Month: September 2017

Book Review of ‘From Drift to SHIFT’ – 4/4 Stars

drift-to-shift

4 out of 4 starsReview by Eva GallegosShare This Review
From Drift to Shift: How Change Brings True Meaning and Happiness to your Work and Life by Jody B. Miller is a motivational self-help book, which brings comfort and strength to people struggling to find their authentic selves in life.

The contents of this book are grouped into four sections, titled as follows: Why Shift? When to Shift? How to Shift? And After the Shift? Each part contains a different set of stories. These stories belong to the people that inspire the author. The experiences shared with them are examples of the changes and setbacks that are part of life.

All these people have different backgrounds, professions, dreams, fears, even nationalities. Nonetheless, they all had to struggle through life to become who they are now. These events radically altered their perspectives and were the reason for their shifting. These situations push them forward. They were able to embrace life and be happy with who they are.

Each chapter has its own introduction and begins with a quote or phrase related to the following story. Finally, the author summarizes the most important lessons of each segment in a series of tips or thoughts titled Takeaways.

The stories were interesting and engaging, Miller successfully creates a bond between her audience and her friends or acquaintances through the book. It was a pleasant experience, I felt that I was part of the conversation. This feeling was one of the elements that attracted me most from the book. She was also very clever in supporting through evidence from various sources, most of her reasoning and conclusions. This shows the care and concern of the author for the quality of the information provided.

All the stories were incredibly moving. I am sure they will resonate with many people as some of them did with me. I was pleased that this book sounded and felt real, that the persons and the stories in it were real. At times, the lives of these people seemed like a big black hole and although they might have surrendered, they did not. It is a nice reminder that there is always hope and you can always get better.

This book has countless positive elements, one of many was the mixture of cultures and beliefs. Manoj’s story made me want to take a plane to India to delve into the spiritual practices of meditation and Buddhism. Spirituality is an essential concept in this book, whether it is for Christians, Hindus or any other religion or belief system. Without faith, hope and love, any transformation process loses significance and reduces the probability of success.

Overall remarkable and touching, a perfect collection of life stories. A wonderful volume that would inspire any reader. I found this book to be well edited, skillfully structured and cleverly articulated. While providing an extensive set of lessons, the book never turns tiresome. This author offers an inspirational perspective and more than a few strategies on how to approach some difficult circumstances. I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars, as I would recommend others to read it.

Feeling Uninspired About Life? This Book May Help You

Lately I have been feeling uninspired. We all have those moments where we feel as if we are not progressing fast enough or it seems you have been working hard and not getting any closer to your goals. It is a frustrating feeling and everyday begins to feel like the same day as the the day before. You wake up, maybe eat breakfast,go to work and back home again. Rinse and repeat until it becomes routine. When you’re not seeing any results or the fruits of your labor it makes you want to stop trying. Because what is the point at the end of the day? Many people are just drifting through life,unable to find the inspiration or motivation to make a shift in their lives. In Drift to Shift by Jody B. Miller the author speaks about achieving our goals in our personal and professional lives and living up to our purpose. This book encourages you to find your true place in life and invest in yourself. Many of us can get complacent and settle for what we think we deserve. Many of us know exactly what we want to do and what makes us happy, but are too afraid to take the first step. You cannot grow if you are comfortable. This is what I learned from this book. You have to challenge yourself and take risks, even when they don’t work out the way you want them to. My thoughts: The author does a wonderful job at explaining why we choose the easy,predictable way instead of striving for greatness. She gives tips on how to change the way you see yourself and your place in the world and go after what you have always wanted. Also, she recounts personal stories from real life people who succeeded because they decided to take a chance, even when life told them otherwise. Examples of the people she interviewed were former foster care children who beat the system and went on to create an online charity for disadvantaged children, teens and young adults. She also spoke on cancer survivors, parents, educators, business people, entrepreneurs and those who were considered the outcasts of society. I rate this book a 4 out of 4. It is a phenomenal read that will help you make that shift towards your desires. At the end of each chapter
it recounts the main points of that chapter. That way you can recap what you have learned before moving onto the next stage. She asks questions such as why you should shift in your life, why people choose to drift through life and how to recognize the signs that are pointing you to a new direction. This book falls underneath the category of self-help. It is well worth the money and is a great investment. I loved the book. It inspired me to be more proactive in doing what makes me happy. I recommend it to anyone who feels as if they are just going through the motions and existing instead of living. It really is a well written and thoughtful book.