4 out of 4 stars
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From Drift to Shift: How Change brings True Meaning and Happiness to your Work and Life by Jody B. Miller is a book in the non-fiction genre. It can be loosely categorized as a self-help book.
The book is divided into four sections, which explain the process of shifting and what it means. The first section begins with why should one make a shift in life, the next section looks at when should one make that shift, the next section progresses to how should one make that shift, and finally the last section deals with what happens after the shift. The sections are further subdivided into chapters, which narrate inspirational stories of people who were drifting aimlessly, or were dealt a bad hand in life, but successfully overcame their obstacles or aimlessness and found meaning and purpose in their lives.
The author follows an interesting structure in this book. Right from the introduction, the author engages with the reader, and its impressive how I never felt like it was a one-sided conversation, a problem I have come across in some other non-fiction books. Each chapter focuses on the experiences of different people and what the author has drawn up from their journey for the reader to reflect upon.
There were other aspects of the content structure that impressed me, for example, how the author supplemented the stories with research and studies without interrupting the storyline, or how the author listed significant takeaways from each to story at the end of the chapter to highlight her views and advice. The author also made good use of formatting, for instance emboldening or italicizing particular statements to elucidate an important point.
Since the author has personally interacted with all the people mentioned in the book, their accounts are personalized, and as engaging as any fictional narrative. I liked how the author presented their stories, how she described their journeys, to make them seem more relatable. Whether it was someone who was brought up in foster care or someone who fought cancer, the prime reason I found their experience of trumping fate motivating, was because these individuals did not intend to inspire, but help out others facing similar ordeals.
Moving on to the content itself, the author focuses on what prompted these people to make the shift in their lives, whether it was overcoming the disadvantages they were born with, or an accident that altered the course of their lives, or simply dissatisfaction with how their lives were progressing. The stories also emphasize on how making a shift in life is not a one day job; it takes time, patience and most important of all, determination.
This is also one of those rare books where the appendix is as important as the main text, and unsurprisingly covers nearly one-third of the book. It has a wealth of information which validates the stories chronicled in this book, as well guides the reader in the process of transforming their lives.
From Drift to Shift is an excellent book, which helps the reader to switch from a purposeless existence to a satisfying and meaningful one, where they can meet their true potential. I would recommend this book especially for readers who are battling confusion and lacking the courage to take the step that takes them where they want to be. As is pointed out in the book, “We can let life happen to us or we can make life happen for us”. I rate the book 4 out of 4 stars.
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From Drift to SHIFT
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