4 out of 4 stars
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Most people these days are just drifting through life. What would it be like to shift your perspective and really live a life full of authentic experiences? Author Jody B. Miller not only talks about why you too should make that extra effort to live deliberately but also the when and how of the process. She provides readers with 9 individual examples, plus her own experience with the Amazon Achuar Tribe, as motivation for change.
Initially, I was a little confused when reading From Drift to Shift by Jody B. Miller. I expected it to be a linear progression. Do x and x will happen. However, that’s not how it works. Each person is unique, thus each experience will take on a different form. The life stories demonstrate this exceedingly well. Once I surrendered to the manner in which the book was written, I enjoyed it immensely.
Each chapter followed a regular pattern. First, there were a few paragraphs introducing the theme of the chapter. Following that, the life stories were presented. After the stories, the author commented about the experiences and asked questions for the reader to consider so that a connection was made between the featured “shifter” and the reader. Finally, a list of takeaway thoughts was included at the end of each chapter.
Then, when I finished the book, I found that I hadn’t. After the Appendix, Notes and Resources sections, there were 5 more chapters before the final “About the Author” section. The first extra part was entitled “The Balance of Work and Play” and was a sample from the author’s blog. I believe the next sections were also from the same source, but they weren’t specified as such. There was a segment on how to deal with complainers in your life, which was also very helpful. Another passage was entitled “Advice I Thought I’d Never Give.” In it, she wrote about the advice she gave her son concerning the direction his life should take. “Live Your Fairytale” was a call to action section. Lastly, the author journaled about a 6-day experiment she completed in the chapter called “Meet Someone New Every Day”.
There was so much information contained within From Drift to Shift by Jody B. Miller, that I went through and read the book a second time to make sure I hadn’t missed anything.
I think everyone would enjoy this book. The featured examples are drawn from a wide variety of experiences and lifestyles. While not everyone will have the chance to visit with the Achuar Tribe in the Amazon rainforest, most of us have had contact with cancer, injury, divorce, and depression.
I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. There were no grammatical errors that I noticed. The writing was fluid. The sections were clearly defined. While the organization was a bit unorthodox, it was not a difficult book to read.
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From Drift to SHIFT
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