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Inspiration comes from many avenues. In our WISE Bookshelf feature, members share some of the titles that have encouraged them to think outside of the box, try a new approach, dig down deep for the confidence they needed to make that big decision or simply allowed them a reprieve from the daily grind. Happy reading!

Book

Yes, Please

Author: Amy Poehler

Genre: Non-fiction

Comments

"Career is different. Career is the stringing together of opportunities and jobs. Mix in public opinion and past regrets. Add a dash of future panic and a whole lot of financial uncertainty. Career is something that fools you into thinking you are in control and then takes pleasure in reminding you that you aren't. Career is the thing that will not fill you up and never make you truly whole. Depending on your career is like eating cake for breakfast and wondering why you start crying an hour later."

When I read that quote I had to put the book down and take a deep breath. Where the hell was that nugget when I was 16, 17? There are a lot of other great nuggets — and not just about career — throughout Yes, Please. Sharp and funny, Poehler shares her experiences — professionally and personally — with sometimes alarming honesty. Instead of talking down to her readers in a know-it-all way, she offers observations from a life full of strung together opportunities and jobs and what she has learned from them.

I could start the “Former NBC Thursday Night Book Club” and add Bossypants by Tina Fey, Modern Romance by Aziz Ansari, and both of Mindy Kaling’s books: Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns) and Why Not Me?, all personal stories told without a condescending tone but rather a “here it is, hope you enjoy it” attitude. They don’t “big time” you. We’re all at the point where we don’t have to read anything and find the theme that our English teacher tells us is the right one. You may read Yes, Please and it might be something different to you. No matter what stage of your career you are in, this is a great resource and reminder of what it takes to succeed both personally and professionally.

Submitted by: Bernadette Viehlhaber, Cleveland, 6-15 years professional experience

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