Review by Joel_Schorn -- From Drift to SHIFT
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Review by Joel_Schorn -- From Drift to SHIFT
[Following is a volunteer review of "From Drift to SHIFT" by Jody B. Miller.]
2 out of 4 stars
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In From Drift to Shift: How Change Can Bring True Happiness to Your Work and Life (Morgan James Publishing, 2017), job and life coach, executive recruiter, and venture capitalist Jody B. Miller promises to provide “the information, insight, and inspiration that you need to find meaning, fulfillment, and happiness in your work and in your life.” Her focus is on both life and work because, she writes, “Our work permeates our lives. You need the work you are meant to do and the life you are meant to lead to be in sync. This book shows you ways to do that through shifting your perspective, trusting your voice, and taking action.”
To show these steps in action, and the close connection between work and the rest of life, Miller tells a series of stories based on her own interviews. “The most engaging stories are those that experience a shift somewhere along the way; a shift that gives them the strength, courage, and fortitude to move outside of comfort zones and into places of belonging. These stories overcome, they move upward and onward. They prevail.”
As the stories unfold, the reader realizes how much the subjects overcame: difficult childhoods in foster family situations, cancer, childlessness, depression, severe injuries, and other huge challenges, not only to recover but also to move into fulfilling professions of “giving back” and serving others—turning pain into passion, as Miller puts it.
The key to this process is being happy, and finding happiness, Miller says, is not a mystery. “Between you and me,” she says, “I have a hunch that you may already know, deep down, what that is.”
The beginning of the process of having a fulfilling life and job begins with having the honesty to realize you’re not satisfied with the status quo. The questions she recommends you ask yourself are sound and powerful: “When was the last time I really felt alive? When was I truest to myself? When was I the happiest? When did I last feel truly loved?” Elsewhere in the author puts these questions another way:
• Are you just drifting along?
• Are you doing what you have always dreamed of doing?
• Are you with the love of your life?
• Are you with someone for safety and security?
• Do you wish you could travel to the corners of the earth but come up with reasons why you never go?
• Do you have a secret passion that you have never pursued?
• Do you hate getting out of bed in the morning?
The answers to these questions point to your true purpose. Aligning your life to this purpose is what leads to happiness.
The author also points out the importance of looking for signs “when you are wondering if you should make a shift. . . . the signs will appear. Follow your instincts, focus on what you want and just jump in.” Some of these signs, she seems to be saying, are your dissatisfactions in life but also can be life changes, like changes in family or health situations.
The stories themselves are in many ways amazing and accomplish what author says they do: “motivate, inspire, and give us hope.” The book, however, seems to be aimed at people who have already achieved a certain level in business and the corporate world who are seeking to reset or improve their lives, and there does not seem to be a lot of room for those who are not in similar situations. Not everyone has the resources, for example, to pick up and go to Tibet to pursue their interest in Buddhism, as one of her story subjects did, or has friends who can get a private plane to fly in a parent after a life-threatening accident. I also had a little trouble connecting with the person who “didn’t feel too good” because her role in a corporate merger required her to lay off (“riff”) over 10,000 people; I couldn’t help thinking that if she been among those people, her story would never had made it into the book!
Once the author gets into the stories, in addition, the book seems to lose some momentum. The stories do illustrate, sometimes quite dramatically, the idea of taking the initiative to make your life better, but the stories are tool long and in telling them the author seems to become more reactive than proactive in her presentation. She also repeats herself several times, which gives the impression not so much of learning by repetition but of a carelessness brought on perhaps by rushing or loss of energy. It feels at times that the author is more commenting on her material than really writing.
Apart from these limitations, the author does offer a wise insight: happiness is both simpler than we might think, however risky and courageous it is to pursue that truth. Miller writes: “Making yourself feel better is simple: make yourself feel better. So what brings happiness? Happiness. How do you achieve happiness? Think good things, not bad. . . . The underlying secret in SHIFT is nothing more than happiness. You are meant to be truly happy in your work and in your life. This is your destiny.” In a way the value of the book lies in the issuing of this challenge.
There is extensive material at the end of the book which considerably lengthens the book. Miller supplies sections that describe the activities of the people in the stories, and there are also sections on: Questions and practices to consider sample from Jody’s blog on Huffington Post; The balance of work and play; How to deal with the complainers in your life; Advice I thought I’d never give; Live your fairytale; and Meet someone new every day: A 6 day experiment.
2 out of 4
******
From Drift to SHIFT
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Like Joel_Schorn's review? Post a comment saying so!
2 out of 4 stars
Share This Review
In From Drift to Shift: How Change Can Bring True Happiness to Your Work and Life (Morgan James Publishing, 2017), job and life coach, executive recruiter, and venture capitalist Jody B. Miller promises to provide “the information, insight, and inspiration that you need to find meaning, fulfillment, and happiness in your work and in your life.” Her focus is on both life and work because, she writes, “Our work permeates our lives. You need the work you are meant to do and the life you are meant to lead to be in sync. This book shows you ways to do that through shifting your perspective, trusting your voice, and taking action.”
To show these steps in action, and the close connection between work and the rest of life, Miller tells a series of stories based on her own interviews. “The most engaging stories are those that experience a shift somewhere along the way; a shift that gives them the strength, courage, and fortitude to move outside of comfort zones and into places of belonging. These stories overcome, they move upward and onward. They prevail.”
As the stories unfold, the reader realizes how much the subjects overcame: difficult childhoods in foster family situations, cancer, childlessness, depression, severe injuries, and other huge challenges, not only to recover but also to move into fulfilling professions of “giving back” and serving others—turning pain into passion, as Miller puts it.
The key to this process is being happy, and finding happiness, Miller says, is not a mystery. “Between you and me,” she says, “I have a hunch that you may already know, deep down, what that is.”
The beginning of the process of having a fulfilling life and job begins with having the honesty to realize you’re not satisfied with the status quo. The questions she recommends you ask yourself are sound and powerful: “When was the last time I really felt alive? When was I truest to myself? When was I the happiest? When did I last feel truly loved?” Elsewhere in the author puts these questions another way:
• Are you just drifting along?
• Are you doing what you have always dreamed of doing?
• Are you with the love of your life?
• Are you with someone for safety and security?
• Do you wish you could travel to the corners of the earth but come up with reasons why you never go?
• Do you have a secret passion that you have never pursued?
• Do you hate getting out of bed in the morning?
The answers to these questions point to your true purpose. Aligning your life to this purpose is what leads to happiness.
The author also points out the importance of looking for signs “when you are wondering if you should make a shift. . . . the signs will appear. Follow your instincts, focus on what you want and just jump in.” Some of these signs, she seems to be saying, are your dissatisfactions in life but also can be life changes, like changes in family or health situations.
The stories themselves are in many ways amazing and accomplish what author says they do: “motivate, inspire, and give us hope.” The book, however, seems to be aimed at people who have already achieved a certain level in business and the corporate world who are seeking to reset or improve their lives, and there does not seem to be a lot of room for those who are not in similar situations. Not everyone has the resources, for example, to pick up and go to Tibet to pursue their interest in Buddhism, as one of her story subjects did, or has friends who can get a private plane to fly in a parent after a life-threatening accident. I also had a little trouble connecting with the person who “didn’t feel too good” because her role in a corporate merger required her to lay off (“riff”) over 10,000 people; I couldn’t help thinking that if she been among those people, her story would never had made it into the book!
Once the author gets into the stories, in addition, the book seems to lose some momentum. The stories do illustrate, sometimes quite dramatically, the idea of taking the initiative to make your life better, but the stories are tool long and in telling them the author seems to become more reactive than proactive in her presentation. She also repeats herself several times, which gives the impression not so much of learning by repetition but of a carelessness brought on perhaps by rushing or loss of energy. It feels at times that the author is more commenting on her material than really writing.
Apart from these limitations, the author does offer a wise insight: happiness is both simpler than we might think, however risky and courageous it is to pursue that truth. Miller writes: “Making yourself feel better is simple: make yourself feel better. So what brings happiness? Happiness. How do you achieve happiness? Think good things, not bad. . . . The underlying secret in SHIFT is nothing more than happiness. You are meant to be truly happy in your work and in your life. This is your destiny.” In a way the value of the book lies in the issuing of this challenge.
There is extensive material at the end of the book which considerably lengthens the book. Miller supplies sections that describe the activities of the people in the stories, and there are also sections on: Questions and practices to consider sample from Jody’s blog on Huffington Post; The balance of work and play; How to deal with the complainers in your life; Advice I thought I’d never give; Live your fairytale; and Meet someone new every day: A 6 day experiment.
2 out of 4
******
From Drift to SHIFT
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Like Joel_Schorn's review? Post a comment saying so!
Latest Review: Roadmap to the End of Days by Daniel Friedmann
