Daily Inspiration: My Favorite Book – Finding Your North Star

For better or worse, sometimes you read a book that changes everything you thought you knew about life.
For me, that book was Finding Your North Star by O: The Oprah Magazine columnist Martha Beck, Ph.D.  If it seems surprising that a Harvard-trained Ph.D. would write a book with an almost mystical-sounding title, that theme of surprise continues throughout the Beck’s writings.  Beck doesn’t just gently suggest that you may need a change.  Beck informs you that, unless you feel joyful, grateful, fascinated, safe, and excited about your life often, you need to wake up.  There’s another world out there.
I recently saw the 1990 movie Joe vs. the Volcano, and it reminded me so much of Finding Your North Star when Meg Ryan lamented, “My father says that 97 percent of people go through their lives asleep.  And the rest spend their lives in total wonder.”
Beck not only points out that you could be living more passionately, but she also lays out detailed plans on exactly how to do just that.  From delving into self-talk psychology (“rewrite your story so you’re the hero, not the victim”) to becoming more in tune with your  emotions (“there are four basic emotions: anger, fear, joy, and grief”) to discovering what you really want free of limitations (“let go of your perception of ‘Everybody'”), Beck breaks through one wall of your innermost felt limitations, fears, and anxieties at a time, all the while maintaining a light and humorous manner.
When I first read Finding Your North Star and felt its effects, I thought I was crazy.  How could a book be that poignant?  Yet Beck reportedly receives thousands of positive letters from people whose lives she has changed, as noted in the sequel, Steering by Starlight.  Reviews on Amazon also reveal that I’m not the cheese standing alone – this is real, and other people really are invigorated by this book.
Finding Your North Star has truly changed my life, and opened my mind up to amazing possibilities for my professional and personal lives.  I recommend it to anyone, and I often find myself giving copies to friends and family members as gifts.  It’s really a life-changing instructional guide more than anything.  Ironically enough, I wouldn’t have ever even started writing about inspirational topics – this book included – had I never read Finding Your North Star.  I hope it inspires you so much you pass word of it along to someone else!