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I wanna love what I do!

“The Renaissance Soul”: The Book Review!

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Are you a Renaissance Soul? To find out, answer the following questions with a “Yes” or a “No”:

  1. Do you find a lot of different things interesting/worthwhile?
  2. When you really understand how something works, where it fits, &/or how to do it, do you lose interest?
  3. Do you hate that there’s an expectation for just one answer to the question, “What do you want to do when you grow up?”
  4. Do you find it almost impossible to describe what you’re going to be doing in 5 years in singular?
  5. Do you have a tough time choosing?
  6. After a year or two at working in one place, do you get the itch to move on?

Answered “Yes” to at least 4 of these questions? Then you’re a Renaissance Soul – just like me & a ton of other Creatives!

I give The Renassiance Soul: Life Design for People with Too Many Passions to Pick Just One by Margaret Lobenstine an A+ and a smiley face sticker. It was so refreshing to finally find someone who accepts – no, encourages! – those with many passions to incorporate them all into their life on their own terms. That’s one of the foundations of my coaching practice, so I obviously ate this book right up, and subsequently have recommended it to almost every one of my creative clients.

Ms. Lobenstine starts the book off by acknowledging the fact, from the time we’re young, most of us have had the message of “get a stable, steady, singular job” drilled into our heads over & over & over again by our parents, our teachers, our mentors & even our friends. It’s the norm, the status quo, the end all & be all to a “successful” life. Even if you come from a family that supports hoofing it to Broadway or opening a virtual store to sell the dog sweaters you knit, there’s usually still a voice in our ear telling us to find “something to fall back on” or to “find a plan & stick with it.” The consensus is that you’ll be a failure if you decide to split your focus, or you don’t pursue one straight path. But what if the dog sweater knitter was also a great art teacher? Or loved yoga? Or had a super green thumb? Should she, because she decided to open her own Etsy shop, cut off the other passions in her life? Or should she close up shop & pursue the passion that would provide the biggest, most stable income?

The author says, “No”, & to that I say, “Amen”! But what rocks is that she doesn’t say it in an idealistic way – thus encouraging this particular woman to be a dog sweater knitter/art teacher/yogi/botanist all at the same damn time. Instead, she leads you through exercises to see what you might want to enjoy as a hobby and what you might want to pursue for financial value. She offers time management suggestions, like picking only four Focal Points so you don’t get overwhelmed or scattered or bored. She explores many different career options for Creative Souls, like an umbrella job that encompasses your many interests, or two jobs that can be pursued simultaneously but compliment each other. Possible roadblocks are acknowledged (perfectionism anyone?) &  then knocked down. There are also exercises for you to differentiate your values to the ones that have been bestowed on you, to set your intentions, to figure out your Focal Points & manage your schedule, etc.

Think you might be a Renaissance Soul like me? Take the full quiz here & read the first chapter of the book here & purchase the book here. Also, a big Congrats to Caitlin Donohue for winning a copy of the book through my Blogoversary Booty Giveaway!

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Posted in: Archived, Happy Hooplah Comments: 19

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Comments

  1. AvatarJill says

    June 30, 2009 at 12:14 pm

    Thank you! I really do NEED to read this! I was an exuberant "yes" to each one of those questions… off to check it out!

    Reply
  2. AvatarLeana says

    July 1, 2009 at 8:19 am

    My copy just came from Amazon yesterday! I am so excited to read it.

    Reply
    • Avataradmin says

      July 1, 2009 at 10:05 am

      Jill – I'm so glad it resonated with you! It was such an eye-opener for me, too – I think so many of us creatives find into that mold. But it's never acknowledged when we're growing up – we're always told to get A job! I can go on & on about this, so I'll stop now 🙂

      Leana – Let me know what you think! Mine is full of post of notes – it's ridiculous.

      Reply
  3. AvatarPiper says

    September 28, 2010 at 7:55 am

    I'm laughing because I was nodding my head YES to all those questions!! guess I need to read this book 🙂

    Reply
    • AvatarMichelle says

      September 29, 2010 at 3:24 am

      It's amazing, Piper! I promise it's a real worthwhile read. I recommend it everywhere I go!

      Reply
  4. AvatarRenee @ Get Inner-gi says

    November 17, 2010 at 3:08 pm

    WOWZA!! this is incredible!! i just put it on my wish list on amazon! can't wait to get it! i took the quiz and yeah, i was mainly YESSSSSSSS!!!! Thanks for this recommendation, Michelle! I'd never heard of the book before until I found you! Awesome!

    Reply
  5. AvatarMichelle says

    November 18, 2010 at 6:50 am

    SO glad I could introduce it to you, Renee! Enjoy!

    Reply
  6. AvatarJill says

    June 21, 2011 at 3:11 am

    I picked up this book from the library not too much after it was released. Brilliant. Why it's still not in my library I don't know, but that will be corrected. A.S.A.P.

    Reply
  7. AvatarDalaiah says

    July 18, 2011 at 7:13 pm

    Wow, thanks! This book looks awesome, and it's going on my Amazon Wish List right NOW.

    Reply
  8. AvatarShannon says

    December 5, 2012 at 11:30 pm

    Hey Michelle,

    I realize this post is from a few years back… are the links referenced in the last paragraph still accessible somewhere?

    It could also be an issue on my end with my browser. I’m mostly interested in reading the follow-up article.

    “Think you might be a Renaissance Soul like me? Take the full quiz here & read a follow- up article by the author here. You can also read the first chapter of the book here & purchase the book here.”

    Reply
    • Avatarmichelle says

      December 6, 2012 at 8:57 am

      Thanks for bringing that to my attention, Shannon – all fixed now (although I couldn’t find the new link to the follow-up article…but at least you can get to the author’s site. There’s tons of stuff there).

      Reply
  9. AvatarMonique says

    March 7, 2019 at 6:21 am

    THANK YOU SO MUCH! I finally feel understood. Both of you are speaking my language. I just bought the book after reading this article! Then, I read the first (sample) chapter because I’m so drawn to it and super excited!

    Reply
    • Avatarmichelle says

      March 7, 2019 at 1:14 pm

      So glad to hear it, Monique! Expect more where that came from 🙂

      Reply

Trackbacks

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    July 2, 2009 at 7:39 pm

    […] This post was Twitted by ChrisTheJack […]

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  2. Pursuing Her Passion: Michelle Ward « Pursuing Our Passion says:
    November 10, 2010 at 11:15 am

    […] said, about 95% of my clients are Renaissance Souls (I’m one, too!), and they think they’re broken because they have more than one […]

    Reply
  3. 5 Ways to Stick with Your Goals (Because Resolutions Never Work) says:
    January 25, 2011 at 8:05 am

    […] work for you. I’ve yet to find a time management program that I want to marry, and as a Renaissance Soul, I’ve embraced the fact that I work best in 45 minute increments before I have to move on to the […]

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  4. When I Grow Up: An Interview With Michelle Ward | Brass Knuckles Media says:
    February 28, 2011 at 5:29 am

    […] The F Word is my book: Focus (The S Word is Should)! This is usually where I link to my review of The Renaissance Soul (the book I recommend most by far) and shake you by the shoulders and exclaim, “You’re […]

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  5. All Hail The Renaissance Business! | When I Grow Up - Creative Career Coach says:
    September 28, 2011 at 1:10 am

    […] would it look like if you embraced your Renaissance Soul and took it to your business endeavor(s)? What if you decided to stop forcing yourself to Just Pick […]

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  6. Feel the Career Fear & Do It Anyways! | When I Grow Up - Creative Career CoachWhen I Grow Up – Creative Career Coach says:
    June 9, 2014 at 10:21 pm

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