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Product Details
Hardcover: 176 pages
Publisher: Workman Publishing Company (April 7, 2015)
I don’t usually read self-help books, but the title of “Should and Must” spoke to a personal dilemma I was having at the time it came out. To some extent, the book helped me clarify my thinking. It gave me encouragement for some of my decisions and forced me to reconsider others. To some extent, that’s probably the most important thing I can say in this review. Still, I had some other thoughts about the book after thinking about it for a while.
For those who hadn’t read Elle’s essay, “The Crossroads of Should and Must” is about helping people overcome societal obligations and other barriers in order to achieve their passion. I don’t think the book breaks any new psychological ground, but what’s distinctive about it is the style. This isn’t a book filled with prose. Instead, it’s actually a piece of art. Every page has unique drawings, colorful script, markings, etc. It really drives home the optimistic message and definitely makes it more memorable.
That said, the very design of the book tells you much about its intended audience – artists. Elle seems to be talking primarily to struggling artists. The examples she mentions are Picasso, Philip Glass, John Grisham, etc. Many of her ideas for finding your “must” involve paints, paper, etc. Computers are bad. If your “must” is to become a doctor, a president, etc., you’ll probably find that this book doesn’t speak to you as much. For me, I was looking at a writing career, so I probably fell within the target audience, but barely.
I was also a bit surprised that, aside from the author’s own story, all of the examples in the book were of famous people. I know for me that one of the most intimidating aspects of “getting to must” is the recognition that I’ll probably never measure up the greats in my calling.Read more ›
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25 of 28 people found the following review helpful
When I got to page 10, I cried like a little baby. I had that same box sealed with thick gummy tape and haven't opened it in almost 20 years. By the time I got to page 120, I was yelling and cheering. I want to buy 25 or 100 copies and give them out to the people I love and shake them and tell them to CHOOSE MUST!
I love LOVE this book and want to hug it and squeeze and call it George. It arrived yesterday and I've already read through it once. I'll read through it probably at least a dozen more times because it is that good and that life changing.
The actual book itself is lovely. The binding and the pages. It's well constructed. I'm a bit of a paper snob and these pages are thick. All the illustrations are so artfully done and crafted perfectly for the content. The entire layout is beautifully put together to create a wonderful reading experience.
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I love the whole concept of having things we must be doing – that thing that really brings us alive. The author talks about that in this book at some length. One of the issues I’ve had in a lot of books though is how to go about doing what I want to do without becoming a financial burden or any other of the numerous disastrous effects. She points out that you need money to survive and without money – if you are worrying constantly about putting food on the table – doing the thing you must do isn’t going to work. While you’d think in some ways it would be obvious she says clearly in this book that it’s okay to have a job or career that supports you financially along with doing the thing you must be doing. That being said she also makes it clear that you have to make time – you have to start. She also gives tips on how to find your ‘must’ – some of which I’ll be trying! What I loved most about the book was the colorful content sprinkled through out – pages of quotes and painting. It reminded me quite a lot of a book and art journal combined. The style reminded me a lot of Sark and her style but with it’s own unique spin. I’d highly recommend this book if you need that push to start doing the things you really love doing.
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Great little book which take less than an hour and thirty minutes to read. It's to the point, and helps you ask yourself some important questions. What is it that you "should" do? What is it that you "must" do? Do you have a job, a career, or a calling? This book was based on a popular @medium post. This version is more polished and very enjoyable. I recommend it.
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'Choose Must' provides a simple, but hard, mantra for following your true calling/authentic self/inner artist. I read the entire thing in one sitting and will return to it again and again! Love this book, have already recommended Elle Luna's work to others, and will continue to do so!
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What makes me happy? What do I want for my life to be? Even as a person who is many anniversaries past college graduation, the questions linger. The Crossroads of Should and Must is a beautiful and reassuring companion for the road we each travel in our own way. We most certainly come upon the signs every day. I just did this morning! And every day, we get to choose.
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Crossroads of Should and Must is an almost perfect book for creatives, or right-brain thinkers, to find and do their passions. I love the concrete suggestions for doing your passions even if you can’t figure out how to make your passions into your career. The exercises involve drawing and doodling and observing—giving you a way to view your life and habits objectively in order to deduce what is supremely important to you. We fool ourselves about what’s important often, it seems. In a sense, this book is your own little retreat/workshop, handy for both exploring and getting back on track. There’s a lot of wisdom packed into just a few pages. (The only thing that kept it from being perfect is the last vignette, which seemed pretty judgmental. You can’t tell someone else’s “must” from one conversation, or how they’ve prioritized their “musts,” plural.) I think this is a great addition to the genre, and plan to use and give it often!
I received a temporary EARC of the book for review from the publisher and Netgalley.
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This item: The Crossroads of Should and Must: Find and Follow Your Passion
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