By: Seth Godin
Reviewed by: Shelby Brown
The Premise:
As soon as you open this book, it speaks to you not only through Seth Godin’s words but through the bold imagery and photography that he has paired with each message. He opens with this, “This is a book about opportunity. The opportunity to take your turn and to make a difference. The opportunity to contribute, to lead and to live your life fully.” From the moment you open the cover of the book, Godin is calling you to action and pulling you in by asking you to recognize the opportunities that are already in front of you and ready for you to take advantage of.
I was lucky enough to see Seth Godin speak this month and then immediately dove into this book (as well as a few others of his). In “What To Do When It’s Your Turn (and it’s always your turn)”, Godin really focuses on how critical your mindset is and how that will dictate how effective our output will be. The beginning of the book resonated with me particularly well as he goes on to share that if we are so focused on what other people or the world owe us, we will spend all of our time being consumed by trying to keep score of what is owed to us. This is simply wrong. Instead of focusing on what we are owed, we should focus on what we should be contributing and this, in turn, will open our eyes to what we can change. In the book, and his speech, he emphasized that this is how we start to make the world a better place; when we start to focus on what we can give and contribute instead of take. Now, there are many thought-provoking quotes and stories throughout, but I think it’s the closing that really hit a message home for me. Godin closes the book by asking us “where do you put fear?”. He elaborates that everyone has fear and having fear is not the issue itself, you just need to know what to do with it. What might be one of the most impactful messages that I took from this book was to handle fear like you handle tiredness. You have it, but you get used to it and you know how to deal with it.
The Bottom-line:
Seth Godin packs this book with lessons and stories – quick and short, but oh so impactful – that will leave you deciding at the end of each page, do I keep reading or do I put everything to action immediately. The presentation of the book is exciting and vibrant and makes you feel excited with the turn of every page – literally.
Recommendation:
I would recommend this book over and over again. If you’re looking for that quick in the pants to get you re-inspired and motivated to raise your hand high, then this is a book to pick up. Not to mention, it’s beautifully illustrated and would make a great coffee table addition!
