I don’t know what I expected from this book exactly, but on reading it wasn’t too far from a personal practical guide to be useful and not rigid and practical enough to be used as an HR/People Director/Coaching aid either. Perhaps I would need a second run at this but the tone and the framing just didn’t steer me well enough to garner anything useful from this unfortunately.

If I’m being honest, I approach most self-help and/or personal growth books with a healthy dose of skepticism. It’s not that I’m a Negative Ned or a Pessimistic Paul, per se. It’s just that the market is so saturated with hundreds (probably thousands) of these titles that contain basically identical content that I can’t help but roll my eyes whenever I see a new one hit the shelves. Even the anti-self-help, cool, trendy, swear word-laden titles have started to reach critical mass. At first it was cool to read these because you could be like, “Look at me! I’m bettering myself but in a cool hipster way. F$&$ yeah!”

Even worse than the typical fare one finds in the Personal Growth section of bookstores are the ones that purport to help you find your true purpose in life. Purpose. Such a heavy word. Just listen to anyone who’s achieved a modicum of success in any given field and they’ll tell you all about how they found their true purpose in life. For the rest of us, these people serve as shining examples of our own glaring mediocrity. If only we could find our purpose, maybe we too could enjoy the level of personal and professional fulfillment that these people have.

The truth, however, is a little more complex than that. I recently got the opportunity to read and review the HBR Guide to Crafting Your Purpose by John Coleman, published by Harvard Business Review Press. In it, he managed to dismantle some of the skepticism I’ve accumulated over the years through the careful analysis of his own research, plenty of evidence from other reputable sources to back it up, and more than a few real-life examples to provide illustrations for the concepts he lays out in his book. All in all, I was impressed.

Coleman begins his book by discussing the “crisis of meaning” modern society is currently experiencing. Many (if not most) people go to work simply to earn a paycheck. They find no meaning in the work they perform and their days are filled with drudgery and the overwhelming sense that nothing they do matters or provides value. Because of the proliferation of information technologies which allows them to be accessible at all times, they also have no work-life balance. When life is all work and no play, misery quickly ensues.

One of Coleman’s main assertions throughout his book is that purpose is not something inherent or static. It is fluid and malleable. More than anything, it is something that can be crafted by each individual to provide meaning and happiness in each area of one’s life. It is not always something that one finds, but rather something that can be designed to fit the needs and desires of each individual based on their backgrounds and values.

Another thing I liked about Coleman’s book are the numerous exercises he included to allow the reader the chance and space to put to work the concepts which he discusses. Whether someone is fresh out of high school or college or already somewhat (or even mostly) established in their chosen career field, I can’t think of anyone that wouldn’t benefit from Coleman’s wisdom.

CRAFTING YOUR PURPOSE

The HBR Guide to Crafting Your Purpose is a timely book with which to start off a new year, or really just a great book for anyone looking to reflect and recharge.

As with other guides from Harvard Business Review, this one reads like a workbook with practical tips to help one focus on what gives their life meaning. Certainly, this will benefit people of all persuasions. But the real value of the book is in the way its author John Coleman deconstructs what purpose is and debunks three common myths about purpose.

Those myths are: that purpose is something we find, that it is one thing, and finally that it is static and unchanging. This “follow your star” perspective on purpose may very well be the reason why so many people feel miserable in life.

Yes, purpose is what gives meaning to life. But it is not always something waiting to be discovered; you can craft it from or into the many things you’ve already got going on in your life.

Neither is purpose necessarily the “one big thing” towards which you must subordinate your life. After all, people are multidimensional: we might find meaning in many different aspects of our lives.

Most importantly, the things that give meaning to our lives can change over time—because as people we also change and grow over time.

Such an understanding of purpose as “mined and made, not found,” as Coleman puts it, offers some encouragement to people caught up in the busyness of day-to-day life. We each have it within our power to bring more meaning into our lives; all we need is the desire to make it so.

This is a great read. Short enough but comprehensive too, covering focusing on what your purpose is.

Will look for this so I can have my own copy.

I only wish this book was scheduled to release prior to Christmas because it would make a great gift - and perfect reading to get your mindset ready for the start of a New Year.
True Story: I recently had an interview for a seasonal/extra money part time job in retail - the young manager (26), said he feels like older people (he stated 50 year olds!) that are cashiers or stock shelves have wasted time in their life to wind up working in those positions. This broke my heart because, as Guide To Crafting Your Purpose points out, it matters NOT what you do in life, it matters your attitude and how you do it. I wish I had read this book prior to the interview, I would have pointed out the up-lifting advice/guidance in this book (maybe I'll send him a copy when it's released!).
A great read for any age, though I think if this book could find its way into the hands of younger readers, it would save them much heartache in life!
10/10!

A different approach to thinking about life and meaning, focusing on balancing Purpose with Enjoyment and Fulfilment.

The opening section explores the three myths behind finding a purpose: A purpose is:
*something that we find - whereas it is actually made and mined
*a single thing - it can be multi-layered and plural
*static. Far from it. It shifts and changes according to your life circumstances.
What are we good at?
What do we enjoy doing?
What moves us emotionally?
Where is there a need in the world or in your life where your skillset can meet that need?

I particularly enjoyed Section 3, relating to the mastery of your specific craft and how you can take pride in the excellence of a job well done where you are an expert in your topic or field, thereby making it a meaningful experience.

Recommended for anyone who is looking for a fresh approach to their worklife.

This book was a much needed eye opener for me. Right from the pages within chapter one, I knew there was going to be a lot of note taking and re-reading. What I came away with was clear direction towards my purpose. Will certainly be revisiting this book for reinforcement, along with recommending and gifting to others.

Another very good, useful guide from Harvard Business Review. This whole range is a great place to start for anyone embarking on a career in business (more generally, or more targeted).
Recommended.

The HBR Guide to Crafting Your Purpose focuses on the many ways purpose manifests itself in your life - from personal relationships to how you perceive your work, to how you build purpose into an organization. I found the sections on how to 'craft' your job intriguing. Coleman argues that you can examine your job, even something like fixing sewer pipes, as an opportunity to find purpose and joy. As a person who helps others get started in activism, I appreciate the attention to finding purpose and joy in serving others. Coleman provides endnotes for each chapter, which is helpful, but I found the first section of the book to be a hodgepodge of ideas about purpose, with many terms that are not fully defined. But the book's later chapters are less academic and more focused on concrete ways to find purpose. A leader will find the section on how to build purpose into an organization particularly useful.