Well, before the FTC lost its mind today, I’d planned to tell you that I’d received a review copy of Marcus Buckingham’s new book from his publisher, Thomas Nelson, and that in exchange, I’d agreed to post my review of the book on this date.
I suspect I would even have mentioned that if you buy the book from Amazon at this link, I’ll make a few cents.
Now, I’d really prefer to spend my time railing on the FTC, but I’m going to tell you about the book first, then go over to my other site for the FTC rant.
I’m a Marcus Buckingham fan from way back. I am not generally a fan of the whole self-help genre, but at some point, someone convinced me to pick up his book, “Now, Discover Your Strengths,” and I found it an incredibly helpful personal and professional development tool.
I haven’t read any of Buckingham’s other books, but they all seem to play on the same theme. In the newest book, Find Your Strongest Life, he focuses on the roles women play, and what we find satisfying and draining about our daily lives.
I will tell you up front, I had my feminist back up, and I was prepared to be offended at the slightest provocation. And perhaps in the end, what I learned was that I should scold myself for thinking a man wouldn’t have something useful to say about women’s roles in our society.
I think Buckingham is really good at two things:
- Helping you clarify who you are and what you do well
- Giving you simple tools to make that role more satisfying
If you’re looking for an in-depth psychological analysis, you won’t find it here. But you will find practical steps you can use today, this week, in taking better control of your life.
And really, that’s what his books come down to for me: Figuring out who you are, and feeling empowered to act on that knowledge.
In fact, I found myself thinking at several times throughout the book, that he really could have pitched it to people, and not just to women. I know plenty of men who feel powerless to change their lives. And that’s what a lot of the book is about: Determining where you are most powerful, most at ease, and making more of that happen.
Who should read this book: People who are looking for a clearer direction in their lives, or who don’t feel fulfilled in their current career choices.
Who won’t like it: People who don’t care for self-help/personal development.