notsoanonymous Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 Hi everyone, I am reading a fantastic book right now about being in your "quarterlife" crisis as a woman in her mid to late twenties or early thirties. I wanted to recommend checking this book out to anyone who comes here to ENA for issues like feeling inadequate, that you don't know who you are or what you want, you should have/could have been more by this age - whatever. She also put out a followup book called the 20 Something Manifesto which follows the stories of both men and women... I wanted to pass this along and hear from anyone who has possibly read it themselves. I'm really glad I picked it up. Link to comment
COtuner Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 When I was that age we were reading Generation X to deal with the angst. It was less self help and more self pity though Link to comment
CaptainPlanet Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 Not only does gen Y have it worse than the previous two generations, they also have to deal with the stigma of supposedly having it better. That is in terms of America. In Australia we have it pretty good aside from the finding an interesting job front. Gen y = generation call center. Link to comment
COtuner Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 Not only does gen Y have it worse than the previous two generations, they also have to deal with the stigma of supposedly having it better. Yeah, well my generation said that too... we get stuck in the middle and hated by both the Boomers and Gen Y so no sympathy for your bunch at all, dude. Link to comment
Binoo Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 Thank you for sharing this. I will definitely keep an eye out for this book! Link to comment
notsoanonymous Posted January 14, 2009 Author Share Posted January 14, 2009 I too get absolutely annoyed with the self-pity style books. I don't feel like this one goes in that direction so much as it says "hey listen, it's OKAY to not know everything and be everything right now" and encourages you to focus on the positive things in your life, turning the negative ones into opportunities, and all around bolster your idea of what the 20's can be - scary, exciting, happy, sad and everything else in between. I wanted to pass this along because after a tough run of luck in 2008 (bought a house, lost a family member, rough breakup, got back together, lost another person close to me, lost my job, and what turned into a nightmarish NYE party at my home, etc) I felt like things were really spinning out of my control. This book is helping me tremendously! Link to comment
notsoanonymous Posted January 14, 2009 Author Share Posted January 14, 2009 Not only does gen Y have it worse than the previous two generations, they also have to deal with the stigma of supposedly having it better. Yeah, well my generation said that too... we get stuck in the middle and hated by both the Boomers and Gen Y so no sympathy for your bunch at all, dude. Had to laugh a bit at both of these responses because the one thing I like the most about this book is that its not about saying ehy we have it so hard and poor pitiful us - it's more saying yes it is a fact that we have it this way, but you are what you make of your own situation. I like that Link to comment
CaptainPlanet Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 Not only does gen Y have it worse than the previous two generations, they also have to deal with the stigma of supposedly having it better. Yeah, well my generation said that too... we get stuck in the middle and hated by both the Boomers and Gen Y so no sympathy for your bunch at all, dude. I've heard that the baby boomers had it best. Gen x had it rough, but once they got in they got treated alright. Gen y get treated like dirt by everyone. Pretty true imo - generation call center. generation customer service. Plus I don't think anyone hates gen x. They're just like us had to deal with similar stuff only slightly older. That and we don't need sympathy. Soon we will be the voting majority. Short of some sort of military regime taking over. Will be time for the baby boomers to move over. The start of it will be another stock market crash and a housing market crash. Unavoidable economics. Also good for gen y in the long run as we start to up the ante on our incomes and asset prices crumble. We'll always be short staffed in terms of technical careers, however. Which is unfair but that is what happens when training and education dollars are slashed. And it will be our children who get to have all of the skills again, sad, very sad. Always important to teach the next generation. Had to laugh a bit at both of these responses because the one thing I like the most about this book is that its not about saying ehy we have it so hard and poor pitiful us - it's more saying yes it is a fact that we have it this way, but you are what you make of your own situation. I like that In my opinion that sort of stuff in nonsense designed to blind you to reality. Very few people have choice.You kind of just are who you are with limited scope to make decisions. TISM is a band they're all school teachers. I think tism said it best: 'get to do the driving don't chose the direction we travel'. 'growing up is not a matter of choice it is a matter of wait and see'. Usually making a big decision will involve and undue amount of suffering because the world wants to make it hard on you to chose. I would be careful of these uplifting self help books.Most are designed to take away your ability to think freely to make you accept an unacceptable situation and be more content - but not to improve your life. To do that you need to face the reality that you life sucks. Link to comment
greensleeves Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 I would be careful of these uplifting self help books.Most are designed to take away your ability to think freely to make you accept an unacceptable situation and be more content - but not to improve your life. To do that you need to face the reality that you life sucks. I've read alot of self help books where the goal is to the exact opposite of this, rather they help you recognize when you are in an unacceptable situation in specific areas of your life and they attempt to provide you with tools to make improvements. A person's life doesn't necessarily have to suck if they choose to work on making some positive changes. Link to comment
LAYAAN Posted January 15, 2009 Share Posted January 15, 2009 Thank you OP for sharing info. about this book. I'll definitely look it up. I can associate with what you mentioned about feeling inadequate etc. I've been praying hard, not sleeping enough and looking everywhere for answers. Link to comment
COtuner Posted January 15, 2009 Share Posted January 15, 2009 NSA - if it helps, then more power to you. We have enough negative folks out there. When I was in my twenties, I was at the top of the world and then at the bottom after I wound up spending the last half of it caring for my mom instead of dating and making friends and having a life like my peers. Maybe this book would have helped. I have zero problems with anyone using these kinds of books if their head is on straight (like the OP). One GenY thing that has interested me.... whereas my Gen X on average was feeling left out, I often feel like Gen Y has closed in on itself and become it's own little support group. I'm speaking in social generalizations, of course, but it's sort of a trend I've seen in the circles I run in. Link to comment
notsoanonymous Posted January 15, 2009 Author Share Posted January 15, 2009 Thanks CO, I think there are def a lot of people who get caught up on the idea that a book is going to change their life somehow. I don't believe that personally, but I liked this one so I passed it along. Again, can't help but laugh because everyone on ENA is here for advice - what is the difference in reading other people's opinions on a forum and reading a self help book if everything is taken at face value? Link to comment
notsoanonymous Posted January 15, 2009 Author Share Posted January 15, 2009 Oh my, I JUST put together the comment about "facing that life sucks" and reality. I had a rough year granted, but I wasn't at ALL saying my life sucked or that was the reason I had bought the book. Honestly I had some really crappy moments in 2008, and going into the new year I thought to myself - Which of these moments were caused by actions and what was simply out of my control - and then how can I grow from it. As I approach thirty, I'm at a place in life where I had a good career that I loved, a great relationship, an awesome dog, a beautiful new house - and six months later just like your standard country song the only thing I had left was my pooch! I could have just felt sorry for myself... Anyway, point of the OP here was just to share a book I am enjoying with others, take from it whatever you would like to or not Link to comment
COtuner Posted January 16, 2009 Share Posted January 16, 2009 Thanks CO, I think there are def a lot of people who get caught up on the idea that a book is going to change their life somehow. I don't believe that personally, but I liked this one so I passed it along. Again, can't help but laugh because everyone on ENA is here for advice - what is the difference in reading other people's opinions on a forum and reading a self help book if everything is taken at face value?[/QUOTE] An excellent point. Maybe I'll rethink my BF's proclivity .... ok... ADDICTION to self help books (he has a library that ENA should digitize) Link to comment
COtuner Posted January 16, 2009 Share Posted January 16, 2009 Woman after my own heart. Go get 'em, girl... Link to comment
CaptainPlanet Posted January 16, 2009 Share Posted January 16, 2009 One GenY thing that has interested me.... whereas my Gen X on average was feeling left out, I often feel like Gen Y has closed in on itself and become it's own little support group. I'm speaking in social generalizations, of course, but it's sort of a trend I've seen in the circles I run in. We're the first generation to have to deal with a net loss of technology to the economy, reduced research spending and reduced training dollars. We're the first to enter the workforce of 'would you like fries with that'. In days gone by a high school graduate young lady would get a job in an office. In these days she ill get a job in a call center. In days gone by practical graduates could easily find jobs. Some of us do well. I think that group is over publicized while the true darth of skills in the economy remains. We tend to support ourselves because the old folk don't see us as people. We're merely the guy at the register, the girl on the phone, that silly trainee engineer you had to lay off because he could not pick it all up as fast as you wanted. I think we face a lot of unique, and very serious issues. In that regard books like the one described do have their place. I think a more practical guide to life would be a better start. Link to comment
samantha20 Posted January 16, 2009 Share Posted January 16, 2009 is this book fiction or is it like a factual self help book? Link to comment
COtuner Posted January 16, 2009 Share Posted January 16, 2009 We're the first to enter the workforce of 'would you like fries with that'. Umm, no, that was a Gen X claim (see all our angst ridden books from the 80s and 90s). Link to comment
CaptainPlanet Posted January 16, 2009 Share Posted January 16, 2009 We're the first to enter the workforce of 'would you like fries with that'. Umm, no, that was a Gen X claim (see all our angst ridden books from the 80s and 90s). Precisely. It was a gen x claim. It is a gen-y reality. Link to comment
notsoanonymous Posted January 16, 2009 Author Share Posted January 16, 2009 is this book fiction or is it like a factual self help book? It's factual self help style. The author is now a life coach and public speaker who wrote the book due to her own "20-something" crisis and made a career out of it. Its also the kind of book that has a lot of exercises in it for you to do and it asks you to keep a notebook (20Something/20Everything). The 20 Something Manifesto is more insight from the interviews and research she did and s more geared to someone who wants to read what others went through and is less of a workbook. I personally own and read both. Link to comment
ladybug726 Posted January 16, 2009 Share Posted January 16, 2009 I like this book. It has a lot of great ideas on how to handle different life situations. Link to comment
.thumb.jpg.2d93ce2472f26b01a1e185382ba0b64e.jpg)
.thumb.jpg.78735a344a3340a866dda54f465baebb.jpg)
.thumb.jpg.707652b1f845175b2f35e03ba7f1673e.jpg)
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.