Until Today!: Daily Devotions for Spiritual Growth and Peace of Mind by Iyanla Vanzant Summary
Overview
Oprah's favorite spiritual guide offers 365 daily devotions that rewire negative thinking patterns. This #3 NYT bestseller has transformed substance abuse recovery programs nationwide, with readers calling each day's topic "always perfect" for their journey toward healing.
- Iyanla Vanzant's Until Today replaces limiting beliefs with empowering daily practices.
- Each devotion presents old Until Today patterns and Just for today solutions.
- The book provides 365 spiritual meditations across twelve transformational monthly themes.
- Vanzant teaches readers to shift mindset through consistent devotional practice daily.
- Until Today helps release painful relationship patterns and discover inner peace.
- Daily reflections encourage pausing, choosing new thoughts, and transforming attitudes intentionally.
- Vanzant guides declaring Until Today as a powerful commitment to change.
- Each meditation identifies old resentments and prescribes new healing approaches forward.
- The devotional addresses forgiveness, self-love, gratitude, acceptance, and letting go.
- Until Today transforms habitual thinking into conscious spiritual empowerment and growth.
- Vanzant's prescriptions help readers heal hearts and realign with authentic truth.
- Twelve monthly principles deepen self-awareness and support lasting personal transformation gradually.
About the Author
Iyanla Vanzant is the New York Times bestselling author of Until Today! Daily Devotions for Spiritual Growth and Peace of Mind and a renowned spiritual teacher, life coach, and inspirational speaker. Her work in the self-help and personal development genre focuses on emotional healing, forgiveness, and spiritual empowerment—themes shaped by her decades of experience helping individuals overcome life's challenges.
Vanzant has written 17 books, including Acts of Faith and Yesterday, I Cried, and serves as the founder of Inner Visions World Wide and Inner Visions Institute for Spiritual Development. She gained widespread recognition through her regular appearances on The Oprah Winfrey Show and as host and executive producer of Iyanla: Fix My Life, the award-winning reality series on OWN Network. Oprah Winfrey has called her "The most powerful spiritual healer, fixer, teacher on the planet."
Her books have been translated into more than 20 languages and have sold millions of copies worldwide.
FAQs About This Book
What is Until Today! by Iyanla Vanzant about?
Until Today! by Iyanla Vanzant is a collection of 365 daily devotions designed to help readers break free from old patterns and step into spiritual empowerment. Each daily reading presents an "Until Today!" statement representing outdated thinking, followed by a "Just for today" statement offering a new approach. The book guides readers through twelve spiritual principles over twelve months, supporting personal transformation through consistent daily practice.
Who is Iyanla Vanzant?
Iyanla Vanzant is a New York Times bestselling author, spiritual teacher, and host of OWN Network's "Iyanla: Fix My Life". She overcame poverty, abuse, and abandonment to become a lawyer, ordained New Thought minister, and one of the country's most influential spiritual life coaches. Vanzant has written over 16 books translated into 23 languages, selling more than 8 million copies worldwide, and was named one of Oprah Winfrey's SuperSoul100 visionaries.
Who should read Until Today! Daily Devotions?
Until Today! is ideal for anyone seeking spiritual growth, struggling with difficult relationships, or repeating painful patterns in their lives. The book serves readers facing life transitions, searching for peace of mind, or wanting to break free from limiting beliefs. It's particularly valuable for those committed to daily spiritual practice and self-examination, as well as individuals looking for practical guidance to shift their mindset and heal emotional wounds.
Is Until Today! by Iyanla Vanzant worth reading?
Until Today! by Iyanla Vanzant is worth reading for those committed to consistent spiritual practice and personal transformation. The book's daily format makes spiritual development manageable, with practical tasks that build positive habits over time. Iyanla Vanzant's authentic writing style, grounded in her own life experiences, creates trust and invites honest self-reflection. However, readers must be willing to engage daily and do the inner work required for lasting change.
How is Until Today! structured?
Until Today! is divided into twelve sections representing twelve months of devotion, each focused on a universal spiritual principle. Every daily reading contains a passage, an "Until Today!" statement highlighting old thinking patterns, and a "Just for today" statement prescribing new approaches. January's theme focuses on allowing life to work for you, while subsequent months build upon previous principles. The progressive structure guides readers step-by-step toward deeper self-awareness and spiritual growth throughout the year.
What are the main concepts in Until Today! by Iyanla Vanzant?
Until Today! emphasizes self-examination as the foundation for growth, believing that "the journey into self-acceptance and self-love must begin with self-examination". Core concepts include releasing old thought patterns, practicing presence over dwelling on the past, and taking responsibility for one's life. The book teaches the Law of First Things—accepting and embracing spiritual truth first in all situations. Daily devotion involves shifting attitudes, healing hearts, and realigning with personal truth through consistent practice.
What does "Until Today!" mean in Iyanla Vanzant's book?
"Until Today!" represents the moment of conscious decision to stop old patterns and choose transformation. According to Iyanla Vanzant, whatever has been happening in your mind, life, or heart can stop "right now, if that is truly what you desire". The phrase signals a powerful declaration to release situations, circumstances, or relationships that no longer serve you. It marks the threshold between outdated beliefs and new ways of being, requiring willingness to "do a new thing" through daily devotion.
How can Until Today! help with breaking negative patterns?
Until Today! helps break negative patterns by identifying habitual sentiments, resentments, beliefs, and judgments that prevent fuller life expression. Each day's reading presents these limiting patterns as "Until Today!" statements, then offers "Just for today" prescriptions for new thinking. The practice requires readers to remember and commit to new ways throughout each day. By addressing misconceptions through daily devotion, the book clears obstacles and places readers on the path to personal strength and peace of mind.
What is the "Landscape of Myself" exercise in Until Today!?
The "Landscape of Myself" is a self-examination exercise where Iyanla Vanzant asks readers to write a 500-word description of themselves in first person, present tense. This assignment helps readers take the essential "journey of self-reflection" that Vanzant believes is necessary for growth and learning in life. The exercise reveals inner resources readers didn't know they possessed while illuminating work that needs attention. It serves as a foundational practice for self-acceptance and honest self-assessment throughout the devotional journey.
What spiritual principles does Until Today! teach?
Until Today! teaches twelve universal spiritual principles corresponding to each month of devotion. These include the Law of First Things (accepting spiritual truth first in all situations), practicing patience, living in the present moment, and taking responsibility for one's life. The book emphasizes silence and meditation as tools for inner awareness. Each principle builds upon the previous, creating a progressive spiritual curriculum that guides readers from surface-level understanding to deeper consciousness and authentic self-expression over the year.
How does Iyanla Vanzant's personal story relate to Until Today!?
Iyanla Vanzant's personal transformation from abandoned child and welfare mother to bestselling author and spiritual teacher directly informs Until Today!. Her experiences with poverty, abuse, rape by a family member, and challenging relationships became the foundation for her compassionate approach to healing. Vanzant uses her own "dark valley experiences" throughout the book to provide relatable, authentic guidance. Her journey demonstrates that the daily devotional practices she teaches genuinely work, having helped her overcome overwhelming adversity to find peace and purpose.
Can Until Today! be used for group study or discussion?
Until Today! includes discussion questions and group study prompts, making it suitable for spiritual communities and book clubs. The book provides monthly reflection questions, such as "Retrace your plan for this year" and "How has embracing the Law of First Things made a difference?". Readers are encouraged to discuss personal discoveries, share reactions to exercises like "The Landscape of Myself," and revisit challenging lessons together. The structured monthly themes create natural conversation points for collective spiritual exploration and accountability.
Feel the book through the author's voice
Turn knowledge into engaging, example-rich insights
Capture key ideas in a flash for fast learning
Enjoy the book in a fun and engaging way
Key Themes in Until Today!
Quotes from Until Today!
Love isn't just what you say-it's who you are and what you do.
Waiting for external happiness kills your internal joy.
The essence of who you are mirrors the essence of God.
Your name is now "Beloved"-God's beloved child, the heart of God's heart.
Characters in Until Today!
Quick Summary Mode - Read or listen to Until Today! Summary in 8 Minutes
Break down key ideas from Until Today! into bite-sized takeaways to understand how innovative teams create, collaborate, and grow.
Flash Card Mode - Top 10 Insights from Until Today! in a Nutshell
Distill Until Today! into rapid-fire memory cues that highlight key principles of candor, teamwork, and creative resilience.
Fun Mode - Until Today! Lessons Told Through 21-Min Stories
Experience Until Today! through vivid storytelling that turns innovation lessons into moments you'll remember and apply.
Personalize Mode - Read or listen to Until Today! Summary in 0 Minutes
Ask anything, pick the voice, and co-create insights that truly resonate with you.
From Columbia University alumni built in San Francisco
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
From Columbia University alumni built in San Francisco
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
Get the Until Today! summary as a free PDF or EPUB. Print it or read offline anytime.
