachel Hollis
• The Meaning of Mariah Carey by Mariah Carey
• The Last Black Unicorn by Tiffany Haddish
• Why Not Me? by Mindy Kaling
• Scrappy Little Nobody by Anna Kendrick
• Becoming by Michelle Obama
• The Truths We Hold by Kamala Harris
• Act Like You Got Some Sense by Jamie Foxx

---

Rating:

4/5

Subscribe for More Summaries👇

---

Try Audible for audiobooks 📚🎧

Personal recommendation: For the last 10 years, I’ve used Audible to listen to all of my favorite books. It’s easy to use, cost-effective, and they have the best library of audiobooks.

If you use my affiliate links below, not only will you get a special offer, but it’ll help support the costs to maintain this blog! 😊👇

Try Audible and Get Two Free Audiobooks

Audible Gift Memberships 

---