What should I do with my life?
Is it fair to write about a book that I’ve read just about halfway?
Coz that’s what I am going to do now.
The book in question - Po Bronson’s “What should I do with my life”
The book is about people who at some point of time in their lives decide to re-examine their priorities, dreams, and ambitions and respond to their true calling.
They are the ones who simply roll up their sleeves and say, “Okay, let’s do something about this thing called life”. In other words not very different from the Sidin’s of the blogosphere.
The best part of the book is that the author is more of a chronicler than a writer. He is not trying to pigeonhole people and their actions into convenient sophisticated sounding section headings. Instead he listens to what they got to say by engaging them more as a friend. And it’s much more honest and off exaggerations than I expected.
How good is the book? To the extent i’ve read, the book is much better than what some of the Amazon book reviews suggest. Maybe some people could not relate to this mindset. There are some of my friends who find all this quite amusing. For them things are always very simple. Life is all about eschewing risks and making more money. It’s only dumb heads like me who confuse life.
Incidentally, its not that this is only an American mentality. Click here for more desi versions.
What’s more couple of my friends have already done something similar. A former Cisco Software Engineer in US quit her job and started taking documentaries. Another one is one the verge of doing the same and try his hands at moviemaking.
There is another who keeps saying “Ennamo poda, ipdiye irundha velaiku avadhu, edhavadhu pannanum, ana enna pannanumnu dhaan therila!!!”
That just about sums my mindset too 
January 24th, 2006 at 4:43 pm
The only thing stopping me from becoming an assistant director is my middle-class mentaility and insecurity, not to mention the responsibilities that come with it…!
January 24th, 2006 at 4:56 pm
First time here.Good blog.
And do update Life and KISS 
You spoke my mind
January 24th, 2006 at 5:50 pm
kalyanam pannikonga
January 24th, 2006 at 11:41 pm
Ferrari, Avar enna maattenna solraru.. yarum kedaikkala baa…
PK, Innum neenga Paul Graham-oda latest column padikkalaya ? Here is it: http://www.paulgraham.com/love.html
January 25th, 2006 at 12:49 am
Kalyanamaa? Eppo? Summerla vechukonga, I will be there
January 25th, 2006 at 12:54 am
PK - You’ve been tagged
January 25th, 2006 at 7:55 am
seekeram Kalyanam pannikongo….:)
January 25th, 2006 at 8:23 am
bala
adhey dhaan ingeyum. an aspiring writer here:)
vidhya
welcome here. oh will do that for sure. thanks:)
Ferrari
LoL :))
that was typical ferro comment
cipher
thanks for the link
adhaaney!. nalla sollunga:)
paul graham pakkam poi koncha naal achu. idhu poren
WA
vechutta pochu:) aana endha summer nu theriyadhu
IBH
long time no see…
me thinks kalyanam is an answer to ‘How to lose your independence’:D
January 25th, 2006 at 9:12 am
same pinch…..
January 25th, 2006 at 11:13 am
nice post and great link too!
My way to happiness, i would stick to my job for the money, but i wont drive myself too far to super-perform or something..so i can just be this mediocre worker, who hasnt received a promotion for as long as anyone can remember…and do all i please as hobby…for my own little conscience, i will work to my best …but i wont push myself too far to achieve..
for if my hobby starts paying me, i may not like it too….
whether i would be good enough at anything for it to pay me is another question…
i belong to the first category u mentioned..i dont question life too much..i just play along!
January 25th, 2006 at 11:14 am
as other ppl say, kalyanam pannikkonga
u may not find the time to question life then….
marriage woes will keep u engaged!
January 25th, 2006 at 1:08 pm
Enakku ippo oru periya sandhegam, Ferrari yaen ella bloglayum kalyaanam pathiye talking?
January 25th, 2006 at 9:07 pm
Nanum lifela ethavathu urupudiya pannanumnu nanaikeran, ana enna pannanumnu dhaan therila PK.
January 25th, 2006 at 11:32 pm
Been reading your blog ever since you told me about it…in that suburban train between basin bridge and MAS.
January 26th, 2006 at 8:10 am
balaji
same pinch? good:)
monu
>>my way to happiness…..
innum koncha naal agattum..maybe a few years
aprom indha kalyana matter, let me not say anything:D
WA
enakkum andha doubt irukku,
kalyanam, he-she, love, romance na ferrari ku epdiyo mookiley verkudhu:D
neenga dhaan kekkanum
jeevan,
many ppl go thru such thoughts at some points. “enna panradhu?”- million dollar question
ranga,
welcome here:)
January 28th, 2006 at 1:23 pm
What should you do with your life? LIVE IT the way you want. Period.
February 1st, 2006 at 12:38 pm
Prabhu
Sounds like a good one.. will add it to my list..
As Madhu says ‘LIVE IT’ is perhaps the best approach.. may be the most difficult one as well.. because of our own fears and handicpas..
February 1st, 2006 at 2:32 pm
madhu,
>>LIVE IT the way you want..
adu avlo esily illa:)
nobody can say they are living their lives exactly the way they want right thru…
Ram Vishwanathan sir,
i would say worth the money spent. interesting diverse set of ppl.
try it and let me know:)