Before I had my son, I had a 5-year plan, a 10-year plan, and 20-year plan. Now, my goal is usually just to make it through the day without anyone in my family being sick, injured, or running around naked because I forgot to do the laundry. So, the question “How will you measure your life?” took me a while to answer.
Like most of you, I want my child to grow up happy and well adjusted. I want him to have a career he enjoys and hobbies he finds fulfilling. I want my husband and I to grow old together, walking hand in hand along the beach.
But, there are so many day-to-day details to deal with that I sometimes forget to focus on the big picture. I give my son the answer to a hard math problem instead of coaching him through the process because it means I get an extra 15 minutes of sleep at the end of the day. I scream at my husband for leaving dirty socks on the floor and ignore the good stuff he does do because I’m so busy checking off the 999 items on my daily to-do list.
How Will You Measure Your Life? is a collection of tips, anecdotes, and personal lessons from world-renowned innovation expert Clayton M. Christensen dealing with three topics: happiness in your career, happiness in your relationships, and living a life of integrity.
Instead of giving pat answers to these questions, however, Christensen encourages you to take the time to think about how to apply the basic concepts to your specific circumstances.
This is not at all a fluff book, so it’s hard to squeeze into a busy day of parenting and work obligations. I’m normally a very fast reader, but this book took me quite some time to get through. I also found myself skipping around a bit, flipping back and forth to locate some of the key points when a new thought occurred to me.
To get the most out of this book, I’d suggest taking notes or having a “book club” discussion with a few friends who have also read the book.
Disclaimer: A copy of the book was provided by the publisher for the purpose of preparing this review.
Photo credit: Barnes & Noble
