Enter your mobile number or email address below and we'll send you a link to download the free Kindle App. Then you can start reading Kindle books on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

  • Apple
  • Android
  • Windows Phone
  • Android

To get the free app, enter your mobile phone number.

Buy Used
$7.95
FREE Shipping on orders over $25.
Used: Very Good | Details
Sold by Plazzah
Condition: Used: Very Good
Comment: Minimal wear in great overall condition. SHIPS FREE for PRIME MEMBERS!

Sorry, there was a problem.

There was an error retrieving your Wish Lists. Please try again.

Sorry, there was a problem.

List unavailable.
Have one to sell? Sell on Amazon
Flip to back Flip to front
Listen Playing... Paused   You're listening to a sample of the Audible audio edition.
Learn more
See this image

The Renaissance Soul: Life Design for People with Too Many Passions to Pick Just One Hardcover – January 10, 2006

4.6 out of 5 stars 80 customer reviews

See all 5 formats and editions Hide other formats and editions
Price
New from Used from
Kindle
"Please retry"
Hardcover
"Please retry"
$12.36 $0.24

Free Kaplan PSAT/NMSQT 2017 eTextbook with 2 Practice Tests
Prep smarter, not harder with the Kaplan "PSAT/NMSQT 2017 Strategies, Practice & Review" eTextbook. Sponsored by Kaplan. Download Now
click to open popover

Customers Viewing This Page May Be Interested In These Sponsored Links

  (What's this?)

NO_CONTENT_IN_FEATURE
New York Times best sellers
Browse the New York Times best sellers in popular categories like Fiction, Nonfiction, Picture Books and more. See more

Product Details

  • Hardcover: 272 pages
  • Publisher: Harmony; 1St Edition edition (January 10, 2006)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0767920880
  • ISBN-13: 978-0767920889
  • Product Dimensions: 5.8 x 1 x 8.5 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
  • Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (80 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #288,957 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customers Viewing This Page May Be Interested In These Sponsored Links

  (What's this?)

Customer Reviews

Top Customer Reviews

By P. Lozar on May 11, 2006
Format: Hardcover
After years of being neglected by all the "Find Your True Work"-oriented books, courses, and career counselors, we "Renaissance souls" now seem to have an embarrassment of riches. I read this book and Barbara Sher's "Refuse to Choose" in succession. Both are well worth reading, and, while I prefer Sher's book for several reasons, I strongly urge anyone who recognizes themselves as a "Renaissance soul" to read both books.

Lobenstine has had a typical "Renaissance soul" career herself, as well as working with many others, so she's able to recount many encouraging and helpful anecdotes. For those of us who have grown frustrated with the "follow your passion" approach to career planning because we can't pin ourselves down to only one passion, it's great to know that we're not alone. And as her title implies, throughout much of human history, having multiple interests was considered an asset rather than a sign of "immaturity" or "inability to focus."

Her exercises (especially the "values" one) are very useful for self-understanding. She offers good advice about how to use your various skills and interests in the work world -- by finding (or creating) an "umbrella" job that covers a range of interests, or by being a serial monogamist in several fields, or by taking a J.O.B. that enables you to further your passions without locking you into an uncongenial career path. Finally, she provides a helpful reading list (although, having read many of the books on it, I've learned that most of them promote a "follow your bliss" viewpoint that assumes that everyone has a single passion in life).

I have some quibbles:
1. Lobenstine seems to feel that all "Renaissance souls" are fundamentally alike, so they'll all find the same type(s) of job congenial.
Read more ›
Comment 91 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Sending feedback...
Thank you for your feedback.
Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again
Report abuse
Format: Hardcover
"Renaissance Souls love nothing better than to take on a new problem or situation and then dig into...until we master the challenge we've set for ourselves. And then, with fresh enthusiasm, we move on to another passion. We are lucky people who, if left to our own devices, are never bored for long." - Margaret Lobenstine

Do you resist confining yourself to just one hobby or career? Are bookstore and libraries candy stores to you? Do friends suggest that you become a contestant on game shows because you know "something about everything"? Are you capable of becoming passionately excited about a wide variety of subjects? Do you find yourself interrupting yourself, dropping one task to pick up another before it's done?

If any of these descriptions sound like you, then you're probably a Renaissance Soul. Unlike the Mozarts of the world who always knew what they wanted to do in life or enjoyed sticking to one discipline, Renaissance Souls are the Ben Franklins of the world. That is, we have many concurrent interests and the idea of settling on "just one" (or even two) makes us nervous and nauseous.

Most of the world operates on the idea that "settling on a career" or "getting focused" by steadily climbing the corporate ladder over decades is the "right"-and secure-way to live. However, for a Renaissance Soul to attempt to squeeze in such a confining mindset is almost like a living death.

Despite a long, proud history of inventiveness and cultural influence among the ranks of Renaissance Souls, parents, teachers, and the social climate at large insist that we are somehow defective. This often leaves us feeling discouraged, frustrated, and confused. Why are we like this?
Read more ›
19 Comments 168 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Sending feedback...
Thank you for your feedback.
Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again
Report abuse
Format: Hardcover
This is a book that is definitely geared toward those in the market for answers. While the author provides good information and some of the exercises were helpful, I felt the anecdotes became tedious as did her spectrum markers of Mozart and Ben Franklin. A lot of her work is an adaptation of Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity (GTD) principles (which are themselves consolidations of other work). For example, what Lobenstine calls "intention markers," GTDers will know as "next actions." The "Focal Points Worksheet" serves the same purpose as GTD's "Weekly Review"

I do think it will be a helpful book for anyone feeling guilty about having multiple career paths or life goals...or for those who just don't know what it is they want to do. Lobenstine's "PRISM Test" is a good basic set of questions to ask oneself when embarking upon a professional or personal goal: Price, Reality, Integrity, Specificity, and Measurability. The basic point of the book is to free "Renaissance Souls" from the fetters of career rigidity.
Comment 42 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Sending feedback...
Thank you for your feedback.
Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again
Report abuse
Format: Hardcover
Do you dream of being a successful teacher, writer, world traveler, and parent, all at the same time? Maybe you dream of being an artist and an organic farmer? If you are having trouble figuring out how to wear all the hats of your interests and remain productive, happy and sane - then this book is for you. Although you will find a few soul-searching exercises in Margaret Lobenstine's book, you will find much more practical advice and concrete examples of how to start living a life of many passions without feeling overwhelmed. My personal favorite from this book has to do with focal point calendar blocks, where you block out a set amount of time each week on your calendar to do one of your *focal points*, or current passions that you are focusing on. This blocked out time is not specifically assigned to any project -- you choose which project to work based on how you feel at that time. What a freeing thought! You don't have to work on project A right now if project B is calling. Each project gets worked on in due time, and each gets the proper amount of energy from you that it deserves. This is just one of many easily applicable bits of advice you will find in this book.

I also do recommend that you read Barbara Sher's book *Refuse to Choose* on this same topic. Barbara's book does have many soul-searching exercises that complement the practical advice in Margaret Lobenstine's book.
Comment 27 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Sending feedback...
Thank you for your feedback.
Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again
Report abuse

Most Recent Customer Reviews


Pages with Related Products. See and discover other items: lama lama books