Book Reviews and More: Directed by Purpose - Michael Stawicki

Monday 16 April 2018

Directed by Purpose - Michael Stawicki - Six Simple Steps to Success Book 5

Directed by Purpose: How to Focus on Work That Matters, Ignore Distractions and Manage Your Attention over the Long Haul
Six Simple Steps to Success Book 5
Michal Stawicki
AISN B01LRN7KA6
ISBN 9781537708157

I purchased this book a few years back when it first came out. But I did not get around to reading it or writing a review. This is book 5 in a series that started with Simplify Your Pursuit of Success, that served as an introduction and overview to the series, and then there was to be a book on each of the 6 key lessons expanding upon that book. The series has been placed on hold and only 4 of the 6 planned books have been released to date. I guess I was just so disappointed the series was on hold I stopped reviewing them. I was waiting for the series to resume. I picked this book up finally and read it and am very thankful I did.

Michal begins the book with these words:

"It's a Zombie World!

As I write these words, I'm on a crowded train, commuting from work to home. In the compartment, there are about 100 people. Half of them are playing with their mobiles. Some of them are napping. Some are staring blankly outside. Several are chatting with the strangers they've found themselves sitting beside today. The man next to me might well be immersed in deep prayer or contemplation. But I wouldn't bet money on that. He is looking out the window, trailing his eyes across the view without registering anything."

And a few paragraphs later:

"Look around you. How many people are in this exact moment fulfilling their life purpose? How many of them are 100% focused on the job at hand because they believe the task is a necessary part of their life's journey? How many are pursuing-at this very moment-their vision for life?

(If you are alone, do this exercise by recalling a moment when you were last in a group.)

It's likely that few are pursuing any kind of purpose or vision. You may be idealistic and give many of these people the benefit of the doubt, but if you had to stake all your savings on the answer, what percentage would you assume?

As I write these words, I am pursuing my vision in this train compartment right now. I doubt there are more than three other people who could say the same about themselves."

And to be honest that is the focus of this book and the series. Do you want to just exist, or do you really want to live? For if you do not have a guiding purpose you are just existing. You are one of the Zombies on that train, that we encounter everyday at work. That are our friends and family members we interact with mist. Stawicki declares:

"Face it: we live in a zombie world. Zombie Apocalypse has already happened. Millions-or billions-of people wander around without any deeper sense of mission than to get through the current day. They stare emptily into televisions and tablets or tap gossipy texts into their mobiles. They anesthetize themselves with alcohol, drugs, video games, and other physical or mental substances to avoid thinking at all. Mindless consumption is the new overpowering imperative."

I know so many people that come home grab a bear and are in front of the tv or a game console until the go to bed and then repeat the pattern again tomorrow. They work just to pay the bills, have an occasional vacation, and are putting in time until they retire and eventually die. But we were created for more than that. We were created for more than achievements in a beer tracking app or online game. Michal states:

"To find fulfillment, we must find our own reasons for being, and then act accordingly. I'm not saying that you have to become a monk in a contemplative order, although that's definitely an alternative worth considering. It isn't for me; I decided to get married many years ago and that path is now closed. Your current choices are affected by your past choices."

But he also shows us that were we are at today does not need to be where we are in a few months, few years or few decades. Michael teaches from his own experience, from being a zombie on that train to transforming his life and that of his family. He emphasizes this point dramatically:

"Consider this simple principle: either you are focused on your goals and dreams and spend your time pursuing them, or you are not. Success won't materialize out of the blue one day and land on your doorstep. You must work to achieve it."

This book was another excellent read by Stawicki, and if we are lucky he will finishing the series in the near future.