“The Renaissance Soul”: The Book Review!

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!