Review by Onyinyechukwu -- From Drift to SHIFT

[Onyinyechukwu]

[Following is a volunteer review of "From Drift to SHIFT" by Jody B. Miller.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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My Curiosity was excited by the title of this book; From Drift to Shift. Drift to me suggested a passive life where an individual went in any direction the ‘current’ dictated, and dangerously away from a meaningful life, but could there be more to life? Does the decision to live an enjoyable and fulfilling life lie with us? The author, Jody Miller, sets out to answer these questions in this non-fictional book. She inspires readers to welcome challenges as a chance to be more, and make more sense out of life.

The book is divided into 4 parts. Each part focuses on the different aspects of the progression involved in making a shift; why, how to, when to, and afterwards. The author emphasizes her point through carefully selected stories of individuals or groups of people from different walks of life, and of different beliefs, who had faced or were facing varying degrees of difficulty, ranging from physical, to emotional, and to spiritual. All the narratives basically have the same message, which serve to encourage the reader to look beyond present challenges to the hidden advantage which they present- a chance to live a fulfilling and happy life. A befitting description of this book would be; a practical guide to surmounting challenges and making the bold steps required to live your dream. At the end of each story is a takeaway section, which serves to enable the reader get the gist, which is particularly helpful, especially after an interesting story, where the tendency is to get carried away.

A few times, the author used abbreviations before giving their full meaning first. Also, there was a paucity of exclamation marks which would have helped in appropriate conveyance of emotion in certain instances. Although the transition in the book from narrative to conversation was abrupt at times, it was still easy following the author’s line of thought. Generally, there were a very few grammatical errors, and I had smooth sailing through the book.

There is no religion of focus in the book, which people like me who do not hold a ‘many ways lead to one destination ‘ approach to life may find distracting. It may therefore require a conscious effort to stay with and extract the lessons. At first, I thought the book was emphasizing pursuing happiness in one's career and life alone, but I eventually realised that it encourages finding happiness through purpose, and living a life where the root of stress is eliminated.

Given the writer’s ability to pass across her message with good narrative skills, interesting stories and little errors, I rate the book 4 out of 4 stars. Anyone going through a challenging situation and needing radical inspiration will find this book useful.

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From Drift to SHIFT
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Like Onyinyechukwu's review? Post a comment saying so!

[Donatelloo]

Thank you for such a great review. Plot seems inspiring and worth reading??

[Kelebogile Mbangi]

Sounds inspiring! I like motivational books with real examples, they just make it more credible for me.