Review by Adora_300 -- From Drift to SHIFT
Posted: 30 May 2018, 23:00
[Following is a volunteer review of "From Drift to SHIFT" by Jody B. Miller.]
3 out of 4 stars
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“… It would be a full exenteration. Tumors were everywhere: one in her sigmoid colon, one on her bladder, and one stuck between her rectum and posterior vagina.”
Can you imagine yourself in this situation? Can you imagine being told by doctors that everything in your pelvic region (some parts that makes you human) would have to go or you risk dying? Can you imagine being presented with just this option? Take some time to think about this. Imagine having to battle cancer in your childhood and loosing vital human parts in the process only to be faced with a variation of the same battle in adult hood. Think about the financial, social, and emotional cost that comes with a cancer battle. I’m sure that at some point you might question the relevance of your being on earth. Who would put up with this?
But guess what? This was Emily Garfield’s history and not only did she survive this – for the third time in her life -- she thrived right after and is currently working as a movement and wellness coach.
Emily’s story is one of the many transformational stories shared in the book, From Drift to Shift by Jody B. Miller. This self-help book deals with fulfilling one’s purpose in the midst of obstacles that throws us off balance. It prepares who ever reads it for inevitable hardships that lie ahead in life and encourages them to press on.
All stories in the book fall into three different sections. The first part deals with why people choose to make changes in their lives; the second part pays attention to the different intervals at which people thought it the right time to make a shift, and the last part focuses on the different method used to made shifts in their lives. Miller understands that the definition of suffering is relative to each individual, and so she presents us with stories that range from the extremes like Emily Garfield’s cancer battle and Andy Writh’s skydiving accident to the story of Jerry Colona who felt depressed and suicidal despite his numerous outward success. We are also introduced to Sloan who sees repeated disappointments as a chance to for new beginnings and then we learn of how a whole tribe of people in the Amazon collectively chose to save their land and cultural heritage by opening up to foreigners.
Miller’s use of actual stories as opposed to just dishing out theories makes her advice more persuasive. Serita, whose story appeared first did not simply “go for it,” and “break the rules” but rather she broke the rules of her own life by making a vow that she would make something great out of her life; she spent years squatting at friend’s homes while studying and when she was accepted to McGill University (The Harvard of Canada), she took jobs to pay for her tuition. Following graduation, she worked under a non-profit before starting hers.
I also like the fact that Miller uses everyday people stories rather than those that are famous to inspire. While there’s nothing wrong with those who have achieve ground breaking success, this book teaches us that success is not limited to awards. It varies greatly. For example, Emily fought cancer at three stages in her life (as a child, as a teenager and as a mother. In addition, losing a father to suicide, and her husband.) She is successful because she now uses her painful experiences make things easier for others.
Reading this book also felt like getting advice from a mature friend as the author didn’t try to come off like she was an expert in the field. Despite her citing a good amount of scientific research in the book, the tone in her writing read like that of a big sister or a mentor trying to lift the spirit of a younger one. It was warm.
The only issue I found in this book is the that the different stories categorised under the different section did not give clear responses to the topics ‘why shift?’ ‘When to shift’, and ‘how to shift’. This makes it difficult for reads to reference the individual lessons from each story. The lessons in all stories over lapped each other and It felt like they would have been better off uncategorized. I sensed too that the takeaway section at the end of each chapter were rushed. I think it would be better that this section be used to identify parts of the stories in each chapter that supports the main points of each section (if author decides not to scrap the three sections)
I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars because of the confusion I encountered. I believe that if the author specifies the significance of each story in relation to the parts in which they are categorized, this would make it easier for readers to reference the different lessons from each story.
College graduates who will be heading off into the real world will benefit greatly from this book as they will be full of so much ambition. The lessons will keep them grounded in the event they encounter their first obstacle or failure. Some might have already experienced their fair share of hardships and while some others are still yet to. This book will be helpful in encouraging the former to press on and the latter to prepare for the worst.
******
From Drift to SHIFT
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
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3 out of 4 stars
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“… It would be a full exenteration. Tumors were everywhere: one in her sigmoid colon, one on her bladder, and one stuck between her rectum and posterior vagina.”
Can you imagine yourself in this situation? Can you imagine being told by doctors that everything in your pelvic region (some parts that makes you human) would have to go or you risk dying? Can you imagine being presented with just this option? Take some time to think about this. Imagine having to battle cancer in your childhood and loosing vital human parts in the process only to be faced with a variation of the same battle in adult hood. Think about the financial, social, and emotional cost that comes with a cancer battle. I’m sure that at some point you might question the relevance of your being on earth. Who would put up with this?
But guess what? This was Emily Garfield’s history and not only did she survive this – for the third time in her life -- she thrived right after and is currently working as a movement and wellness coach.
Emily’s story is one of the many transformational stories shared in the book, From Drift to Shift by Jody B. Miller. This self-help book deals with fulfilling one’s purpose in the midst of obstacles that throws us off balance. It prepares who ever reads it for inevitable hardships that lie ahead in life and encourages them to press on.
All stories in the book fall into three different sections. The first part deals with why people choose to make changes in their lives; the second part pays attention to the different intervals at which people thought it the right time to make a shift, and the last part focuses on the different method used to made shifts in their lives. Miller understands that the definition of suffering is relative to each individual, and so she presents us with stories that range from the extremes like Emily Garfield’s cancer battle and Andy Writh’s skydiving accident to the story of Jerry Colona who felt depressed and suicidal despite his numerous outward success. We are also introduced to Sloan who sees repeated disappointments as a chance to for new beginnings and then we learn of how a whole tribe of people in the Amazon collectively chose to save their land and cultural heritage by opening up to foreigners.
Miller’s use of actual stories as opposed to just dishing out theories makes her advice more persuasive. Serita, whose story appeared first did not simply “go for it,” and “break the rules” but rather she broke the rules of her own life by making a vow that she would make something great out of her life; she spent years squatting at friend’s homes while studying and when she was accepted to McGill University (The Harvard of Canada), she took jobs to pay for her tuition. Following graduation, she worked under a non-profit before starting hers.
I also like the fact that Miller uses everyday people stories rather than those that are famous to inspire. While there’s nothing wrong with those who have achieve ground breaking success, this book teaches us that success is not limited to awards. It varies greatly. For example, Emily fought cancer at three stages in her life (as a child, as a teenager and as a mother. In addition, losing a father to suicide, and her husband.) She is successful because she now uses her painful experiences make things easier for others.
Reading this book also felt like getting advice from a mature friend as the author didn’t try to come off like she was an expert in the field. Despite her citing a good amount of scientific research in the book, the tone in her writing read like that of a big sister or a mentor trying to lift the spirit of a younger one. It was warm.
The only issue I found in this book is the that the different stories categorised under the different section did not give clear responses to the topics ‘why shift?’ ‘When to shift’, and ‘how to shift’. This makes it difficult for reads to reference the individual lessons from each story. The lessons in all stories over lapped each other and It felt like they would have been better off uncategorized. I sensed too that the takeaway section at the end of each chapter were rushed. I think it would be better that this section be used to identify parts of the stories in each chapter that supports the main points of each section (if author decides not to scrap the three sections)
I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars because of the confusion I encountered. I believe that if the author specifies the significance of each story in relation to the parts in which they are categorized, this would make it easier for readers to reference the different lessons from each story.
College graduates who will be heading off into the real world will benefit greatly from this book as they will be full of so much ambition. The lessons will keep them grounded in the event they encounter their first obstacle or failure. Some might have already experienced their fair share of hardships and while some others are still yet to. This book will be helpful in encouraging the former to press on and the latter to prepare for the worst.
******
From Drift to SHIFT
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
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