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4.05 AVERAGE
4.05 AVERAGE
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
I never reviewed this after I read it but it’s up there with one of my favorites. Very comforting and I love the author’s writing style and tone. A necessary read in any stage of your twenties.
While I hated the division of people into Meaning and Stability types I found this super useful and exactly what I needed while I am in a confusing and tumultuous time in my life
informative
reflective
medium-paced
a self help book that actually felt useful and provided me with the feeling of being “seen”
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
As a quarterlifer, I felt seen by this book. Satya Doyle Byock captures the experience of feeling lost and searching for meaning with incredible accuracy. Oftentimes as I was reading, I felt both awe and comfort at how precisely she articulates the emotions, challenges, uncertainty, and expectations I have faced—or am currently facing.
While Byock does an excellent job capturing the struggles of quarterlifers, the guidance and takeaways she offers felt somewhat lacking. I wanted more depth and insight. I also struggled to connect with the clients’ stories (perhaps there were limitations on what could be shared).
This book won’t magically solve all your problems, but it provides foundational tools to start your journey toward purpose and stability. I appreciated the book's accessibility; it didn't contain a lot of psychology/therapy jargon. It was easy to follow and well-written.
While Byock does an excellent job capturing the struggles of quarterlifers, the guidance and takeaways she offers felt somewhat lacking. I wanted more depth and insight. I also struggled to connect with the clients’ stories (perhaps there were limitations on what could be shared).
This book won’t magically solve all your problems, but it provides foundational tools to start your journey toward purpose and stability. I appreciated the book's accessibility; it didn't contain a lot of psychology/therapy jargon. It was easy to follow and well-written.
The premise: We need to address the Quarterlifers, the men and women between the ages of 16–36, who are struggling. We Quarterlifers usually fall into two categories: Stability types and Meaning types.
Some people have done everything “right”: graduate, get a job, meet a partner. Yet they are unfulfilled and unclear on what to do next. These are “Stability Types.”
Others are uninterested in this prescribed path but feel unmoored. They are more inclined to pursue meaning and have found themselves at odds with social expectations for this stage of life. These are “Meaning Types.”
I’m definitely a Stability type. Probably 80% Stability, 20% Meaning. A very easy example of this: I recently found a Google Doc from 2018 that laid out, step-by-step, a 10-year life plan.
(And honestly… I wasn’t too far off. My husband proposed one year earlier than expected and I think we’ll be moving to Europe one year later than expected. I nailed it, honestly.)
But I have a harder time with Meaning and it’s only really just hit me. What’s next? Am I supposed to buy a house now? Is my career path actually right for me? Am I cultivating the right relationships in my personal life? I feel like I had answers to all of these questions up until recently. I think right after we got married was when I really had to stop and ask myself: is life all about checking boxes? What’s beyond that, what’s the deeper meaning of it?
Anyways, as you can probably tell, this book put me in a spiral. But in a good way. Author Satya Doyle Byock, a Portland-based psychotherapist who I desperately wish had room in her calendar for me, also offers four pillars of Quarterlife development to examine. I don’t know how much the pillars will help. They were a bit vague, even with plenty of anecdotal examples. But how personal can you get in this kind of book anyways?
A solid 4 stars from me. Give it a go if you’re also a Quarterlifer asking yourself: Is there more?
Read more of my book, movie, television, and podcast reviews at Content Consumed!
Some people have done everything “right”: graduate, get a job, meet a partner. Yet they are unfulfilled and unclear on what to do next. These are “Stability Types.”
Others are uninterested in this prescribed path but feel unmoored. They are more inclined to pursue meaning and have found themselves at odds with social expectations for this stage of life. These are “Meaning Types.”
I’m definitely a Stability type. Probably 80% Stability, 20% Meaning. A very easy example of this: I recently found a Google Doc from 2018 that laid out, step-by-step, a 10-year life plan.
(And honestly… I wasn’t too far off. My husband proposed one year earlier than expected and I think we’ll be moving to Europe one year later than expected. I nailed it, honestly.)
But I have a harder time with Meaning and it’s only really just hit me. What’s next? Am I supposed to buy a house now? Is my career path actually right for me? Am I cultivating the right relationships in my personal life? I feel like I had answers to all of these questions up until recently. I think right after we got married was when I really had to stop and ask myself: is life all about checking boxes? What’s beyond that, what’s the deeper meaning of it?
Anyways, as you can probably tell, this book put me in a spiral. But in a good way. Author Satya Doyle Byock, a Portland-based psychotherapist who I desperately wish had room in her calendar for me, also offers four pillars of Quarterlife development to examine. I don’t know how much the pillars will help. They were a bit vague, even with plenty of anecdotal examples. But how personal can you get in this kind of book anyways?
A solid 4 stars from me. Give it a go if you’re also a Quarterlifer asking yourself: Is there more?
Read more of my book, movie, television, and podcast reviews at Content Consumed!
informative
inspiring
relaxing
medium-paced
1. separate, listen, build, integrate
“but i wasn’t happy. beyond financial survival, i was no closer to understanding ‘the point’ of what i was doing, nor did i feel like i was living a life destined for me”
“...may feel that they have a right to ‘something better than this’ without being able to define the ‘something’”
“true psychological adulthood is a kind of maturity that is about balance, a dynamic play”
this book was recommended to me by my therapist and i really enjoyed it!
i’ve read books like “defining decade” and other self help books for young people in their 20s and found this to be much more relevant, empathetic, and understanding of the mindset that most of us are in as we begin our lives in this quarter-life time, often skipped over by media or largely misunderstood.
as we step into adulthood under capitalism, the balance and search for both meaning and stability defines our relationships with others and perceptions of our selves and identity.
a plane can’t fly without having a runway to be grounded first.
the characterization of some of the “patients” felt a bit overdone and trope - heavy, but the message was strong regardless and gave me a lot to think and reflect about, while also providing tangible steps to help me find more balance and clarity.
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Rounded up from 3.5 because of the conclusion, which is mandatory reading for anyone who is, has been, or cares about a Quarterlifer.