Find Your Strongest Life by Marcus Buckingham

I expected this book to tell me how I can do it all. As a mom, I wear many hats. I work 40 hours a week and it’s tough to be all things to everyone. I’m not called to be and do everything. I am called to live my best and strongest life. The beneficiaries will be your family, friends, and co-workers. I wish I would have figured out the concept explained in this book a long time ago.

It’s a myth to think you should pursue a career in a particular area because you are good at it. You may be good at customer service, but that doesn’t mean you should necessarily be in that type of job. There’s a difference between being good at something and finding fulfillment in what you do. How do you do that? Marcus Buckingham has made it quite simple for you to figure it out. Keep track of what you do for a week. Write down those moments that filled you up and the ones that drain you. This means you will need to be intentional in noticing the moments. I used to work in customer service. The average phone calls during the day could easily be around 80. I was good at it. But, I wasn’t fulfilled.

If you are having a difficult time figuring it out, Marcus has provided a quiz to help you identify your greatest potential of living a strong life. It helps you discover the role that you were born to play. What do you gravitate towards? Specific examples are given in the book that women will identify with.

If you do find you are not living your strongest life, make small changes and move towards your new goal. If you want to run a marathon and do not even exercise, start by walking 10 minutes. Then 20 minutes. Keep increasing it. Think of where you want to be in five years. No matter what you decide to do, five years will go by. It’s your choice how you spend it and the quality of your life. Why wait? Start now.