What Should I Do with My Life?: The True Story of People Who Answered the Ultimate Question

Po Bronson

Random House Publishing Group, Dec 30, 2003 - Self-Help - 432 pages

“Brimming with stories of sacrifice, courage, commitment and, sometimes, failure, the book will support anyone pondering a major life choice or risk without force-feeding them pat solutions.”—Publishers Weekly

In What Should I Do with My Life? Po Bronson tells the inspirational true stories of people who have found the most meaningful answers to that great question. With humor, empathy, and insight, Bronson writes of remarkable individuals—from young to old, from those just starting out to those in a second career—who have overcome fear and confusion to find a larger truth about their lives and, in doing so, have been transformed by the experience. 

What Should I Do with My Life? struck a powerful, resonant chord on publication, causing a multitude of people to rethink their vocations and priorities and start on the path to finding their true place in the world. For this edition, Bronson has added nine new profiles, to further reflect the range and diversity of those who broke away from the chorus to learn the sound of their own voice.

Contents

• An Ordinary Guy: 3
• Have You Looked Under the Bed?: 9
• Hunted by Her Cause: 15
• The Dharma Adviser: 25
• Isnt It Clear?: 33
• The Brain Candy Generation: 46
• The Ungrateful Soldier: 65
• The Umbrella of Freedom: 72
• A College Man: 79
• Building a Cathedral: 90
• The Casino of the American Economy: 97
• Getting Oily Then Even: 107
• Learning Delta Pride: 114
• A Billion Is Chump Change: 127
• The Lockbox Fantasy: 136
• Guidance Navigation and Control: 177
• The Phi Beta Slacker Dances for Herself: 189
• The Runway Gypsy: 196
• New Person Same Job?: 205
• My New StartUp: 211
• Dropping the Watermelon: 219
• The OnceAngry Minister: 231
• Ambition in Neutral: 243
• The Romantic Depressive: 257
• Uncomfortable Is Good: 264
• The Twin Who Wanted to Be Unique: 279
• H P J: 291
• Ski Bums: 297
• Where Fears Hide: 303
• The Monkey Law: 316
• A Burial with Pinstripes: 326
• The Mechanic Gives 100 Percent: 338
• Out of My Mind: 359
• Contribution X: 366
• BUSINESS IS A TOOL TO SUPPORT WHAT YOU BELIEVE: 376
• Closing Remarks: 385

About the author

Po Bronson is the author of Bombardiers, The First $20 Million Is Always the Hardest, and The Nudist on the Late Shift. He is on the board of directors of Consortium Book Sales & Distribution and the editorial board of Zoetrope: All Story magazine, and has written for The New York Times Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, Fast Company, and Wired. He graduated from Stanford with a B.A. in economics and from San Francisco State with an M.F.A. in creative writing. He lives in San Francisco.

Bibliographic information

• Title: What Should I Do with My Life?: The True Story of People Who Answered the Ultimate Question
• Author: Po Bronson
• Edition: illustrated
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group, 2003
• ISBN: 0375758984, 9780375758980
• Length: 432 pages
• Subjects: Business & Economics / Careers / General; Business & Economics / Personal Success; Self-Help / Personal Growth / Success