A Purposeful Read

The subject of psychology has proved to interest me much more than I thought it ever could. A part of my discovery of this fact came out of reading this book, Let Your Life Speak: Listening for the Voice of Vocation by Parker Palmer. It's a simple and quick read, but certainly not lacking in wisdom and vital truths. As a current college student, this book taught me that it's alright to not know what I am going to do with my life yet. Even though I am studying writing and literature and I know that I have natural passions for both of these subjects, this book has taught me that new passions and discoveries are made as one just lives out each day. It is comforting to know that I don't have to have everything figured out, because sometimes I get caught up in the stigma that now that I'm in college, I need to start figuring everything about my life out. I would recommend this book to college students like me, but also seniors in high school that have college or whatever kind of vocational path they choose stretching out ahead of them. Essentially, Palmer is open and honest about his personal path on the road to finding his vocation for readers to be able to learn from and relate to. He stresses the importance of seeing how your vocation is in fact already inside of you, a gift to receive and be opened. He writes in a very readable way and uses a lot of engaging metaphors and anecdotes. I highly recommend this book!

Some of my favorite quotes from this book:

"... let your life tell you what truths you embody, what values you represent."

"The soul speaks its truth only under quiet, inviting, and trustworthy conditions."

"Before I can tell my life what I want to do with it, I must listen to my life telling me who I am."

"Each time a door closes, the rest of the world opens up."

"Vocation at its deepest level is, 'This is something I can't not do, for reasons I'm unable to explain to anyone else and don't fully understand myself but that are nonetheless compelling.'"

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