What’s the best book to read to find your Life’s Work?
When I read this book, I started getting excited about my future. But it also set a trap for me. And it was the same old trap I always fall into.
Failing My Life
About eight weeks ago, I shared that I’d lost my way. Sitting at my local coffee shop planning my day, I realised I had books to write and art to create. But I wasn’t doing it. I was fulfilling my Life’s Work.
And I felt frustrated, lost and defeated. It was a familiar tale.
When I shared these thoughts on LinkedIn, Robert Tighe replied. He suggested I read Po Bronson’s book What Should I Do With My Life – as it had helped him discover his Life’s Work.
Po Bronson on Wikipedia (he doesn’t have a personal website)
Getting Excited
As I read this book I shared my thoughts with friends and colleagues.
Then something weird started happening. almost everyone I talked with was getting excited.
I hadn’t had that before. Usually, when I talk about innovation or ideas, some people get excited but not everyone.
What was going on?
And this was rubbing off on me. I was getting excited too.
Which is good, right? Maybe. Yes, it’s good to be excited. And yes, it’s good to be excited about other people getting excited.
But was it sending me down the wrong road?
I Could Do This
I had started to think that I could do what Po Bronson did.
In his book, Po asked: What should I do with my life?
To answer it, he travelled across the US and around the world. He interviewed 900 people and 60 of these stories made it in the finished book. He met some amazing people and had some amazing conversations. That sounded like a great thing to do.
I could interview people about their Life’s Work. And this would make a great podcast. (Yes, it would.)
Avoid This Trap
But the more I read, the more I realised I’d fallen into a trap. The same old trap I always fell into.
Eventually, as I read Po Bronson’s book I worked out what was going on. This quote summed it up:
“Things you work hardest for are the things you will most treasure.”
Have you heard of Shiny Object Syndrome? It’s when you get distracted by something new and trendy and drop what you are already working on.
Interviewing people about their Life’s Work would be a great Life’s Work, the big question was this… Is this MY Life’s Work?
Or was I avoiding doing the work to fulfil the thing I was most passionate about?
The Big Lesson
And that’s my big lesson from Po Bronson’s book.
Your Life’s Work is YOUR Life’s Work.
Your Life’s Work is in this book. But not literally.
You need to find your version of it. You can’t copy someone else’s version.
That’s the trap I had fallen into. I was looking at Po Bronson’s book project as a shiny new object thinking the grass would be greener over there.
But, I had my Life’s Work writing books and creating art. And while that’s hard work and often lonely, it is what inspires me.
The real issue for me was I simply wasn’t doing it. I wasn’t spending time on the things that were important to me. And this frustrated me. And it disappointed me.
I didn’t have the results I wanted because I hadn’t put in the work needed to earn those results.
But pursuing a different path wouldn’t please me either.
I had to find a way forward.
Read this because…
Read Po Bronson’s book if you want to find your Life’s Work.
It’s not a recipe book. It doesn’t have step-by-step instructions to find your Life’s Work. And that’s because there are no predictable and reliable steps.
Instead, it will fill your head with thoughts. And it will present opportunities for you to consider. And if you reflect on the stories you will find yourself and your Life’s Work in this book in the same way that I did.
You will see the choices people had. You will hear the difficult decisions people had to make. And if you’re willing to listen to your heart you’ll find out what action you need to take next.
Plus, Po shares his journey. Writing this book was not just an intellectual exercise for him. He had been struggling with this question too: What Should I Do With My Life?
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