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Who You Were Meant to Be: A Guide to Finding or Recovering Your Life's Purpose
This is the updated edition (2020) of the popular 2000 original. Finding one's purpose in life and fulfilling it is a desire we all share. Yet many of us are living the lives and dreams imposed upon us by our family, friends and society. Once we understand the fears, frustrations and loyalties that sabotage our dreams and best efforts at personal growth, we can free ourselves from doubt and defeat and find out what we really want to do with our lives. Who You Were Meant to Be explains how to use our inner guidance to find our most personal and energizing life purpose. Writing in a friendly, active style, psychologist Lindsay Gibson shows us how to get free of the misguided guilt and loyalty that confuse loving others with sacrificing oneself. We can undo self-defeating ideas and claim our right to happiness and autonomy in our life choices. Thanks to the author’s clinical background, this book goes deep enough to address feelings of helplessness, hopelessness, and the common fears that can bring self-actualization to a standstill. Dr. Gibson offers a unique blend of inspiration and pragmatic advice to people who have been reluctant to put themselves first in their own lives. Who You Were Meant to Be provides a practical road map out of old habits and shows how to forge a new path on which each of us can discover or recover our true purposes in life and become the people we want to be.
349 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 15, 2000
340 people are currently reading
3100 people want to read
About the author
Lindsay C. Gibson
24 books1,239 followersDr. Lindsay C. Gibson, PsyD, is a New York Times bestselling author and licensed clinical psychologist with over thirty years of experience. She holds degrees from Central Michigan University and the Virginia Consortium Program in Clinical Psychology. Dr. Gibson, author of the bestselling book Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents, has been featured in The New York Times and The Washington Post, appeared on major podcasts like Mel Robbins and Ten Percent Happier, and been featured by many TikTok book clubs. She speaks regularly at conferences such as the National Association of Social Workers Conference and Psychotherapy Networker Conference.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews
July 24, 2018
I rarely give self-help books 5 stars, but ‘Who you were meant to be’ is a stand out. I decided to read it after greatly benefiting from the author’s other book on dealing with emotionally immature parents and overcoming their toxic effects. My expectations were high (who has time to read mediocre self-help books?), and I was not disappointed.
Of course there were sentences that I didn’t agree with, but overall the ideas presented are extremely valuable. If the title resonates with you I highly recommend picking it up. Unfortunately the book is out of print and the ebook version has some annoying errors, but the errors are not a serious hinderance and it is easy to guess the correct word.
After reading this book I feel very nurtured and informed. The theme of Respect, Protect, Connect is useful to remember at low points of discouragement and frustration. I feel prepared for the challenges ahead and much more accepting and supportive (maybe even loving!) of myself as I am. Worth every penny.
Of course there were sentences that I didn’t agree with, but overall the ideas presented are extremely valuable. If the title resonates with you I highly recommend picking it up. Unfortunately the book is out of print and the ebook version has some annoying errors, but the errors are not a serious hinderance and it is easy to guess the correct word.
After reading this book I feel very nurtured and informed. The theme of Respect, Protect, Connect is useful to remember at low points of discouragement and frustration. I feel prepared for the challenges ahead and much more accepting and supportive (maybe even loving!) of myself as I am. Worth every penny.
September 2, 2008
This is one of my all-time favorites. Gibson covers all the concepts of The Alchemist but through straightforward psychology without all the fluff.
April 15, 2009
This book showed me how to figure out where to start in figuring out what I wanted to do with my life, and also that it wasn't too late.
December 7, 2022
I‘m a critical self-help book reader and I guess my expectations on this one were a little too high. I generally liked the theoretical and grounded approach and was able to gain more insights and explanations in topics, I was already aware of. However, did I discover who I was meant to be? No.
Because unfortunately, knowing something and acting on it are two different things. The explanations were interesting and helped to reflect about what’s going wrong, but I‘d needed to have more support in the form of exercises, concrete tasks or advise on how to get out of existing behavior, create new ones and how to break patterns (to be fair, in the beginning there were some but I missed them later on) to fully engage with the concepts. Sometimes, things are easier said then done and it’s difficult to get out of your skin, even if you rationally comply with what’s being said.
At some point I got annoyed be the countless examples of her clients because I often felt the most important information was left out - HOW exactly they were able to get from miserable and lost to happy and in peace.
Would I recommend the book? Yes, to readers, who are new to inner work and need a starting point getting in touch with their emotions and their selves.
Because unfortunately, knowing something and acting on it are two different things. The explanations were interesting and helped to reflect about what’s going wrong, but I‘d needed to have more support in the form of exercises, concrete tasks or advise on how to get out of existing behavior, create new ones and how to break patterns (to be fair, in the beginning there were some but I missed them later on) to fully engage with the concepts. Sometimes, things are easier said then done and it’s difficult to get out of your skin, even if you rationally comply with what’s being said.
At some point I got annoyed be the countless examples of her clients because I often felt the most important information was left out - HOW exactly they were able to get from miserable and lost to happy and in peace.
Would I recommend the book? Yes, to readers, who are new to inner work and need a starting point getting in touch with their emotions and their selves.
March 14, 2019
I don’t know yet... I feel a lot more hopeful about the future but more lost. I’m now focusing on noticing what I enjoy and what I don’t, somehow it opened up many options I did not consider as options before. I also had support beyond this book while I read it, so I wouldn’t say that I’ll attribute 100% of how I feel now to what I read/prompted to reflect on. What I can say is this book accompanied me through some very dark times.
February 17, 2022
Harsh truths in black ink. The author provokes emotions to help guide through our many behaviors that prevent us from being who we were meant to be.
'You have an appointment with who you were meant to be. Many things can keep you from reaching that appointment on time..There are many reasons for not going after what we want, but the one we all know best is fear.'
'You have an appointment with who you were meant to be. Many things can keep you from reaching that appointment on time..There are many reasons for not going after what we want, but the one we all know best is fear.'
January 20, 2008
Family of origins perspective on dissatisfaction with one's career/relationship/life choices, and what to do about it. Despite the (for my tastes) hokey title, the content is palatable and had some useful ideas and compelling passages.
December 26, 2020
My therapist has grown used to me declaring that I’ve just finished reading ‘the greatest book ever’ on personal growth, but I’m fairly certain this one is it (or at least one of them).
January 2, 2024
I was looking for a book that would be my go-to place when I'm under anxiety, self-doubt, fear, and every crisis you name it. finally, this is the book I'm searching for. You can select a chapter randomly according to your mood and get what you need from it. This book is a pure blessing. I'm exploring other works of the author too.
March 15, 2024
This was a very difficult book for me to read. Very helpful but also very heavy. I have read the author's Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents: How to Heal from Distant, Rejecting, or Self-Involved Parents and Recovering from Emotionally Immature Parents: Practical Tools to Establish Boundaries & Reclaim Your Emotional Autonomy. This books shifts the focus away from the parents and more to the adult child. Some of the topics overlapped. For me, it was just incredibly heavy and there's so much work that I need to do that it got really overwhelming. It's good to learn but application is what matters the most. There are a few exercises in this book and all of the personal stories were very well-written. Some topics discussed are compulsive permission-seeking and how that keeps us in a child-like status (the rapunzel story was creepy). She also talked about the ego, which I found fascinating, scary and also confusing (I will have to read more on this). She also discusses motivation vs. helplessness and hopelessness, and loyalty vs guilt and growth. There's also a chapter on wishing and dreaming. Then the second part of the book begins. It's crazy how some of us are completely afraid to get to know our true selves. That we have such a fear of our own joy. That it is so difficult to put ourselves first. Gibson really writes well about these situations and the heavy consequences if we abandon ourselves. The rest of the book talks about the small, inner voice, how to pick problems and the importance of having good friendships. Did the book provide me with an answer? No. I need to search for the answer within myself. That's the tricky part. but the book made me more aware about things that I didn't think of before.
There is nothing you can do about what interests you or energises you. It is simply who you are. Trying to change this, not accepting this, will always result in a tiring, frustrating struggle.
Should she help others, or express herself?
If you are pursuing a job in order to fulfill the needs of someone else, your true self will find a way to object.
Each had mistaken sacrifice for loyalty, and felt guilty for not feeling more satisfied.
Your job as an adult human being is to go out into the world and contribute what you can as you engage in self-fulfilling work and the pursuit of happiness. It is very possible that you could end up helping many other people while being utterly unable to improve your own family.
Our first and foremost job as grown-ups is not to avoid hurting the feelings of loved ones at all costs or to protect our parents from the emotional distress of an empty nest. Our jobs are to find our destinies and become productive contributors to our chosen adult communities.
If a person was angry and controlling before he or she had children, that person will likely continue that behavior when he or she becomes a parent. Biological events do not necessarily create psychological transformations.
(Rapunzel Story) This is the prototype metaphor of parental envy. Rather than giving the child permission and encouragement to enter the world, the envious, sadistic parent destroys the child’s change at happiness, even if it requires the psychological mutilation of the child’s greatest gifts. The point is that the envious parent will do whatever it takes psychologically to hang on to control of the child; for to see the child go off and experience true fulfillment would be maddeningly painful.
Bonnie could leave home and marry only if she agreed to never have a more fulfilling life than her mother did.
[…] if your confidence was undermined by a parent who treated you as incompetent, or only gave you love when you were being obedient, then following a freely chosen adult path can feel daunting.
Your direction has to come from the still, small voice inside you, from synchronicities and serendipities, from moments of enlightenment and moments of hitting bottom. Your job is to make contact with your own personal moments of realization. There is no expert on that but you.
[…] pleasure is such a heartfelt expression of pure individuality.
[on suicidal thoughts] They are only symbolic wishes for freedom. […] Self-destruction is the last self-expressive act of the powerless.
Asking for permission puts us in an infantile, dependent state, but asking for a blessing is step toward adulthood.
Beth initially thought the only battle was with her domineering husband, but she learned as she grew towards understanding herself and her purpose that the battle was really with her own self-destructive ego.
[…] if parents do not participate in their children’s lives or make discouraging comments to their children, particularly when the children are in the crucial stage of beginning to leave home, parents can have a devastating effect.
Sensitive people are often driven to take on formidable family problems.
Even if you are a very loving person, if your parents had a childhood in which they did not feel loved, they may not be able to accept or benefit from the love you try to give them.
To hold pain for other people means you lose room for your own pleasure.
The little girl or boy at this stage needs freedom to be healthily aggressive and acquisitive, pursuing and grasping their desires, but he or she also has to know that freedom has not been won at the expense of family bonds. We can only move forward freely when we are sure that our home base is secure and emotionally underwriting our expedition.
Problems with concentration, feelings of emotional fragility and transparency, and torturous indecision all can be signs of a psychological growth spurt.
By asking yourself what experiences you want and what you do not want every single day, you can be sure your wishes are firmly rooted in who you really are now.
When children tragically make the fatal connection between feelings of joy and fears of punishment, a lifelong avoidance of “too much” happiness is instilled. They learn that if they are quieter, ask for less, stop bouncing off the walls with big ideas and loud laughter, their parents will be less volatile or depressed. This reinforces the sad idea that it was their exuberant emotional state that was the problem.
Having learned to know and accept your true self, you will never again feel as judgmental or resentful of other people as you do now. When you are realigned with your true self, and are in tune with your own creative desires and inspirations, you have plenty left over for other people.
Putting yourself first means you must know yourself and your desires well enough to be able to love other people, truly and from the heart. You really know what you like and what you need, and so when you connect up with other people who match this, you are crazy about them.
One way of defining the goal of becoming who you were meant to be is to say that you are on your way to becoming a person who is not ruled by his or her past.
[…] It is clear to me now that the very last thing on my mind was myself. I had started out letting the ego run my day. My deceptive ego promised me – I know this, because it has been promising me this for yours – that as soon as I got all this other stuff done, then I could start living for me. It always seems to me that I am very close, just down the road, to getting to do exactly what I want. But if I do not watch it, I will never get there because there are always “just a few more things” that need to be done first. The ego appeals to our sense of orderliness and sequence. It is the part that tells us there is a time and a place for everything. But too often it is our real self that is left standing in line, anxiously waiting for its turn in the rush of daily chores.
What are the essential things that you must do for yourself, and on what kind of schedule, in order to keep your life engine running? […] The things that will keep you honest in spite of this are your symptoms and your level of energy. These are the indicator lights that cannot be ignored.
You have been trying all this time to be what your loved ones have expected you to be, so as to preserve that relationship and make them feel important. I ask you, what could be more generous than that? To give up your true self, to give up the unique dream of your life, rates up there with the all-time great acts of generosity by any standard.
When people bemoan feeling that they don’t know what to do with their lives or where to go, I wonder if they have been paying attention to their inner messages.
When you choose to solve problems actively, you take yourself out of the passive victim mentality and get a sense of control and forward movement back in your life.
This is what happens when your emotional reactions to a problem become the focus, rather than figuring out what to do about the problem. They are also about seeing the source of power as being outside yourself.
That desperate avoidance is what gives problems power over us.
[…] why was she continually caught by surprise by their actions?
The purpose of our closest relationships is to build energy.
[…] a good friendship is based more on affectionate communion, play, creativity, caring, and support for the purpose of keeping each other’s energy high and sustaining a positive outlook on life. We may help each other out at times, but our connection has to be because we enjoy each other’s company.
Changing your lifestyle for the better also means recognizing what you can change and what you cannot. To feel chronically persecuted or emotionally upset suggests an avoidance of real problem-solving, as well as an unhealthy fascination with the false excitement of exaggerated emotions. In other words, if you keep finding yourself in situations that regularly whip you into overwhelming emotions of whatever type, you could be sinking your energy into overdone drama and the satisfaction of self-righteousness at the expense of more rewarding pleasures in life. When we do this we are choosing a dramatic superficial lifestyle over a truly enlivening one.
When we finally accept that some of our loved ones are not the best ones to be relied upon for good advice about our future, we are free to turn to our own inner guide.
Shame is always about slavish loyalty that has gotten so out of hand you think the oppressor’s needs are in your own best interests.
There is nothing you can do about what interests you or energises you. It is simply who you are. Trying to change this, not accepting this, will always result in a tiring, frustrating struggle.
Should she help others, or express herself?
If you are pursuing a job in order to fulfill the needs of someone else, your true self will find a way to object.
Each had mistaken sacrifice for loyalty, and felt guilty for not feeling more satisfied.
Your job as an adult human being is to go out into the world and contribute what you can as you engage in self-fulfilling work and the pursuit of happiness. It is very possible that you could end up helping many other people while being utterly unable to improve your own family.
Our first and foremost job as grown-ups is not to avoid hurting the feelings of loved ones at all costs or to protect our parents from the emotional distress of an empty nest. Our jobs are to find our destinies and become productive contributors to our chosen adult communities.
If a person was angry and controlling before he or she had children, that person will likely continue that behavior when he or she becomes a parent. Biological events do not necessarily create psychological transformations.
(Rapunzel Story) This is the prototype metaphor of parental envy. Rather than giving the child permission and encouragement to enter the world, the envious, sadistic parent destroys the child’s change at happiness, even if it requires the psychological mutilation of the child’s greatest gifts. The point is that the envious parent will do whatever it takes psychologically to hang on to control of the child; for to see the child go off and experience true fulfillment would be maddeningly painful.
Bonnie could leave home and marry only if she agreed to never have a more fulfilling life than her mother did.
[…] if your confidence was undermined by a parent who treated you as incompetent, or only gave you love when you were being obedient, then following a freely chosen adult path can feel daunting.
Your direction has to come from the still, small voice inside you, from synchronicities and serendipities, from moments of enlightenment and moments of hitting bottom. Your job is to make contact with your own personal moments of realization. There is no expert on that but you.
[…] pleasure is such a heartfelt expression of pure individuality.
[on suicidal thoughts] They are only symbolic wishes for freedom. […] Self-destruction is the last self-expressive act of the powerless.
Asking for permission puts us in an infantile, dependent state, but asking for a blessing is step toward adulthood.
Beth initially thought the only battle was with her domineering husband, but she learned as she grew towards understanding herself and her purpose that the battle was really with her own self-destructive ego.
[…] if parents do not participate in their children’s lives or make discouraging comments to their children, particularly when the children are in the crucial stage of beginning to leave home, parents can have a devastating effect.
Sensitive people are often driven to take on formidable family problems.
Even if you are a very loving person, if your parents had a childhood in which they did not feel loved, they may not be able to accept or benefit from the love you try to give them.
To hold pain for other people means you lose room for your own pleasure.
The little girl or boy at this stage needs freedom to be healthily aggressive and acquisitive, pursuing and grasping their desires, but he or she also has to know that freedom has not been won at the expense of family bonds. We can only move forward freely when we are sure that our home base is secure and emotionally underwriting our expedition.
Problems with concentration, feelings of emotional fragility and transparency, and torturous indecision all can be signs of a psychological growth spurt.
By asking yourself what experiences you want and what you do not want every single day, you can be sure your wishes are firmly rooted in who you really are now.
When children tragically make the fatal connection between feelings of joy and fears of punishment, a lifelong avoidance of “too much” happiness is instilled. They learn that if they are quieter, ask for less, stop bouncing off the walls with big ideas and loud laughter, their parents will be less volatile or depressed. This reinforces the sad idea that it was their exuberant emotional state that was the problem.
Having learned to know and accept your true self, you will never again feel as judgmental or resentful of other people as you do now. When you are realigned with your true self, and are in tune with your own creative desires and inspirations, you have plenty left over for other people.
Putting yourself first means you must know yourself and your desires well enough to be able to love other people, truly and from the heart. You really know what you like and what you need, and so when you connect up with other people who match this, you are crazy about them.
One way of defining the goal of becoming who you were meant to be is to say that you are on your way to becoming a person who is not ruled by his or her past.
[…] It is clear to me now that the very last thing on my mind was myself. I had started out letting the ego run my day. My deceptive ego promised me – I know this, because it has been promising me this for yours – that as soon as I got all this other stuff done, then I could start living for me. It always seems to me that I am very close, just down the road, to getting to do exactly what I want. But if I do not watch it, I will never get there because there are always “just a few more things” that need to be done first. The ego appeals to our sense of orderliness and sequence. It is the part that tells us there is a time and a place for everything. But too often it is our real self that is left standing in line, anxiously waiting for its turn in the rush of daily chores.
What are the essential things that you must do for yourself, and on what kind of schedule, in order to keep your life engine running? […] The things that will keep you honest in spite of this are your symptoms and your level of energy. These are the indicator lights that cannot be ignored.
You have been trying all this time to be what your loved ones have expected you to be, so as to preserve that relationship and make them feel important. I ask you, what could be more generous than that? To give up your true self, to give up the unique dream of your life, rates up there with the all-time great acts of generosity by any standard.
When people bemoan feeling that they don’t know what to do with their lives or where to go, I wonder if they have been paying attention to their inner messages.
When you choose to solve problems actively, you take yourself out of the passive victim mentality and get a sense of control and forward movement back in your life.
This is what happens when your emotional reactions to a problem become the focus, rather than figuring out what to do about the problem. They are also about seeing the source of power as being outside yourself.
That desperate avoidance is what gives problems power over us.
[…] why was she continually caught by surprise by their actions?
The purpose of our closest relationships is to build energy.
[…] a good friendship is based more on affectionate communion, play, creativity, caring, and support for the purpose of keeping each other’s energy high and sustaining a positive outlook on life. We may help each other out at times, but our connection has to be because we enjoy each other’s company.
Changing your lifestyle for the better also means recognizing what you can change and what you cannot. To feel chronically persecuted or emotionally upset suggests an avoidance of real problem-solving, as well as an unhealthy fascination with the false excitement of exaggerated emotions. In other words, if you keep finding yourself in situations that regularly whip you into overwhelming emotions of whatever type, you could be sinking your energy into overdone drama and the satisfaction of self-righteousness at the expense of more rewarding pleasures in life. When we do this we are choosing a dramatic superficial lifestyle over a truly enlivening one.
When we finally accept that some of our loved ones are not the best ones to be relied upon for good advice about our future, we are free to turn to our own inner guide.
Shame is always about slavish loyalty that has gotten so out of hand you think the oppressor’s needs are in your own best interests.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 10, 2024
4 stars. I've been slowly reading this on my kindle app, bit by bit, to better digest what was being said. I may restart it as I found it helpful in rethinking and self-reflection practices, especially in areas where I get stuck. I think this is especially helpful alongside of Wishcraft and The Path of Least Resistance (and possibly The Artist's Way). This book focuses on what is keeping you stuck, why, and how you're staying stuck with reframes. Wishcraft is focusing more on the next steps with actionable steps, while The Path of Least Resistance is a midway point that overlaps the two a bit. The Artist Way may be a journaling guide to go along with thoughts you're having while reading the others.
One of my favorite parts was the discussion of the map to a place as well as the discussion of dilemmas vs. creative solutions. Depending where you are, I recommend this book for a more active approach in moving forward (if you're ready).
One of my favorite parts was the discussion of the map to a place as well as the discussion of dilemmas vs. creative solutions. Depending where you are, I recommend this book for a more active approach in moving forward (if you're ready).
December 5, 2020
The book teaches you how to notice what the motivations behind your actions are. Does it feel right? Is it what you actually want? Or is it what your family, spouse or friends expect from you? For lots of people it's actually really hard to tell the difference and I am just happy that there is a whole book dedicated to this topic. The author is gold.
August 25, 2025
I struggled a bit with getting into the book and I'm glad I persevered. Initially it felt like the author is repeating everything multiple times as if trying to hypnotize you into acceptance. But during later chapters I realized that she's rather using many different ways of bringing the same message across so that she can reach more people. I noticed it on myself that sometimes a specific turn of phrase halfway through a chapter seemed to really drive the point home for me.
Overall it's quite difficult to rate or recommend self-help books, they either work for you or they don't. This one managed to address some of my biggest issues and confirmed some realizations I've had during my previous psychological growth. A full five stars in my opinion.
Overall it's quite difficult to rate or recommend self-help books, they either work for you or they don't. This one managed to address some of my biggest issues and confirmed some realizations I've had during my previous psychological growth. A full five stars in my opinion.
October 2, 2024
Cítíte, že vám v životě něco chybí. Toužíte po zásadní změně, ale nevíte, jak jí dosáhnout. Často jste frustrovaní. Vyšťavení. Bez energie. Raději jste sami nespokojení, jen abyste dostáli svým povinnostem vůči ostatním. Jasně víte, co máte dělat a co se od vás očekává. Máte silný smysl pro povinnost. Jste altruističtí: Nikdy se nechováte sobecky nebo sebestředně. Za všech okolností mysláte v první řadě na druhé, ale nechcete zatěžovat ostatní svými vlastními problémy.
Poznáváte se v tom? Pak je tohle kniha pro vás. Fakt. Je to o tom, jak začít dávat vlastní spokojenost na první místo a necítit se kvůli tomu provinile.
Poznáváte se v tom? Pak je tohle kniha pro vás. Fakt. Je to o tom, jak začít dávat vlastní spokojenost na první místo a necítit se kvůli tomu provinile.
July 19, 2025
Probably the best of her series to me. Less pseudoscience, more of a bunch of anecdotes of how emotional blockers can show up. If you don’t find them useful or illuminating and feel like there’s some instructions missing, you probably need to do more foundational emotional work first.
Like her other books, it’s a bit dry and written in that same style, and the anecdotes get repetitive sometimes. However, she does specify that some chapters will be more useful for different people depending on their fears/baggage (and you take a quiz halfway through which tells you which chapters are most relevant), and I found those matched accurately.
Like her other books, it’s a bit dry and written in that same style, and the anecdotes get repetitive sometimes. However, she does specify that some chapters will be more useful for different people depending on their fears/baggage (and you take a quiz halfway through which tells you which chapters are most relevant), and I found those matched accurately.
August 17, 2025
Putting yourself first is not the same as being selfish - as someone who has repeatedly been called selfish by an ex for decisions I made to support my mental health and well-being, and in turn to support my new journey as a single mum, this was something that really stood out for me from this book. That and how family opinions can shape you and suffocate you.
The usual self-help book word count and fluff around they all seem to do, but this book also had many paragraphs that really resonated and caught my attention.
The usual self-help book word count and fluff around they all seem to do, but this book also had many paragraphs that really resonated and caught my attention.
June 3, 2023
This book says a lot of things that I need to hear right now about selfishness vs meeting one's needs and advocating for oneself, and about addressing and changing old patterns of behavior, but it falls short for me in the "what to do next" department. I agree that identifying and meeting one's needs is critical, but how does one do this? Where do you start? There are a TON of metaphors and similes here, but not a lot of practical suggestions.
August 17, 2025
I heard this author on a podcast and was eager to read her book. It has very practical advice on sussing out how to explore your possibilities and then starting on the path to realizing your potential. Also good sections on how your ego will try to take you down and the importance of understanding “two steps forward, one back” in your journey. And the ever important obligation you have to yourself to do what you need to do ACCORDING TO YOU, not other people.
February 15, 2025
I don't normally read self-help; in fact I often write it off as self indulgent, new-agey cringe. But this one spoke to me on a soul deep level. I did all the exercises, filled multiple Milanote boards with quotes and thoughts, and cried several times. I loved it so much I might buy a paper copy to keep on me and refer to to get me through some turbulent times and self-doubts.
April 4, 2025
Excellent hybrid approach of psych, self-help and life/career planning. As a career coach I see people self sabotage and avoid their dreams all the time. Lindsay Gibson explores deeply both the reasons this happens (our family psychology) and ways to free ourselves, slowly, realistically. Especially love the chapter on “picking your problems.”
October 31, 2019
This is an amazing book. Words can't describe what I thought going through this, with so many life changes right now. Putting my dreams into action and becoming who I am meant to be!
I honestly think everyone should take the time to read this, along with Gibson's other two books.
I honestly think everyone should take the time to read this, along with Gibson's other two books.
January 3, 2022
Again fantastic book from the Author
So intuitive yet fact and theory based. A reminder to honour our souls and follow our dreams. From an expert who empathises with our journey thus far.
Thanks 🙏🏼
… and now I move on to the third book from Lindsey
So intuitive yet fact and theory based. A reminder to honour our souls and follow our dreams. From an expert who empathises with our journey thus far.
Thanks 🙏🏼
… and now I move on to the third book from Lindsey
December 1, 2024
“Kai jūsų gyvenimo būdas suksis apie tai, kaip sukurti progas būti laimingam, kad ir ką jums tai reikštų, jūs imsite vadovautis savo tikrąja savastimi, kaip visada ir turėjo būti.”
Šios rašytojos knygos, niekada nenuvilia. 🌸
Šios rašytojos knygos, niekada nenuvilia. 🌸
October 26, 2025
Taste and See
I took sips of chapters to reflect and consider each chewy point. Not all was to my taste, but it is a nutritious soul read for digesting daily decisions, outlooks, choices, and support. This guide offers flavors to bring zing into life.
I took sips of chapters to reflect and consider each chewy point. Not all was to my taste, but it is a nutritious soul read for digesting daily decisions, outlooks, choices, and support. This guide offers flavors to bring zing into life.
July 26, 2018
must read for everyone nowadays, especially amid all the noise and options. it is hard to choose where to live, which career path to take, which univertiy to join.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 6, 2021
Quite good. A lot to take in, which is why I took my time with it.
August 18, 2021
Liked the chapter on hopelessness and helplessness.
February 10, 2022
Este libro de Lindsay Gibson es una excelente guía de autodescubrimiento, especialmente para aquellas personas que sienten que aún no han encontrado su camino. ¡Muy recomendable!
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June 13, 2023an ongoing reference book
quite helpful, a gentle and accepting tone to look at ideas you have and see where you want to go
would recommend for transition times, reminders and easy to scan sections
quite helpful, a gentle and accepting tone to look at ideas you have and see where you want to go
would recommend for transition times, reminders and easy to scan sections
August 21, 2023
The book explains how to understand your mind and feelings better in purpose of searching your own occupation. But it doesn't give the certain answer which way should you choose
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