O's Little Guide to Finding Your True Purpose (O's Little Books) - Hardcover

Oprah Magazine

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1250068584 ISBN 13: 9781250068583

Publisher: Flatiron Books, 2015

Synopsis

"Regardless of how good you feel, you can live more vibrantly. That, as I see it, is one of the purposes of life: to continuously get better, to constantly move forward. How far can you go? How far can you grow? What will it take for you to fulfill your potential?" - Oprah Winfrey


An engaging mix of inspiring advice and real-life stories of self-discovery, O's Little Guide to Finding Your True Purpose will captivate anyone who's ever been beckoned by a dream.

Featuring some of the best work to have appeared in O, The Oprah Magazine, this rousing collection is all about helping readers to hear and heed their calling. From the beginning, O has been a catalyst for women seeking to become who they're meant to be. O's Little Guide to Finding Your True Purpose continues this tradition by combining practical wisdom and relatable tales of trial, error, and triumph. Contributors include Edwidge Danticat on getting past the need to please; Martha Beck on charting your own course; Patti Smith on staying true to yourself; Elizabeth Gilbert on getting unstuck; Robin Black on thriving as a late bloomer; and many more. Whether you're still searching for your passion or summoning the courage to pursue it, this one-of-a-kind collection will set you on your way.

About this title

About the Author

Each month, O, The Oprah Magazine helps readers live their best lives, serving up information and inspiration on everything from lasting love to luscious food. With a signature blend of candor and humor, fresh advice and timeless wisdom, the magazine offers people the tools they need to, as Oprah Winfrey says, "become more of who they are" - to love themselves more deeply, to look hopefully toward the future, and to leap wholeheartedly into the adventure of being alive.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

O's Little Guide to Finding Your True Purpose

By The Oprah Magazine

Flatiron Books

Copyright © 2015 Hearst Communications
All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-1-250-06858-3

Contents

Title Page, 
Copyright Notice, 
Epigraph, 
Stirrings, 
"This Is It, My Pet Pachooch!" Bonnie Friedman, 
"Our Irrecoverable Time," Edwidge Danticat, 
Illuminations, Marianne Williamson, 
The Beginning, Lorene Cary, 
The Girl I Was, Kathryn Harrison, 
Questions? Jennifer Krause, 
The Pivotal Moment, Michael Cunningham, 
The Search, 
Where Do I Find My Me-Ness? Alain de Botton, 
Crystal Clear, Helena Andrews, 
The Best of Her Abilities, Paige Williams, 
The Case for Thinking Big, Mallika Chopra, 
The Case for Starting Small, Mark Epstein, M.D., 
My Best Self, Natalie Baszile, 
Who Am I Meant to Be? Anne Dranitsaris, Ph.D., 
Leap!, 
Faith, Hope, and Sasquatch, Martha Beck, 
Live Like There's No Tomorrow, Danzy Senna, 
A New Foundation, Eliza Thomas, 
Your Life Is a Story You Have Lived to Tell, Laura Munson, 
Tuning In, Ellen Roth, 
Give Peace a Chance, Wini Yunker, 
Trials and Error, 
If All Else Fails ... Elizabeth Gilbert, 
Turn of the Tide, Amy Hempel, 
It's All About What You Do with Your Breakthrough, Martha Beck, 
The Trust Muscle, Barbara Graham, 
Rejected? Lucky You! Suzanne Finnamore, 
Second Acts, 
Never Too Late, Robin Black, 
What's Holding You Back? Valorie Burton, 
The White Room, Elizabeth Kaye, 
Blame It on the Bossanova, Mary South, 
Lesson Learned, Nanette Terrenal, 
Swan's Way, Katherine B. Weissman, 
Are You Listening to Your Life? Parker J. Palmer, 
Keeping the Flame, Patti Smith, 
Contributors, 
About the Editors, 
Additional Titles in O's Little Book series, 
Copyright, 

CHAPTER 1

"This Is It, My Pet Pachooch!"

Bonnie Friedman

I used to yearn for a wake-up call. I thought often about an acquaintance who took a skydiving class; when her parachute didn't open, she fell more than a mile, crashing into a field. Miraculously, she lived. And as soon as her bones healed, she changed her entire life: divorced her husband, moved with her children to a house down the road, and let herself pursue what she really wanted. Of course, I didn't want the mile-long fall (or the divorce), but I did want this woman's visceral understanding that life is short and mustn't be wasted.

Even after I was struck by a car and sent flying four feet through the air, though, I wasn't shocked into transformation. I picked myself up, limped home, and continued to ignore a certain unhappiness in my marriage. I doggedly did my work and didn't confront problems.

A few years later, when my sister, who had been ill for decades with multiple sclerosis, passed away, I felt surprisingly little: I'd been saying good-bye to her for a long, long time.

But at the funeral home something happened. "Come here," the rabbi said, drawing my family into a side room. My glance fell on a simple pine box. Naturally, there are coffins in funeral homes, I thought — then realized it must be Anita's. It was so small, considering the large woman she'd become. So bare. That's all there is, it seemed to say. My heart flew out of me — oh, Anita! I suddenly missed the girl she'd been, the energetic hiker who sang Girl Scout songs and sipped Tab, who folded newspapers into admirals' hats so we could pretend to be adventurers. I even missed the wheelchair-bound woman who loved chocolate cake although someone had to

Edition details

• Publisher: Flatiron Books
• Publication date: 2015
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1250068584
• ISBN 13: 9781250068583
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 176