“What do you think is the main thread or theme of your life?.” – Carol Adrienne
The Purpose of Your Life by Carol Adrienne is one of a million billion kazillion books about finding … yes… the purpose of your life.
Adrienne is the co-author of The Celestine Prophecy Experiential Guide which goes along with the original The Celestine Prophecy <– link to my post. I used to have the guide but got rid of it in one of my (in)famous purges. It was pretty-much a deeper dive into already deeply-dove-en (ha! I know that’s not a word) waters.
Who is Adrienne? Welp, she’s a Ph.D. numerologist and life coach. That’s interesting and a little different, right?
And this book has one of those fancy gold stickers that says: As seen on Oprah. So yeah, there’s that.
The theme of the book is tapping into your gut… intuition… and I can certainly get on board with that, too!
Hmmm.
Maybe today isn’t a good day for me to be writing about this book. I’m feeling snarky.
*sigh*
Here’s what’s bothering me… and I’ll begin at the beginning…
This book is fine! It’s filled with lists and ideas and tons of inspirational quotes. It’s well-written… part memoir, part narrative, part self-help tome. There are steps to follow and blanks to fill in.
In short, it’s just like a bunch of others. Like, a whole whack of ’em.
And even the extensive Goodreads list doesn’t have this particular book on it. I know, that was mean to mention. What does it all mean? Yeah, I’m being a snark. Why?
Because… and oh my god, I can’t believe I’m gonna say this but here goes … I could have *very easily* written this book.
Jealous much? Yeah, a little actually.
I’ve been trying to find the purpose of my life for 30 years. Probably longer but definitely since then. I thought I’d found it when I got the job at the college (working with people with disabilities) and years later at the cat center (working with cats). I self-sabotaged myself right out of both places, with a little help from friends (said with more than a tongue in my cheek, if you know what I mean).
I thought I’d found my purpose when I started writing this blog and then my own self-help book. But something wasn’t right so I put it aside and finished a middle-grade chapter book I’d begun years ago instead. So far, it’s been a barn burner with one potential publisher sending a rejection letter (email, actually).
Ugh.
So yeah, I’m a little annoyed. What does it have to do with this book?
Nothing. But I *made it* have something to do with it. I’m so talented like that.
Double Ugh.
So, don’t listen to me on this one. It’s NOT AT ALL a bad book. It isn’t even kinda bad. It’s quite good actually… especially if it’s your first dip into self-help waters.
I will end with a quote from the book that I found quite illuminating… and perhaps is something I should revisit:
It had never occurred to me that feeling empty might actually be a route to something deeper and richer within. – Tony Schwartz
Am I feeling empty? Maybe. Maybe not. But I’m feeling something… and it doesn’t feel good. I’m gonna go ahead and blame the book. <— I’m kidding, I think.
The Self-Help Whisperer® 
Reblogged this on The Self-Help Whisperer® and commented:
May 3, 2022
I love reblogging because I can read my posts from the past all over again, which reminds me of books, good and bad. Sometimes, I want to pull the book out and read it again. In the case of THIS one? Yes, I wanted to but no, I can’t. That’s because I no longer have it. It’s gone, gone, gone with the winds of one of my most recent purges.
I wish I had every book I’ve ever owned right here in my little library. It would – however – be a HUGE library, which is why I purge books in the first place.
I have a kid with boxes of books in storage. I say, “What good are they THERE?” She laughs at me.
I used to be such a slob… I really did! I’m still not the tidiest person you know. But I’m 100% better than I used to be. Part of that comes from purging *stuff*. Books included.
Oh… sigh. Feeling a little nostalgic for the olden days when I had a whole house to fill with my stuff. I had the coolest lawyers case with glass front. Oh, who cares? I mean, really?
Anyway, this book is good. As you’ll read… I could have written it myself.
LOL
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Not me — forget me. Go get the d-d book or ma haid’ll explode.
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Wow. I am humbled by you, Ana. Truly. ♥️
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It changed my outlook completely, from total self abnegation to a level of operational ecstasy which remains to this day, twenty five years later.
She goes into the prisons, you know — and when she comes out The lifers say the walls are not made of cement any more. They’re made of rainbows. Serious as a heart attack.
Please remember that when I needed someone one hundred percent real, with her head in the clouds and her boots on the ground, to get me over the hump — that person was you alone — and try to love yourself like I do.
Mwa, darlin’. Mwa, mwa.
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True! In fact, I’m sure you’re right or nobody else would bother writing about it! 😊
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It’s funny. I’ve been thinking that for saturated topics like this, that the benefit that books like this provide is a perspective that may resonate with some people that the dozens of other similar books may not.
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I’ll look for it!
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I’ve been in the place you are right now. I read “You Are That” by Ganga-Ji. You should too.
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