September 13, 2011
“I Could do Anything: if only I knew what it was”
About a month ago I described the book “I Could do Anything: if only I knew what it was” by Barbara Sher. I have always felt lost and unsure about what I should be doing with my life, and it has definitely given me some clarity.
One of the first chapters makes a very good point about how many people feel lost in choosing a career, because their own goals are compared internally to family expectations, as well as a host of other expectations that we create for ourselves growing up. Barbara Sher points out that these combined expectations are often contradictory and impossible to satisfy.
I did not experience any “Eureka” moment, but I can say that I do feel a lot more confident about where I am headed now in my life. It is so refreshing not to be questioning myself day in and day out about why I have not found my passion or goal… what I am “supposed” to be doing. It has always been a huge point of frustration for me, and is nice to feel a little bit calmer about everything- even if my plans do end up changing later on.
Barbara Sher says that taking action – any kind of action – will help propel you in the right direction, because it is a great way of learning what we like/do not like and meeting great contacts.
I definitely recommend this book to anyone like me who feels “stuck” – the title of the book says it all: “I could do anything: if I only I knew what it was.”
Cheers!
Hi, I so agree with your comments about Barbara Sher’s book. I am well and truly amazed by Barbara’s insight into so many things, careers and life choices among them. Besides her many excellent books, (Wishcraft, Refuse to Choose, etc.), I love her philosophy that “It is only too late if you don’t start now.” This piece of wisdom got me “unstuck” for the first time in years.
I wish you well in all your future endeavors, and finding your passion. As Barbara says, we owe our gifts to the world, and are only happy when we use them.
“Isolation is the dreamkiller,” so avail yourself of a support network, too.
http://www.geniuspress.com if you’d like to get involved with her workshops.
Thanks for your generous reviews of I Could Do Anything. I’m glad it was helpful.
I’m not trying to sell books, honest, but you should also peek into Refuse To Choose (also known as “What Do I Do When I Want To Do Everything” in English-speaking countries overseas). You might be someone with ‘too many aptitudes,’ like someone who just wrote me. (I do write about such people in Chapter 6 of I Could Do Anything, and I got so many letters about that chapter that I wrote the book mentioned above about it.)
Or just go to amazon.com, peek into the book and read the reviews and you’ll get an idea what the book is about.