Refuse to Choose!: Use All of Your Interests, Passions, and Hobbies to Create the Life and Career of Your Dreams

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Refuse to Choose!: Use All of Your Interests, Passions, and Hobbies to Create the Life and Career of Your Dreams

4.08 of 5 stars 4.08 · rating details · 656 ratings · 90 reviews

Don't know what to do with your life? Drawn to so many things that you can't choose just one? New York Times best-selling author Barbara Sher has the answer--do EVERYTHING!

With her popular career counseling sessions, motivational speeches, workshops, and television specials, Barbara Sher has become famous for her extraordinary ability to help people define and achieve thei...more

Paperback, 288 pages

Published March 6th 2007 by Rodale Books (first published 2007)

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Jan 04, 2011 Kerrie rated it 2 of 5 stars

Not surprisingly, I "scanned" this book in one day... because I also wanted to make some bread, do some research on World War I, work on my quilt, and do some sewing modifications to a pair of tattered jeans that I should probably throw away, but I know I can do something REALLY COOL with them!

This book was suggested to me when I mentioned that I needed to "get serious" and find a "real job" but didn't know what I wanted to focus on because I'm interested in so many things. A few of those requir...more Not surprisingly, I "scanned" this book in one day... because I also wanted to make some bread, do some research on World War I, work on my quilt, and do some sewing modifications to a pair of tattered jeans that I should probably throw away, but I know I can do something REALLY COOL with them!

This book was suggested to me when I mentioned that I needed to "get serious" and find a "real job" but didn't know what I wanted to focus on because I'm interested in so many things. A few of those require going back to school and racking up loans again, which I'd prefer not to do.

This book begins with a lot of self-esteem boosting rhetoric for those who haven't come to grips with the Scanner aspect of their personality. I think that her suggestions of organizing the chaos by having shelves of binders and such would only add to the clutter that is usually present in a Scanner's life. I have moved quite a bit over the last few years, so I've developed a very minimalist personality to avoid the packing/unpacking headaches. If I haven't done anything with an interest for a year, I've forced myself to GET RID OF IT. It's usually not missed, because I've gone on to something else. It has helped me avoid the endless "collecting" that Scanners do. I also schedule in a hour or 2 on every interest so I feel like I'm accomplishing something. All stuff that Sher suggests, and all stuff that I figured out on my own.

I was more interested in the last half of the book that focused on possible career paths, and I guess I'm a "Sybil" Scanner. It simply reinforced what I figured was the path I should take - get a Good Enough Job and keep all my interests as hobbies rather than making it a career, because I know I can't pick any one thing and stick with it. That's what I'm already doing. Sigh.

So this gets 2 stars because I can see where it would be helpful for those who are totally confused about why they are the way they are and need some validation because their friends/family members give them grief for their "flightiness." But it did not provide me with any help or advice that I hadn't already worked out for myself over the last several years. Too bad I don't have an entrepreneurial bent so I could be a self-help guru. :)(less)

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May 04, 2013 Linda rated it 5 of 5 stars

The initial "You're a Scanner! It's okay! You're SPECIAL!!" intro got a bit tedious. I think that’s because the author self-identifies as one and is giddy with the thought that “it’s not wrong to be this way!” Like other readers, I think some people would grab onto these ideas as excuses. But some people will grab on to anything they can distort or interpret in extreme ways, so I don’t think that fact invalidates the general idea. (I would call that a “slippery slope” argument, btw.)

The early ch...more The initial "You're a Scanner! It's okay! You're SPECIAL!!" intro got a bit tedious. I think that’s because the author self-identifies as one and is giddy with the thought that “it’s not wrong to be this way!” Like other readers, I think some people would grab onto these ideas as excuses. But some people will grab on to anything they can distort or interpret in extreme ways, so I don’t think that fact invalidates the general idea. (I would call that a “slippery slope” argument, btw.)

The early chapters that most resonated with me were Ch 5 (“Too busy to do what I love.” - starting on p 62), Chapter 6 (“I won’t do anything if I can’t do everything.”) and Chapter 7 (“I can’t get started.”)

In those chapters, I think that some of her strategies/advice work for procrastinators, perfectionists, and people who simply have not learned to tune into their own desires. As someone who has fit all of those descriptions at varied times, I found them useful. “The Big List” was telling - as she predicted, it wasn’t nearly as big as I thought. While all the ideas presented won’t work for me, even a few would make the time spent reading worth it.

Overall, here are my Big TakeAways:

1) Reassurance and reminding. There are a lot of tools I already use, and they work for me. The book reminded me of some, or suggested new spins for making them more useful. I liked that.
2) New tools that look promising, which makes it worth the read right there to me.
3) Most importantly, a Big Picture Structure to think about and use for my own life.

What do I mean by that third one? Well, for each type of Scanner, she proposes a Life Design Model, potential Careers, and some specific tools that might serve them. I like these descriptive terms.

The life design talks about how you structure your time to fit your natural inclinations, so that you can be happy and productive. The one that caught my attention was the “physician model”, (p. 156), where you spend a few days a week doing one thing, a few days a week doing another type of thing, and a couple weeks a year doing something-completely-different. That maps well to academia too, but being conscious about it may make it…well, fit better. I’ve already become aware that I need certain things in each day/week to feel good about myself, and the term “Life Design Model” and the examples are helping me to translate that knowledge into action.

In terms of potential careers, she talks about specific ones, but she also talks about some ways of classifying them (mixed - my logical-classifying-self would break them out a bit). The ones that caught my attention here were “The umbrella job”, which lets you do varied things under it, “the good-enough-job,” which just brings in enough $$ for you to manage (without sapping your soul) so you can do the stuff you care about, and the “multiple streams of income” where you make a bit here and a bit there, and get by that way. I think I have had sequential “umbrella jobs” up to now. That may be what I look for next… Or not, since I’m at a transitional point in life. I like being able to think about them this way. (Not a full list, of course - I’m focusing on what-I-found-useful.)

And of course, the shiny tools made me happy. I have a mind like a magpie, attracted to bright shiny ideas, especially in the form of models and metaphors. Plenty of that to amuse me.

To;dr version: despite the tediousness of the intro “you’re different/speshul” bit, I found this book useful and would recommend it to others.(less)

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Mar 22, 2013 E.K. rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction

Do you have trouble sticking with anything or are interested in so many things you can't focus on just one? Do you get bored as soon as you learn how to do something? Are you unwilling to commit to a specific career path so work at low-paying jobs instead? Do you keep changing your mind about what you want to do and end up doing nothing? Do you quit because you think you'll miss out on something better?

If you said yes to any of these, chances are good that you're a Scanner. The term itself descr...more Do you have trouble sticking with anything or are interested in so many things you can't focus on just one? Do you get bored as soon as you learn how to do something? Are you unwilling to commit to a specific career path so work at low-paying jobs instead? Do you keep changing your mind about what you want to do and end up doing nothing? Do you quit because you think you'll miss out on something better?

If you said yes to any of these, chances are good that you're a Scanner. The term itself describes people who constantly scan the horizon, always looking and excited to explore the next thing – or everything.

In Refuse to Choose: A Revolutionary Program For Doing Everything That You Love, Barbara Sher explains, “Unlike those people who seem to find and be satisfied with one area of interest, you're genetically wired to be interested in many things, and that's exactly what you've been trying to do. Because your behavior is unfamiliar—even unsettling—to the people around you, you've been taught that you're doing something wrong and you must try to change...What you've assumed is a disability to be overcome by sheer will is actually an exceptional gift. You are the owner of a remarkable, multitalented brain trying to do its work in a world that doesn't understand who you are and doesn't know why you behave as you do.”

This book is designed to help Scanners understand themselves, reverse years of misunderstanding, and teach them tools to become more confident, productive people.

There are several types of Scanners and Ms. Sher describes each and provides tools for motivation and productivity, choices of lifestyle, and types of careers that fit best, all illustrated by dozens of examples from her decades as a speaker, career/lifestyle coach, and best-selling author.

If you look around the internet, Scanners are also called Renaissance people, Multipotentialites and probably a dozen other labels. There's advice out there, but nothing with the wide range of practical information I found in this book.
(less)

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Jul 26, 2012 Laura rated it 5 of 5 stars

For you, if you feel a lifetime isn't nearly long enough to pursue all your interests and make use of all your abilities.

Barbara Sher addresses those of us with a multitude of interests and talents, the ones who swooned when they got a look at the course catalog in college, the ones who wanted to major in all of human knowledge. Not only does she describe us so accurately that I felt the book was about me personally, but every chapter had insights and techniques I could (and did) put to use imme...more

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Jul 04, 2012 Teena in Toronto rated it 3 of 5 stars

Very interesting book. Sher's theory makes sense to me.

I love learning and am always taking (or want to take) courses on a variety of subjects ... whatever catches my attention at any given moment. One day it's Copywriting and the next it's Holistic Nutrition. That's a characteristic of a scanner.

Some people know what they want to do with their lives (be a doctor, accountant, etc.). I'm still trying to figure out what I want to do when I grow up. Another characteristic of a scanner.

There are mor...more

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May 30, 2012 Sheryl Tribble rated it 5 of 5 stars

I thought her suggestions of careers often unrealistic, I'll never use half her suggestions (some of which would just add to the clutter, IMHO), and she's a bit too much of a cheerleader for me, so why did I give the book five stars? Because I have read a ridiculous number of "figure out your career" kinda books, and she is a breath of fresh air. In my teen years, I loved the idea of marrying someone who, like me, wasn't interested in "a career," and then sending each other to school, repeatedly...more I thought her suggestions of careers often unrealistic, I'll never use half her suggestions (some of which would just add to the clutter, IMHO), and she's a bit too much of a cheerleader for me, so why did I give the book five stars? Because I have read a ridiculous number of "figure out your career" kinda books, and she is a breath of fresh air. In my teen years, I loved the idea of marrying someone who, like me, wasn't interested in "a career," and then sending each other to school, repeatedly, as we switched careers our whole lives. This is the first "figure out your career" kinda book I've read where I get the impression the author could even understand that dream.

And while she is over-optimistic about the money some scanners could earn, she also recognizes that some people just don't care about money or prestige, and that that's okay. I've run across books for artists or actors that do that, but never a generic career kinda book. And I don't think it's just people who see themselves as artistic who feel that way, so it's nice to see it recognized that someone who could succeed as a real estate salesperson or whatever could be just as excited by a career where they don't make the big bucks, and nice to see someone say that it's okay to make that choice.

When I was a kid, What Color Is Your Parachute was considered revolutionary because he recommended figuring out your true passion and getting a job doing what you love. The other career books around back then were more about figuring out what you could do that would make good money. While there's a sense where this book is kind of retro -- finding a "Good Enough" job was pretty standard before Parachute -- it's also revolutionary as a career manual by encouraging people to not choose a career, or to make the most important thing in their lives something that doesn't earn money.

Where Parachute said, "You can be a success by doing what you love," Refuse to Choose makes a pretty good case for the idea that our current definition of "being a success" is a bad plan for many and should be abandoned. The people most in need of the knowledge that the "pursuit of happiness" is not the same as "finding the perfect career" are much more likely to read this book than the many books on other subjects that make that point.(less)

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Oct 29, 2011 Anne rated it 3 of 5 stars

Not sure if I'm a scanner, but it was an okay book to scan.
Best advice (more on it below) -- the idea of the Good Enough Job.
Also, that it's okay to explore lots of different subjects/things only for as long as they interest you, and then move on.

Liked the advice on the "micro nervous breakdown": Go to a restroom where you can close the door and have some privacy. Pretend to cry (or shed a few tears if want/can)and sigh a few times. If you can't feel anything, pretend you're an overwhelmed 8 ye...more

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Nov 23, 2011 Jamie Belanger rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Anyone who feels they have too many interests

Recommended to Jamie by: Paul Belanger

I think it will be difficult to write a review of this book without exceeding the 20,000 character limit. But I'll try.

Refuse To Choose! is about Scanners - people who simply cannot immerse themselves in just one career for their whole lives. Scanners have so many interests (and find new ones just about every day) that they often have trouble focusing on any one interest for an extended period of time. I know I fit in with this group, because in the process of composing this review, I alt-tabbed...more I think it will be difficult to write a review of this book without exceeding the 20,000 character limit. But I'll try.

Refuse To Choose! is about Scanners - people who simply cannot immerse themselves in just one career for their whole lives. Scanners have so many interests (and find new ones just about every day) that they often have trouble focusing on any one interest for an extended period of time. I know I fit in with this group, because in the process of composing this review, I alt-tabbed to my TODO list ~~three~~ four times to make notes on new ideas I had. I always do things like that. For years I thought I was broken, that I'd never complete anything, that I'd never amount to anything. That I'd spend so much time planning new projects that I'd never finish my existing ones. And yet, I've already finished quite a few projects.

At times it really feels like the author knows who I am. She lets readers like me acknowledge that we're different, and then reassures us that there is nothing wrong with that. In fact, it puts people like me in good company with the likes of Aristotle, Ben Franklin, and Leonardo da Vinci. It's perfectly okay to be an artist, writer, musician, mathematician, and inventor. Go ahead and be a chef, painter, photographer, and a physics teacher. You shouldn't have to choose one thing to stick with for the rest of your life. You really can do everything. At least, that's the message of the book.

Once you acknowledge that you are a Scanner, and that it's okay to be different, then you learn about different types of Scanners. The author acknowledges that everyone will fit at least two of the Scanner types she lists. And that's where the real strength of this book lies. Once you've identified what types you are, you can learn ways to make yourself more efficient, and career options that will keep you motivated and excited.

As for me, I found that I'm part "Plate-Spinner" and part "Serial Master". This is a little humorous, because I've often said I have too many things "on my plate," when in reality that is my greatest strength: the ability to manage several projects simultaneously. The most surprising thing I found was in the Serial Master category, which I figure is a smaller portion of my Scanner abilities. But even that small part of me explained something that I hadn't figured out yet. Most of what the author suggests are things I've already been doing for a couple of years now -- with the exception that I've gone digital with the vast majority of the methods. I figured out most of these things on my own. But I wonder how much more I could have accomplished in my life if I had read this book ten or fifteen years ago.

While I'm forced to agree with the author that there are great benefits to writing and sketching things by hand, I've found some success with having notes, diagrams, and TODO lists on my computer. This is one area that she almost never mentions. Perhaps she hasn't found decent software to help manage what she wants to do in life. Personally, I found I wasted too much time (and paper!) copying my TODO lists to less messy sheets of paper. Not to mention the time I wasted trying to decipher my handwriting. Having my lists on my computer (where I do the vast majority of my work anyway) makes things neater and more efficient for me. I would like to see either an updated version of this book or an additional book that discusses ways to organize yourself digitally. Why print out things from Wikipedia and tape them in a Scanner Daybook if you can just copy and paste the link into something like Microsoft OneNote, Evernote, or BasKet?

Overall, I found the book to be very motivating and thought-provoking. Like I said, I had already discovered all the methods she suggests for my types of Scanner, and have been using them for a while now. But if you've ever been told you need to choose a career, or if you have a pile of unfinished things that make you sad, or you find you just can't stop reading random articles on Wikipedia... grab a copy of this book. It could just change your outlook on life.(less)

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Sheryl Tribble I thought the Scanner Daybook and the multiple 3-ring binders idea pretty retro and useless as well. There was a time when I wrote long hand and then...more
May 30, 2012 09:17am

Jamie Belanger Sheryl wrote: "...because none seem designed for me..."

I always felt that the strongest feature of tools like OneNote and Evernote is that you can set...more
May 31, 2012 04:49am

loafingcactus I haven't read the book, but reading the other reviews this is exactly what I was thinking- Evernote takes care of that clutter!
Jan 20, 2013 04:08pm

Apr 01, 2013 Julie M rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: widsom-and-self-development

FANTASTIC book if you, like me, have 100 ideas of brilliant project swirling around in your head at any given time, love to do EVERYTHING, are interested in all kinds of topics ranging from string theory to bel canto to interior design.... Barbara Sher gives clear, simple, practical advice and direction for all of us that can't choose one thing, one path, one career, one hobby, and that is: DON'T CHOOSE. Do it all. She gives very specific, but appropriately high-level big ideas about how to help...more

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Jan 13, 2012 Laura Dogsmom rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Like many of the reviewers I am also a Scanner. I will also admit that I have been a fan of Barbara's since the late 70s. Her books have helped me in the past and this one was not a disappointment. Her description of Scanners was spot on. Her techniques and demonstrative stories were very helpful. I will be rereading this book and putting more of the practices into play.
I read a library copy of Refuse To Choose but will be looking to purchase a personal copy.
With her previous books I pick up ext...more

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Oct 03, 2009 Judith rated it 5 of 5 stars

I just love Barbara Sher and wrote her and she actually replied and gave me advise.
Her books are about living your wishes and dreams. And it's good advise.
I'm reading all of her books and waiting for more.
And I'm reading them all a second time. Her advise is right up my alley. I love lists, being on task, charts, schedules and accomplishing things. She talks about childhood dreams and how they keep coming back and don't feel you can't accomplish anything. She tells us how and uses people she's...more

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Sep 22, 2009 Becca rated it 5 of 5 stars

If you are the type of person that jumps from interest to interest and you either have judgments around that, want to find a job suited to you, or just want to know it's okay to do that, this book rocks.

I don't have ADD, but I feel like I do because I just LOVE learning. But I've been trying to stop jumping from thing to thing because it's culturally alienating. Well now I feel proud of my insatiable appetite for learning, I feel more confident looking for jobs and less pressured into finding m...more

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Feb 04, 2009 Hanako rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2009

this book actually could be quite great for someone that it applies to...like my sister. for me i think i am less of a "scanner" though i do have lots of interests...

i did find it amusing sometimes when as career options she would recommend things like being a business consultant - or when she recommends being a "temporary CEO" to turn around an ailing company and make as much as $5000 a day...because i'm pretty sure you actually need extensive experience before people will hire you for that kin...more

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Jun 09, 2011 Brenda Phillippe Auch rated it 3 of 5 stars

Great book for people like myself who feel like they are drowning in a sea of interests, with no hope of ever accomplishing anything. Shows how we do not have a personality defect. Rather, we just have a very different way of seeing the world. The book gives guidance on how to make the most of your passions and explains why we do what we do. It made me feel as normal as anyone else. It gave me permission to just be myself with no remorse or guilt.

I did find some of the career ideas for us "scann...more

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Mar 16, 2010 Zhayra Palma rated it 5 of 5 stars

Like most people whom this book was written for... I didnt finish the whole thing. Or even read it in order. If you constantly feel like you have too many interests, cant ever decide what to do with time or life, if you've occasionally felt like someone who doesnt finish what you start, or if you feel as though this world is simply not set up for the way you function... read this book! Or read part of it and put it back on the shelf for months or years before you take it back down, only to read...more

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Nov 20, 2008 Lillian rated it 3 of 5 stars

somewhat helpful, mostly comforting. worth reading if you are in a funk about not being able to do everything you love everyday.

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Jan 16, 2009 Jenna rated it 3 of 5 stars

The majority of this book was not that useful for me as I am not really in need of a way to express my interests or looking for a new career. It was comforting to learn about people who are just like me and realize I'm not the only one who immerses themselves in a topic totally and with must gusto, only to tire or it once you've mastered it to your preferred level. Time to move on to something else! But I'm comfortable with myself and my job and I've developed my own way to manage my constant ur...more

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Jul 19, 2012 Suzanne Frank rated it 5 of 5 stars

First of all, I love Barbara Sher. She has spoken to me from several of her books and I've incorporated her words and shared them, pretty much with everyone who will listen. This one is a refinement of an idea she expressed before and it's SUCH an explanation for everyone I know! She gives cogent explanations, simple direction, great stories and illuminates those who -- oftentimes -- society will accuse of being unable to "stick" with anything, or "too frivolous" to commit. It unveils those are...more

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Jun 14, 2012 Amanda rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: self-help

I read this more for affirmation than for practical advice. I don't know if I'll use all the techniques Barbara Sher recommends for pursuing lots of interests at once (though I do like the sound of having several "avocation stations" -- little wheeled file carts with work surfaces on top so you can have multiple projects ready to go for whenever the whim strikes you). But what I really did like about this book was the permission it gives to go ahead and be interested in lots of stuff, to move fr...more

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Jun 17, 2012 Conni Stock rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book changed my life! It gave me the strength to understand WHY I am wired this way. Great resource and vocabulary to help me define my past, current and future actions. I highly recommend this book to anyone that feels that they are able to contribute and make a difference but feel unsatisfied with expected results. " Interest is the sincerest form of respect" is one of the great quotes from the book. Show respect and read the book it will change your life... besides let me know which type...more

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Aug 29, 2012 Toby rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: library

This book has real potential to change my life. Many self-help books are 'good' because of what psychologists call the Barnum Principle. That says that if you make things generic enough, what you say is bound to apply to just about anybody. However, this book is *not* like that. This book is specific enough that most people will find that it doesn't apply to them at all. But it definitely does apply to me. Barbara Sher defines several types of what she calls Scanners. There are Indecisives, Spec...more This book has real potential to change my life. Many self-help books are 'good' because of what psychologists call the Barnum Principle. That says that if you make things generic enough, what you say is bound to apply to just about anybody. However, this book is *not* like that. This book is specific enough that most people will find that it doesn't apply to them at all. But it definitely does apply to me. Barbara Sher defines several types of what she calls Scanners. There are Indecisives, Specialists and Masters, as well as sub categories within each one. Scanners are people who scan through various interests and careers, not being content to settle on any one thing for long. This, in contrast to the type of people who are perfectly happy being a banker during the day, reading finance books at night, and joining investing clubs with their free time. Scanners might be in a cooking club, work as a freelance writer for software, and train monkeys in their free time. I am most definitely a Scanner.[return][return]Being 'diagnosed' as a Scanner is extremely relieving for most of us, because society is constantly telling us to settle. Knowing that there are many others like us and that being a Scanner isn't a disease feels great. But that wouldn't really do much if she didn't also provide Scanners with a lot of tools that help us to be both happy and productive as a Scanner. There are two main approaches that she takes. The first is to possibly find a career path or a single career that provides the variety a Scanner needs. The second can be done at the same time, or can be done on it's own. That is, get a "Good Enough Job" that pays the bills and *enables* variety in regular life even if it doesn't provide it as a vocation. [return][return]She teaches a lot of other tools that both foster and manage the Scanner nature. One example is the "LTTL" tool. That provides the Scanner the ability to Learn, Try, Teach and Leave a given interest rather than feeling forced to commit for a lifetime. To help that be acceptable, she explains that all people leave a given activity, relationship, or job when they have received what is the reward for them. For Scanners, in most cases, learning the thing to some varying level of competency (thus the different types of scanners) is the reward we are looking for in an activity. Once we have learned it to our desired level, we are done with it and the activity becomes boring and excruciating to endure for us. This last point was a real eye-opener for me. I'm not lame, or a flake, it's just that once I've learned enough about something, there is no longer any reward in it for me. Once I reach that point, further involvement is so painful, I become almost incapable of learning more or progressing further.[return][return]Barbara Sher also presents a lot of other valuable tools such as the Life's Work Bookshelf and a system of record keeping that helps a Scanner keep track of all their fast coming and fast going ideas.[return][return]If you think you might be a Scanner, you would be making a huge mistake not to devote some time to looking through this book (scanning it maybe?). It will take me a long time to process and incorporate all the things that I learned, but man was this book written for me!(less)

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May 03, 2012 Kaseka rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: health, nonfiction, on-creativity, reference, self-help-and-how-to

It's amazing what having a name for a set of behaviors can do to change one for the better. That's what happened to me when I started reading Refuse to Choose.

Scanners are people who flit from interest to interest rather than diving deep into one thing and happily sticking with it forever (and often choosing it as a career). Because we now live in a world of Divers/specialists, Scanners often feel like something is wrong with them; shouldn't they, too, be diving deep into one thing rather than d...more

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Dec 29, 2008 Mariah rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: library, nonfiction, psychology, career, reviewed, 2008, workbook, best-nonfiction, self-help

Do you have many interests and can’t decide what to pursue? Never finish a project, because your attention all too quickly drifts to the next idea? Then perhaps you’re a Scanner, suggests author & life-coach Barbara Sher. Throughout much of history, generalists- “Renaissance” people were admired. She traces the fall of generalists and the rise of specialists to the Cold War, in which science and math were emphasized in order to compete with the U.S.S.R. Later in the book Sher divides Scanner...more

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Sep 13, 2008 Gloria rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

First: I skimmed the first half; didn't delve into the second half (identify what type of "scanner" you are...

I borrowed this book because someone on a "G/T" list serv had mentioned it, saying that it had really changed the way she thought about parenting her kids, as well as herself.

Well, essentially, I don't disagree that the emphasis today is specialization rather than Renaissance person. I first encounter the following oft-quoted excerpt when I was a freshman at MIT:
A human being should be...more

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Mar 29, 2008 Teresa rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: anyone who has been charged as being a "jack of all trades"

Recommended to Teresa by: a trusted friend

This is a manual of sorts for people Barbara Sher refers to as Scanners.

Scanners are people who enjoy doing a lot of different things — with absolute passion! They are multi-skilled, well-read and interested in countless topics, professions and hobbies; they are challenged to choose between a "favorite" or "dream" job by traditional standards. And their days and homes are literally cluttered with a wide variety of clues with regard to this reality.

Scanners find it easy to start jobs, projects,...more

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May 02, 2009 Christy rated it 3 of 5 stars

I think I would have enjoyed this book more had I not read The Renaissance Soul a few weeks previous. It's by a different author but deals with the same theme. Refuse to Choose has a lot of good information in it, but I don't like the author's approach. If I followed all of her instructions, I'd have a house full of crap. I much preferred the writing exercises in The Renaissance Soul. Overall, this book is a keeper, because it did hold some good ideas.

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Jan 02, 2011 Rift Vegan rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2008, 2010

Very Much Enjoyed! Sher has an enthusiasm for life in all of it's diversities and it's great to realize "hey, I'm like that too!"

The Scanner Daybook is one of my favorite suggestions. It's basically an idea book. As an avid journaler, I've had idea books in the past and was glad for the reminder.

The second half of the book focuses on the careers that Scanners may be interested in. This was less useful to me, but there were still good tips interspersed to keep me reading.

Sher tells a great stor...more

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May 30, 2011 Ashley rated it 5 of 5 stars

I don't usually like self-help books, but maybe because they never really applied to me. My mind was blown when I read over the beginning chapters of this book. It described me perfectly and it was nice to know I wasn't just indecisive (though that certainly contributes to my current problems).

I still have no idea how I'm going to get through the current problems, but now I've got a couple possible steps to take to figure it out.

(For those curious, I'm probably a Sybil-of-all-trades.)

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May 13, 2011 J. rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: other Scanner-minded folk

Recommended to J. by: some financial blog

I am a Scanner. That it to say, I've been called a Jill-of-all-trades, a dilettante, and a scatterbrain--all because I don't have one gargantuan, all-encompassing passion. I like too many things.

This is a great book for those scatter-minded, curiosity-seeking people who suffer from an overabundance of interests. It features lots of interesting stories and anecdotes from Scanners as well as advice for both work and play.

Now, this is definitely a self-help book. The writing can be overly enthusia...more

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Jun 21, 2009 Jenne rated it 3 of 5 stars

This was kind of interesting, and I'm definitely one of these "scanner" people that she talks about.
However, for people like me who have way too many projects going on (all of which are unfinished), the last thing I want to do is make some complicated scrapbook thing that I have to write in every day!

Oh, and one other thing, I liked that she said that most people don't understand that to a "scanner", being bored is the absolute worst thing that can happen. I just thought I was crazy, but it's tr...more

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About Barbara Sher

Barbara Sher is a speaker, career/lifestyle coach, and best-selling author of seven books on goal achievement. Her books have sold millions of copies and been translated into many languages. She has appeared on Oprah, The Today Show, 60 Minutes, CNN, and Good Morning America and her public television specials air regularly in the United States. Sher lectures at universities, Fortune 100 companies...more

More about Barbara Sher...

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Live the Life You Love: In Ten Easy Step-By Step Lessons

It's Only Too Late If You Don't Start Now: HOW TO CREATE YOUR SECOND LIFE AT ANY AGE

What Do I Do When I Want To Do Everything?: A Revolutionary Programme For Doing Everything That You Love

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