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Dec 17, 2009

Kimberly rated it:

This book is amazing!

I started reading this book because I couldn't figure out why I wasn't happier in my life. This book offers simple exercises and steps to figure out your best direction. There's nothing earth shattering in here, but the way Martha Beck has written the book makes the information very easy to digest and use.

A few months after I first read this book I was hospitalized with a life-threatening condition and that, combined with the soul searching I'd done More...

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May 13, 2011

Nancy rated it:

I bought this book a few years ago and scanned it at the time. For some reason I knew then wasn't the right time. Someone mentioned it so I picked it up again.[return][return]Here are some of my favorite passages:[return][return]...when you relax the thinking mind, the rule-bound, anxiety-ridden social self, you are not simply stopping everything. Taoists believe that there is an immense benevolent force flowing through all reality, and that each of us at least our essences are part of that fo More...

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Jun 17, 2009

Zach rated it:

This book pleasantly surprised me. It was recommended on http://www.escapefromcubiclenation.com, one of the blogs I like, but I was afraid it was going to be formless and non-specific. To the contrary, Ms. Beck is highly pragmatic and the book is focused on concrete steps you can take to make real changes in your life and try to ensure they are the right changes for you.

Also, Martha blew me away with her intelligence and wit on every page.

I have to deduct one star because More...

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Nov 05, 2010

Bonnie rated it:

This is actually a lecture on CD. I enjoyed listening to it, but I think I need to listen again to get the full benefit. She likens change in our lives to the transformation of a caterpillar into a butterfly. Rather than gradually growing wings and changing shape while in the cocoon, the caterpillar actually dissolves into "bug soup" before reforming into a butterfly. I have felt like that during major transitions in my life, completely dissolved, neither a caterpillar nor a butter More...

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Dec 10, 2007

Brian rated it:

Pretty insightful self-diagnosis book, full of useful if not slightly basic exercises designed to get one thinking about personal hang-ups (for lack of a more precise term). It's all about what's holding you back, or more accurately, why you're holding yourself back. I'd give it 4 stars, but I had a hard time focusing on myself for 400+ pages, so I graded it 3 stars.

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Oct 18, 2010

Sharon rated it:

Sociologist and life coach Martha Beck, PhD, presents some fascinating information on finding out your life purpose.

Beck's premise is that our "social self," the face we present to the world, that does the things Everybody (some generalized other) tells us to do in order to succeed, takes us too far away from our "essential self," the one that knows what things really make us shine from within.

Recognizing that self-improvement is hard work, and can bri More...

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Jul 31, 2008

Marisa rated it:

I'll be the first to admit that I'm not much of a self-help person... but i saw Martha Beck on Oprah and decided to read her book. This book gave me the courage to quit my awful job. Martha Beck also writes in a really relatable, funny way.

1 comment like (1 person liked it)

Aug 26, 2008

Jen rated it:

This book is inspiring, funny, and overall has been wonderful for me. Great for those that are somewhat restless or unhappy with their current path and wondering about their life's direction.

1 comment like (2 people liked it)

Mar 19, 2009

Diane rated it:

Finding Your Own North Star, by Martha Beck has also been on my book shelf for a few years now. An insightful book with some thought-provoking exercises, designed to help you to explore your inner thoughts for true happiness. The goal of this book seems to be to help the reader to recognize their internal desires, and to leave behind boredom and discontent, heal old emotional wounds and to gain a whole new appreciation and zest for life, i.e.: "Finding Your Own North Star, and Lead More...

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Jan 29, 2012

April rated it:

The title made me worry the book was going to be a little silly, but it turned out to be pretty useful.

This was the first book I've read on the subject of personal development that gave sufficient attention to the stage of floundering while discovering yourself. The author encourages you to do whatever you desire ("just keep doing what feels most joyful")--spend all day watching Mary Tyler Moore, go get candy, etc, and eventually you'll find your way. She also says it's ok if More...

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Nov 14, 2011

Bebe rated it:

This book really helped solidify how to know what it is you are supposed to do. Martha Beck gives some great exercises on how to listen to your self deep down to figure out what is right for you. Many books give you ideas and theories of finding happiness, this book helps you to really sit down and think about how to learn to listen to yourself. I recommend this book to anyone who is trying to figure out what they should do with their life. This book won't answer that question...it will give More...

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Dec 15, 2009

Helynne rated it:

I really like self-help books in general, and I have gleaned at least a small amount of wisdom and useful advice from every one I have read. I think Martha Beck’s Finding Your Own North Star: Claiming the Life Your were Meant to Live merits all five stars I am giving it because of its straightforward, honest, and usable advice and its sheer readability. I always enjoy Martha Beck—her books and her monthly column in O magazine. Beck is wise, funny and has a no-holds-barred writing style that More...

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Jun 25, 2009

Judith rated it:

I am starting to learn more about my essential self (it's slowly coming out from my social self!)

This is a GREAT book! I really like her approach in discovering yourself. You have two selves: the essential self (who you really are inside) and the social self (who society expect you to be). As we grow older our social self becomes so dominant, that we need to do a lot of "surgery" to find our essential self.
I liked the last third of the book, where she discusses th More...

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Jan 05, 2009

Zinta rated it:

Martha Beck - life coach and monthly columnist for "O: Oprah Magazine" - adores turtles. The turtle, after all, embodies much to be admired: a hard shell on the outside, to protect itself from the bumps and bruises of manuevering through life; a very soft and vulnerable inside beneath the resistant carapace; lacking in speed but has a plodding persistence that wins over the hare every time; and, while protecting its head when at rest, is required to stick its neck out in order to move More...

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Apr 10, 2010

Jenny rated it:

While not for everyone, especially my friends with more religious sensibilities (I didn't make it to the psychic chapter), I still found the book confirming, practical, and helpful in discerning the color within the outlines of circumstances, relationships, and themes all our lives hold. I found the chapter about defining who "everyone" is and what "everyone" thinks about me as in, "Everyone expects me to be more strict with my kids," especially helpful in defining More...

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Mar 30, 2010

Cath rated it:

Martha has to be one of my favorite authors. She's witty and has incredible depth, and the exercises in this book will really shift your thinking!

I particularly loved:
- Her model of the Essential Self and the Social Self, and how we can manage those parts of ourselves and get them working together, to create the life we want
- Her ideas on how to use your body and emotions to tap into your true self/ essential self.
- Her model of the psychological phases we go throug More...

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Apr 29, 2011

Roxann rated it:

Fantastic book. Read it maybe back in '03. I was quite lost and a bit paralyzed emotionally. Shook me out of the rut I was in and got me breathing and living again. She has lots of great client examples/stories, exercises, and questionnaires. But what I enjoyed most - what kept me reading and opening up - was her warmth and wit. She's so dead on. It feels like she knows you.

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Aug 05, 2011

Noreen rated it:

I'm so glad I finally read this book! It's been sitting on my shelf for several years. I was already familiar with the concepts of the essential self versus social self, as well as using your body compass because of my work with my life coach. I also had a rough knowledge of the cycle of change, but I found Martha's detailed explanations and suggested exercises for dealing with each phase of change extremely helpful -- and comforting -- and I plan on going back to certain ones to do them. Even t More...

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Mar 30, 2009

Patty rated it:

I was right in my decision to purchase this title. I knew if I used the library's copy, I would not do the exercises. And with this book there is no point in reading it without using the tests. The point of this is to work through the ideas for yourself.

Several years ago, I read Beck's book Expecting Adam. I found Beck to be a fascinating woman - too type A for me, but really articulate.

This book is very different from her memoir, but Beck's personality shines through More...

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Apr 26, 2009

Gabrielle rated it:

This is a great book with a lot of practical tools to helping one silence their social self (the self created to gain society's approval) in order to hear their essential self (the true self). I use many of the activities in here with my life coaching clients and think this book is a must read for anyone looking for a more fulfilling life.

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May 01, 2011

Stefanie rated it:

If Mary Roach or Sara Vowel wrote self-help it would read like this. Funny, furiously fast read filled with anecdotes both personal and professional. The main thesis: our inner voice is often in conflict with our socialized public voice. Learn to recognize each voice and not live in a war against your personal ethic.

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Jul 05, 2010

Jess rated it:

I read Chapter 1 last night and was blown away by how much just that first chapter spoke to me. I can't wait to dig into the next chapter! :)

Update:
Finished the book this week and it is one that is a "must have" for my own library. Wow, Martha Beck is spot on and really spoke to me. The whole thing about connecting with my essential self and finding out what I REALLY want and what makes me happy is so huge, and leaves me feeling like there is so much hope.

More...

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Jan 31, 2010

Stephanie rated it:

This is a combination life/career guidance book, and it's by far the best one I've ever read. I've re-read it at least five times since I first discovered it 8 years ago, and every time, I've come across something that was newly relevant and helpful for my current stage in life.

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Jan 27, 2009

Susan rated it:

So far, I love this book but, having been an O Magazine subscriber for years, I suspected I would since I love Beck's writing style. As usual, I'm hung up on exercises that involve meditation, especially the kind that makes you tune into your body. I get too impatient to "scan" my body because it feels like, if I'm really going to do this right, I'd need 20 hours, not 20 minutes, to do the meditation. Since I won't let myself get past the "How Holly Got Her Bod Back" chapt More...

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Dec 07, 2009

Wendy is currently reading it

I started reading straight through this book deciding to save the exercises for a second read. I'm a little over 1/2 through and have decided to go back and start again and do the exercises this time. I'm beginning to believe I can actually live MY life on purpose.

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Oct 19, 2007

Julee rated it:

I started out really liking this book. It seemed to make sense to me. What turned me around was her advice to cut out anyone in your life that causes conflict. Maybe I misinterpreted what she was saying, and I agree that sometimes it is better to just let go of certain relationships. But, I think that she is advocating taking the easy way out. My family isn't exactly what you would call 'close' or even 'functional', but I can't imagine turning my back on them. At some point in your life yo More...

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Feb 27, 2009

Deb added it

I like most of the articles I read by Martha Beck, find her funny and with many good things to say. Evidently she has written some controversial things which I have not read, needless to say, I have liked what I have read.

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Jul 05, 2010

Carla is currently reading it

Can't wait to delve into this book! While at coffee shop reading the rhythm of life, a woman praised it and then recommended finding your own north star said she is a life coach and highly recommends both to her clients...

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Mar 04, 2009

Olivia rated it:

I'm not a self-help junkie by any stretch, but this is one of the most useful books I've ever read. It's self-help for the thinking woman (it opens with a nod to Dante, after all), and provides some invaluable insight.

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Dec 20, 2011

Allison rated it:

I think this is a good book for anyone not sure of what path to take in life. The premise is finding and claiming the life that will make you happy, regardless of what you or other people think you "should" do.

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