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O's Little Guide to Finding Your True Purpose

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A rousing mix of prescriptive advice and personal stories of self-discovery, O's Little Guide to Finding Your True Purpose will inspire readers to identify and pursue their true calling.

From the beginning, O, The Oprah Magazine has been a catalyst for women hoping to discover who they're meant to be. O's Little Guide to Finding Your True Purpose continues this tradition by combining actionable advice and relatable true-life accounts of trial, error, and triumph. Each entry in this engaging and thoughtful volume guides readers in their quest to come into their own. Contributors Marianne Williamson, on growing wise while staying rooted in love; Martha Beck, on how to live your breakthroughs; Patti Smith, on how she found her calling; Elizabeth Gilbert, on the enlightening aspects of failure; Michael Cunningham, on the revelations to be found in small moments; and many more.

Each month, O, The Oprah Magazine helps readers live their best lives, serving up information and inspiration on everything from lasting love to luscious food. With a signature blend of candor and humor, fresh advice and timeless wisdom, the magazine offers people the tools they need to, as Oprah Winfrey says, "become more of who they are"-to love themselves more deeply, to look hopefully toward the future, and to leap wholeheartedly into the adventure of being alive.

189 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 1, 2015

116 people are currently reading
418 people want to read

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O, The Oprah Magazine

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5 stars
82 (16%)
4 stars
151 (30%)
3 stars
202 (40%)
2 stars
47 (9%)
1 star
11 (2%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 62 reviews
Profile Image for Lori Bamber.
464 reviews16 followers
March 4, 2018
A densely wise little book that helped me articulate my aims for the next stages of my life. It made me realize that stumbling around feeling a bit unmoored and lost after achieving your big life goals is a gift ... we’re never finished until we’re truly finished, but the scope and aim of our purpose is always changing.

I loved this, from Alain de Botton:

...in the end, the answer to “Who are you meant to be?” is perhaps this: the person who keeps posing the question.

I also loved the chapter on striving types: it helped me articulate what makes me happy at work (learning, creativity, autonomy) and also made me realize that work is one of the greatest sources of pleasure in my life once I weed out the contrary forces. (The things that keep me from learning, being creativity and being autonomous.) It made me realize I’ve made a lot of progress in the last two years in this direction. I thought I was clearing my calendar and moving toward retirement, but I realize now I was preparing myself, my desk and my life to do my best work.
Profile Image for Emma.
158 reviews1 follower
May 8, 2018
I didn't dislike this book, but I didn't really like it either. In terms of the "finding your true purpose" aspect, I just didn't feel like I got that out of this book at all, and I didn't find much of it very memorable. I don't necessarily think I'm the target demographic for this book, so maybe that's why it just didn't really do much for me.
Profile Image for Diane.
282 reviews
February 1, 2018
What a little treasure of a book. I absolutely loved the quizzes and exercises. I’ve made oodles of notes and copies to reference later. And the stories were from the heart- Wow.
Profile Image for Sumana.
11 reviews
July 31, 2018
Its a good read for those who like indulging in short stories/texts. I must say this book would be better understood by me or I could apply it better in my own life after a few years from now and not right away. Its the best example of a lazy read. I am looking forward to reading some more from the O's Little Guide series.
Profile Image for Betsy.
519 reviews
June 11, 2024
This was a fast read full of nice snippets of advice and wisdom. Nothing I read felt ground-breaking or new, but it was a few pages of pep talks that were nice to start the day with.
Profile Image for Dawn Murray.
577 reviews17 followers
March 6, 2018
I loved this. Bite-sized inspiration. So good!
Profile Image for Lawanda.
41 reviews2 followers
April 25, 2019
Well curated group of essays written from a variety of perspectives.
Profile Image for Laksmi Sari.
5 reviews24 followers
May 30, 2018
it is my kinda book i enjoyed. Many good thoughts. Tried to answer some test from "Who i meant to be?" By Anne Dranitsaris, Ph.D. Result = Style 5 - Striving to Be Knowledgeable," You're driven to deeply understand how things work. But that's thing, not people. Social Validation isn't your goal, you're secure enough in your cerebral pursuit. Also, balance your cerebral tendencies through physical activities like jogging, hiking or dance". So follow your curiosity.
Profile Image for Karen.
1,799 reviews87 followers
January 19, 2019
A super quick little read. These are articles written by different people. Some may speak to you and others might fall flat. Finding your purpose is such an overloaded term, in my opinion. So I wasn't expecting all that much from this tiny book. I just figured small pieces of gold might lie here and there. The variety was nice in my opinion and most of the articles came with a small nugget that I will be thinking about.
418 reviews15 followers
January 15, 2022
The overriding message of this collection of essays by various writers is in the importance of listening to your intuition, taking the time to be quiet and to hear what your life is telling you. This memo for a better life takes the form of essays dealing with fear, or how to begin a spiritual journey or adventure, or stories about others (mostly women) who have taken a leap of faith to pursue a passion. A common theme is women who put other people's needs ahead of their own, as they were taught to do, with the subsequent result that women are often late out of the gate in pursuit of their dreams. My favourite quotation on this issue is: "When I turned forty, I stopped worrying about offending other people. When I turned fifty, I started enjoying offending other people" (quoted by Robin Black, of her friend, in her essay "Never Too Late." I think it speaks to the typical path for women who have swallowed their own reactions and feelings over the years, only to let their truth explode after a certain age. I think this book is a helpful guide to the way forward, and I think women in particular get a lot of strength from sharing their stories and insights. But the bottom line is always in learning to trust yourself, to 'follow your bliss' in the words of Joseph Campbell, to seek out the silence that allows you to hear yourself, to BE yourself.
33 reviews4 followers
July 31, 2021
I really loved this book and almost gave it 5 stars.

I usually don't gravitate towards books about purpose and stuff like that, but for some reason, when I found this book in the sales section it felt like the right time to read it. I didn't expect this book to be a "guide" really, and didn't expect the answers to just come to me. And I'm glad I didn't, because it allowed me to enjoy these stories and find parts that I resonated with and not focus on actually finding by purpose in those pages.

I usually get rid of a lot of the books I read, but I am keeping this in my permanent collection because I highlighted on it, wrote some notes, and I see myself rereading it someday...maybe just to remember the person I was when reading it.

The reason I didn't give it a full 5 stars is that I really wanted a story that would leave me thinking "yes, this is the path that seems the closest to mine." but that wasn't the case. I was hoping for more variety in backgrounds, as most of the stories were about how writing is their passion.

Finally, reading this book made me realize that I would love to read more essay-type books...if anyone's reading this, would love some recommendations!

183 reviews2 followers
June 19, 2021
Een leuk boekje met artikels van verschillende auteurs die origineel in Oprah Magazine verschenen. Het boekje bevat allemaal artikels over je passie vinden en een authentiek leven leiden.

Sommige artikelen waren beter dan andere natuurlijk. Wat mij vooral bijblijft en waar ik aan blijf denken is het artikel van Martha Beck waarin ze vertelt hoe ze aangenomen werd als Oprah's stresscoach. Niet door hard te werken of haar best te doen maar door authentiek te leven. Toen Oprah's assistent haar opbelde zei ze dat ze op dat moment geen tijd had omdat ze eigenlijk liever wou gaan skiën. Dat antwoord gaf de assistent het meest relaxerende gevoel en daardoor kreeg Martha Beck de baan. Lifegoals gewoon, om zo authentiek te kunnen en durven leven.

Over het algemeen waren de artikelen op zich niet echt levensveranderend, maar ze slaagden er bij mij wel in om kleine vonkjes te laten branden waardoor ik toch wat acties heb ondernomen. Zo zijn er een aantal stukjes waarin het gaat over het schrijven van boeken, en dat liet bij mij het vonkje terug branden van een idee van een boek dat ik in mijn hoofd had.

Kortom, een inspirerend boekje om je een duwtje in de juiste richting te geven.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Molly Greenshields.
91 reviews3 followers
February 3, 2021
As the end of October loomed, along with the threat of a second lockdown (who would’ve guessed?) and those hideous midterm deadlines, it was prime time for an easy-going, self-help kinda read. And so, the volume of short stories collected for O’s Little Guide to Finding Your True Purpose seemed just the perfect pick for a 4th year English Lit student who has zero clue and zero prospects for her future (😂… 😭). While some of these anecdotal snippets of advice from various authors and celebs (most of whom I’d never heard of) were somewhat inspiring (apparently all you need to hear is ‘follow your dreams… listen to your soul’ and you’re good to go!), others seemed only to add to my stress: not only was I told to get up and get started on my dream right away (I don’t think they realise we’re in a global pandemic) but I was also assured that rejection would be a major part of life… yes, it was a healthy dose of reality but not exactly comforting, eh? Thanks a lot, Oprah.
Profile Image for Ashley.
10 reviews
June 20, 2021
A nice light read, which I will probably pick up when I need a little bit of inspiration or a nudge to find my creativity again.

It is a compilation of a variety of writers who have written short contributions toward answering the question we all arive at, at some point or another, "Am I going in the right direction? And how do I figure out what I should be doing with my life?"

Some of the writers responses resonated with me more so than others, but being able to read a variety of different perspectives was nice and it did make it a quick read.

Nothing revolutionary, some of the excerpts felt sort of naive or "inspirational quote-y" without actual substance, while others were actually inspirational and gave useful advice or at the very least were relatable and prompted valuable thought.

I would recommend this book to someone who really felt stuck in a rut but not just as a good book to read.
Profile Image for María.
186 reviews
Read
August 4, 2022
No rating.
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I don't usually rate/review non-fiction books, but it surprises me to say that the 2/3 quizzes in this small book are very eye-opening and not one of those "cliche" get-to-know-yourself quizzes.
Quiz 2 was very much needed, to be frank.

Yet, I did not enjoy this book much (this is my fault really) as I personally do not enjoy reading other people's stories/journeys so, I pretty much skipped those parts :/. if I had noticed those sections, I probably would've skipped purchasing this book. Nonetheless, the quizzes were worthy regardless.

Also, I liked the quizzes enough that I will definitely recommend the close people in my life to give it a go to gain more insight about themselves.
Profile Image for Richa Sharma Dhamorikar.
103 reviews18 followers
October 6, 2018
Well now this is a little book filled with little stories that uplift you, make you smile, make you a cry a bit, sooth your soul, calm you down and just helps you to be on your way. It's written by some really famous people and some not so famous ones but their stories have all come together to just spread optimism and gently nudge you to get back on the path and do whatever you always wanted to do. I didn't read it cover to cover, rather I'd just pick up a random page or a random chapter and read it, leave a mark and I somehow liked reading it that way. This has definitely pulled me up on my down the dump days. It should be with everyone, and everyone should be reading it.
Profile Image for Jay.
375 reviews2 followers
June 14, 2022
It was a cute little bathroom reader that I burned through in a couple of days. I got what I expected with the only downside being that the stories were not very unique. There was plenty of overlap, particularly with writing and teaching...sometimes before a chapter started, I tried to guess if the person was going to finish their ‘personal journey’ as a writer, teacher, both(!), or the best category - other. Since I already both write and teach, I preferred the stories that fell into the ‘other’ category, with my favourite being the one about the lady who dropped everything to live on a boat - kudos to her!
Profile Image for Christina Brandsma.
606 reviews
March 26, 2025
This was a nice little read, it felt like lots of little magazine articles together.

Relatable Section:
We live in a culture where we are defined almost entirely by our work. This can be hugely liberating for people who are happily employed. But the problem for many of us is that we don't know what job we're supposed to do, and as a result, are still waiting to learn who we should be. The idea that we have missed out on our true calling, that somehow we ought to have intuited what we should be doing with our lives long before we finished our degrees, started our families, and advanced through the ranks torments us.
Profile Image for Hailey Smith.
44 reviews3 followers
January 31, 2023
Read this book. Quit my job. Became a writer. Taught a class. Got my masters. Divorced my husband. It’s that easy. If you haven’t done those things too, you’re just not living your life…….

The unrealistic stories are just annoying. All these people have an insane amount of privilege where they can just quit and go learn ballet and make “less money”. Have you ever been poor?

If you are actually a real person who isn’t rich, this book isn’t for you.
If you are rich and bored, you’ll resonate with this book…
Profile Image for Sumaiya Irshad.
10 reviews2 followers
February 8, 2023
“Always let your conscience be your guide. The best person to tell who you are ,what you should be,is ultimately yourself.”
- O’s Little Guide To Finding Your True Purpose

A quick read with well- curated essays written by different people.You will resonate with some of the stories while others might just topple over your head.

Most of the writers were new to me so I had to google their work.

Definitely a one-time read for the little nuggets of wisdom and inspiration throughout the book.
Profile Image for Svasti.
50 reviews
September 4, 2023
This book is everything. Inspiring. I never thought I needed to read someone's story about their problems until they could be as successful and content as they are now. Finding your true purpose has many ups and downs (and somehow, you can find them when you're at your lowest). Accepting yourself, listening to yourself, and fighting to fulfill your curiosity are keys to knowing what you want and your true purpose.
Profile Image for Samantha.
186 reviews2 followers
January 14, 2022
An inspiring collection of essays that describe life changing moments in the authors' lives, epiphanies and little tidbits of wisdom. I listened to the audiobook and feel like I would have enjoyed the physical to more as it would make it easier to do the various quizzes and activities.
Profile Image for Amanda.
441 reviews9 followers
August 28, 2017
Another good little book from "O's Little Guide" series.
24 reviews
November 11, 2017
Short essays about different shifts in life toward directions of the heart. Light like a stroll through a sunlit garden.
Profile Image for Aishaa Lula.
30 reviews
June 12, 2018
Buku ini membantu kita untuk kembali merenungkan apa keinginan kita sebenarnya. Cocok dibaca untuk yang sedang mencari jati diri.
Profile Image for Jeanine.
292 reviews
November 17, 2019
This just showed up in the mail yesterday, why not? This book is a collection of essays by a number of people who examined their lives. This book is enlightening and entertaining.
Profile Image for Rita Schunk.
Author 1 book
November 23, 2019
Eclectic collection of short essays is a good way to give your purpose a periodic boost.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 62 reviews

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