Week 29, 2018 - On changing the world - reading #ABookThatCouldChangeYourLife

This week - like last week, and a couple of the weeks to come - will again be different, as the vacation time gives the opportunity to dive deep and do some of the things we do not normally do. Not that I do not read books normally - on the contrary - but I am normally more prone to read relevant chapters here and there and not simply read books cover-to-cover. But now, there's time to be driven less by immediate value and more by serendipity and general interest. Therefore, #SevenThingsIReadThisWeek continues in vacation mode - centered not around seven articles a week, but rather around a single book - #ABookThatCouldChangeYourLife.
Strictly speaking, this week's book is a re-read, and a book that I have followed through its making by following the author's blog, but that does not make it less remarkable.
But let's start in a seemingly very different place: with you and I.
Have you ever experienced something that made you think: "Someone ought to do something about this!" ? My guess is: you have. If it was something big that caught your attention I would also guess that you - like I - have followed up on that thought by thinking "why don't I do something about it?" and then a split second later: "Oh, but I can't."
And this is where Rebecca Elvy's book "More Than This: Your Heroic Quest to Find Inspiration, Intent, Impact and Insight in a Broken World" comes in. Because Rebecca insists that we can do something. Even in the cases that make us think that this is far too big for us and something we cannot do anything about, we can. No matter if it is child abuse, climate change or similar overwhelmingly big and serious issues. And not only does Rebecca insist. Throughout the book, she tells us how to find out what we are passionate about, and to take this inspiration, turn it into intent and to create impact, and overcome the obstacles that we meet on our way. Not least, we get to meet our inner critic, get to know why he does what he does and how to make him quiet.
Step by step and in a humorous tone, drawing on her own life story, Rebecca makes us understand that we can do it. And as a side benefit, we end up in a situation where rather than thinking "Oh, but I can't", we think "Well, I can take on big issues like climate change and child abuse - so of course I can handle all the mundane challenges I encounter in my daily life without a problem!"
And we can.
If this has sparked your curiosity, other reviews can be found, e.g. at amazon following the link below:

(And as a disclaimer, like before: yes, the above is an Amazon Associate link - it seemed to me to be the easiest way to provide you with an image and a link to have a closer look on other reviews. It is not my plan to use this as a mean to become rich - and if you prefer, you can just as well have a look by following this link - or better still: go support your local book store...)