Why You Can't Be Anything You Want to Be [Hardcover]

Arthur F. Miller (Author), William Hendricks (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 1999

Based on the idea that every person is endowed from birth with a unique pattern of competencies and motivations, or giftedness, this book describes your Motivated Abilities Pattern (MAP) which indicates your personal giftedness and encourages you to pursue your unique calling and live a purposeful life that is highly productive and richly satisfying.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“You Can Be Anything You Want to Be.”

Don’t let that lie rob you of your energy and purpose in life!

You may function adequately at a job, even forge an impressive career—but unless what you do is lit by an inner fire, you’re just getting by. Because the truth is, you were created with an indelible, highly personal pattern of innate giftedness and motivation. Arthur Miller calls it your Motivated Abilities Pattern, or MAP, and it’s nothing you learned. It’s something you were born with, the thing that makes you tick and determines your successes and failures.

In this revolutionary book, Miller invites you to explore concepts far different from anything you’ve ever read in a career development guide. Drawing on nearly 40 years’ experience analyzing the achievements of over 50,000 people, Miller uncovers a discovery about human nature that can literally change your life. If you feel frustrated and unmotivated by your present occupation—if you’ve spent months and even years wondering what to do with your life—this book can steer you in new directions that pack incredible returns.

But it doesn’t stop there. It can also help: ? Employers—Spark a quantum leap in employee morale and productivity ? Educators—Inspire the gifted achiever in every student ? Religious Leaders—Revolutionize your church’s effectiveness in fulfilling its mission

A world authority on human giftedness, Miller describes cutting-edge concepts that have proven themselves in dozens of different applications by renowned industrial, educational, religious, social service, and governmental organizations.

Miller guides you in exploring one of the most fascinating topics imaginable: yourself. How are you wired? What passions and abilities weave a surprising pattern throughout your life? What motivating factors cause you to release your giftedness?

Most important, how can you harness your MAP to release the full potential of your giftedness in this world? Taking you beyond theory, Miller walks you step-by-step through the process of defining your personal MAP.

So why wait! Start today discovering your God-ordained purpose, and how it can open doors in your life to a successful, deeply satisfying vocational pathway -- Publisher

From the Publisher

What should I do with my life? Arthur Miller started with a simple question: What have you done in your life that you enjoyed doing and did well? Working with more than 50,000 people over four decades, he found that each person's past reveals a pattern of giftedness that is inborn and remains stable throughout life. Miller calls this the Motivated Abilities Pattern (MAP(). Why You Can't Be Anything You Want to Be liberates us from the myth that "you can become anything you want," and it shows how each one of us can find work or a career that fits our unique, God-given pattern of giftedness.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Zondervan (April 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0310226473
• ISBN-13: 978-0310226475
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #796,484 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I'll do it my way, February 21, 2000

By 

R. Michael Friends (Round Rock, TX USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Why You Can't Be Anything You Want to Be (Hardcover)

Why You Can't Be Anything You Want to be, by Arthur Miller, Jr., presents interesting concepts on the diversity of human behavior. Miller maintains that our Motivation Abilities Pattern, MAP, affects all aspects of our life, and in particular ones career development. I feel the concept is significant and if used properly could change the way everyone makes important life decisions; by allowing us to use the gifts we have been given in the situations that require those strengths. This book is worth reading; do not be tempted to give up, as I was, on the weaker parts of the book. I was annoyed by the author's use of archaic aphorisms (I had to look repeatedly at the copyright date to assure myself this was just written in 1999), and many of the referenced studies that are over a couple of decades old. The chapters on church and educational reforms are exceedingly radical. I feel that proof by repeated assertion does not fully explain why MAP is superior to other methods, such as Myers-Briggs. Because there are so many good sections of the book buried among the superfluous, I will miss an index when I want to revisit those gems. After reading this book, I find myself viewing each individual's behavior in a new way; no longer critical of the variation in their approach to issues, but noticing the potential of their complementary giftedness. This book is worth reading, and will change the way many of us view others and ourselves.

Michael Friends

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A book that uncovers the dignity of the human person, October 11, 2000

By 

Clayton Emmer (Saint Paul, MN) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Why You Can't Be Anything You Want to Be (Hardcover)

At last, a book on vocation and job placement that celebrates the giftedness of the individual rather than attempting to pigeonhole people into personality types.

Debunks the myth of 'becoming'... the idea (so popular in modern culture) that people are basically 'self-made' rather than gifted by God.

A worthwhile read for anyone looking to surface their unique gifts and gain insight into how to put them at the service of the human family.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Why You Can't Be Anything You Want to Be . . . ., March 28, 2000

By A Customer

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This review is from: Why You Can't Be Anything You Want to Be (Hardcover)

This book should be a must for all high school and college students. The author has practical exercises and information on finding out about ourselves,our choice of careers, and our relationships. In addition the information in this book will break down the barriers as to what makes us really happy and why.