Should. Must.

I have been thinking about what my first “review” was going to be. I thought about talking about Grey's Anatomy and realized I just have to much to say to fit into one entry so I will figure out a better way to do that sometime soon. I then thought I would write about “Call Me by Your Name”. However, I have about an hour left of the book and would like to do a full comparison of book to film. Finally, it came to me. I am going to talk about the book that helped me discover my passions. I spoke about “The Crossroads of Should” and Must by Elle Luna in my first entry for this blog but I would like to take a little more time talking about it.

I am generally not intrigued by self-help or soul-searching types of books at all. I would loosely categorize this book as a self-help. It certainly isn't your traditional self-help. This book follows a story of how Elle Luna quit working her day job to follow her passion for art, and how she came to know that she MUST do that. There are so many important messages for this book that I'd love to share but I want you to go out and buy this book and see for yourself!

Throughout the book I felt like I developed a personal relationship with Elle. In order to hear her messages and receive her wisdom, you must allow yourself to be open, honest and vulnerable. There are several exercises she uses for you to do self-reflecting. At first I was hesitant but after rereading this book over 6 times, I've done them all over and over and have learned much about myself.

There are two things I am going to share with you and leave the rest of this masterpiece untold. Firstly, Must and Should are very much like Need and Want. I am sure we have all gone grocery shopping and thought about our budget and said to ourselves “I guess I don't really NEED this item, I just WANT it.” Then we are left to decided which matters more, Need or Want. Well in the same light, things we do in our life, things we value, things we do or do not do, are classified in SHOULD and MUST.

“Must is different.”

“Must is who we are, what we believe, and what we do when we are alone with our truest, most authentic self. It's that which calls to us most deeply. It's our convictions, our passions, our deepest held urgers and desires – unavoidable, undeniable, and inexplicable. Unlike Should, Must doesn't accept compromises.”

Elle Luna- The Crossroads of Should and Must Page 31

Are you working a job you don't like? Are you ignoring the sounds of passion? Are you trying to find your purpose? Are you unsure of whats next in your life? This book helps you with all of those questions. I know some people may think they might be too old or too young to make a certain change. This brings me to the second thing I'd like to share. Elle has 2 pages devoted to explaining how people in there 20's, 30's 40's, 50's, 60's, 70's, 80's, 90's and even 100's "made it", in the perspective age bracket. She explains Julia Childs didn't make it until her 40's and how John Glenn became the oldest person to go into space when he was 77. No matter what age you are, this book can help you!

** I do not own any rights to the text from Elle Luna's  The Crossroads of Should and Must. I am in no way affiliated with Elle Luna or Workman Publishing Co. Inc. and do not make money from promoting the book. **