Po Bronson narrarates what he has
observed through his many interviews by means of short character
studies. Periodically a person will illustrate his point so well
that he takes a moment for a little commentary on the principles they
illustrate. Although this method does not impart his principles
very clearly, since the reader is constantly jumping to a new story, the
stories are fairly memorable and the strongly positive (or negative)
ones are likely to be remembered, although with a vague notion of their
lesson.
Bronson begins the book with people who have mostly been unsuccessful
in answering their question, progesses to people who have answered the
question somewhat but are still in a fairly ambiguous state, ending with
people who appear to have answered the question as well as is
possible. From the beginning character sketches he points out that
people are rarely successful in making lots of money first and pursuing
their dream second (they begin to like making money more than their
dream), that fear or need to prove themselves of significantly hinders
their pursuit, that stimulation is not necessarily satisfying, and that
you need to follow your passions.
The second half of the book is mostly about people who, to some extant,
have discovered who they are. Some discovered this in foreign
countries, where the culture gave them opportunities or filled a
need. Some identified their interest and took a risk, with enough
perseverance to make it happen. Some took rather long detours
before figuring it out. Some, including the author, needed to
confront particular weaknesses in order to make it work. And some
discovered that being a parent was really their calling.
What Should I Do With My Life? is a story of people's
search for meaning and happiness. It is a story that admits that
this is a hard task, that probably we will make serious mistakes.
Yet Bronson does give some directions, most notably that fear is our
largest hinderance and that if we pursue a goal, we can usually make it
happen. This is a book that challenges our lives, challenges us to
live up to our potential, challenges us to dream our dreams. And
it is a book that can give us the courage to become our dreams.
Review: 9
The choice of stories is very good and
Bronson's commentaries are well worth reading. Unfortunately it is
a little hard to remember the principles through all the stories.
Also, as a Christian, it was disturbing not to find our Creator anywhere
in the book. If we were created by God, surely he would have
something to say about our choices and dreams. Yet the book is
silent on that point and, to my thinking, it leaft a disturbing void in
me as I read it. Irregardless, it is definitely worth the time
spent and I would recommend it to anyone who is unsure about their
direction in life.