Self Help

The Quarter-Life Breakthrough

The Quarter-Life Breakthrough

  • Downloads：7600
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2022-09-26 05:51:55
  • Update Date：2025-09-07
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Adam Smiley Poswolsky
  • ISBN：0143109529
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary

How do you actually find meaning in the workplace？ How do you find work that makes your heart sing， creates impact， and pays your rent？

After realizing that his well-paying， prestigious job was actually making him miserable， Adam Smiley Poswolsky started asking these big questions。 The Quarter-Life Breakthrough provides fresh， honest， counterintuitive， and inspiring career advice for anyone stuck in a quarter-life crisis （or third-life crisis）， trying to figure out what to do with your life。 Smiley shares the stories of many twenty- and thirty-somethings who are discovering how to work with purpose （and still pay the bills）。

Brimming with practical exercises and advice， this book is essential reading for millennial career changers and anyone passionate about getting unstuck， pursuing work that matters， and changing the world。

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Reviews

Brittany Harper ，

This was fine， but not great。 A lot of things were repeated over and over （and over） again。

Lily ，

Not recommended。

Jackie Blake ，

This book was different than most self help books。 It has outlined exercises that I highly recommend taking the time to do。 Some are more relevant to your life than others， but they make you think in different ways which helps you to learn and opens your perceptive when making decisions。

polli ，

everyone should read this book

Christina Ausley ，

While very occasionally I had disagreements with the author’s perspective， wow was this an amazing read for people in their twenties， people looking to make a difference and find purpose in their work， and people who just feel stuck — all without telling what most twenties-focused books tell you， “to just quit your job！”。 This quick read is an incredibly practical approach to finding meaningful work and finding people who will support you along the way。 Absolutely would recommend to anyone who d While very occasionally I had disagreements with the author’s perspective， wow was this an amazing read for people in their twenties， people looking to make a difference and find purpose in their work， and people who just feel stuck — all without telling what most twenties-focused books tell you， “to just quit your job！”。 This quick read is an incredibly practical approach to finding meaningful work and finding people who will support you along the way。 Absolutely would recommend to anyone who doesn’t know their next step， feels lost at work， or is simply looking for a way to make their work more impactful。 This book， on the flip side， really made me appreciate the work I currently do even more， and made me value my teammates， all while showing me how I can be an even more impactful individual in the workplace。 。。。more

Ashley Bonzani ，

Disappointed I spent time reading this， to be honest。 Advice seemed quite privileged and shallow。 I don’t care for motivational speakers so maybe that’s my fault in assuming more。

Nicole ，

The only reason I read this was bc it was a failed attempt at gifting an audiobook to a friend。 Since it was in my library I decided to read it， and I wish I didn't。 I would've DNF'd this but hey， I can at least justify my one-star rating。I listen to audiobooks at 1。7x speed which put this one at 3 hours and 32 minutes。 However， this took me DAYS to finish。 It's just。。。unbearable。 This is incredibly far from an inspiring rags-to-riches story; it is surface-level， classist， and tone-deaf "advice" The only reason I read this was bc it was a failed attempt at gifting an audiobook to a friend。 Since it was in my library I decided to read it， and I wish I didn't。 I would've DNF'd this but hey， I can at least justify my one-star rating。I listen to audiobooks at 1。7x speed which put this one at 3 hours and 32 minutes。 However， this took me DAYS to finish。 It's just。。。unbearable。 This is incredibly far from an inspiring rags-to-riches story; it is surface-level， classist， and tone-deaf "advice" from a self-righteous author who loves telling everybody how successful he is。 I would not recommend this to anyone， there are far better self-help/personal growth books out there （ie: The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch， If You Feel Too Much by Jamie Tworkowski） 。。。more

Bella ，

There was a lot I was able to glean from this book as a 25 year old。 It helped me to look at my occupation and career goals with a new perspective that begged me to ask myself， what do I want out of my 9-5？ How can I get to where I want to be in my career？ There are plenty of practical steps that can help you to reach your goals and resources。The cons to me were that the information was oftentimes disorganized， repetitive and hard to follow。 It also feels， at times， that this book is tailored to There was a lot I was able to glean from this book as a 25 year old。 It helped me to look at my occupation and career goals with a new perspective that begged me to ask myself， what do I want out of my 9-5？ How can I get to where I want to be in my career？ There are plenty of practical steps that can help you to reach your goals and resources。The cons to me were that the information was oftentimes disorganized， repetitive and hard to follow。 It also feels， at times， that this book is tailored towards the author’s demographic-20 and 30-something college grads who’ve found themselves in successful， lucrative positions， but who are dissatisfied and want to transition to a more purpose-driven career。 If this sounds like you， you’ll get a lot of this book。 If it doesn’t， there are still nuggets of helpful information herein。 。。。more

Div Manickam ，

Smiley， a sacred bow to you and your book。This book made me smile。 I always said 2021 is my year of breakthrough。 And having read this book I feel it in my bones。You have given me hope and inspiration to self-publish my first book。 Not sure what it'll take but I'm committed to make it happen。 Thank you for being you。 Thank you for empowering our millennial generation to believe in ourselves and set a path forward。I love the definition of success。 And how you described the feeling to know when yo Smiley， a sacred bow to you and your book。This book made me smile。 I always said 2021 is my year of breakthrough。 And having read this book I feel it in my bones。You have given me hope and inspiration to self-publish my first book。 Not sure what it'll take but I'm committed to make it happen。 Thank you for being you。 Thank you for empowering our millennial generation to believe in ourselves and set a path forward。I love the definition of success。 And how you described the feeling to know when you're fulfilled and content。 To know when it's enough。 Success is what it means to you and you alone。。 not what others think。Today is enough and I'm happy。I highly recommend this book for anyone irrespective of age trying to figure out what to do next。I will hold on to this quote from the book anytime I doubt myself。"Almost everything has already been done， but it hasn’t been done by you， and that’s all that matters。" 。。。more

Sylvie M。 ，

I wonder if the intended audience are reading this book。 I enjoyed reading this book。

Breanne Brocker ，

Probably wouldn't recommend this book。 Some of it was encouraging and made good points about surrounding yourself with people who support you moving forward rather than finding excuses for you to be complacent but a lot of it felt like fluff meant to fill the pages。 It also had a lot of random stories of how people succeeded by making giant leaps in their career， which is great for them but also seems very far fetched for most people。 Like deciding to leave a leading law firm to start a non-prof Probably wouldn't recommend this book。 Some of it was encouraging and made good points about surrounding yourself with people who support you moving forward rather than finding excuses for you to be complacent but a lot of it felt like fluff meant to fill the pages。 It also had a lot of random stories of how people succeeded by making giant leaps in their career， which is great for them but also seems very far fetched for most people。 Like deciding to leave a leading law firm to start a non-profit in some foreign country， yes it's an inspirational story but is it relatable to most people's lives。。 probably not 。。。more

Mélina ，

J'ai sincèrement essayé mais je ne suis vraiment pas fan des livres de croissance personnelle。 C'est intéressant les petits exercices au fil des chapitres。 J'ai sincèrement essayé mais je ne suis vraiment pas fan des livres de croissance personnelle。 C'est intéressant les petits exercices au fil des chapitres。 。。。more

p ，

4。5 Stars！Wow， I absolutely loved this book。 I actually bought it sometime in 2020， and then it lived on my shelf until I decided to get over myself and deal with things that were bothering me。 This is an ongoing rut I've been in for so long now， and I've never been willing to settle for good enough。 This is a book for anyone who fucking hates their job LOL I 10000000% rec this book to anyone going through a quarter-life crisis， but especially to college students just graduating。 I think college 4。5 Stars！Wow， I absolutely loved this book。 I actually bought it sometime in 2020， and then it lived on my shelf until I decided to get over myself and deal with things that were bothering me。 This is an ongoing rut I've been in for so long now， and I've never been willing to settle for good enough。 This is a book for anyone who fucking hates their job LOL I 10000000% rec this book to anyone going through a quarter-life crisis， but especially to college students just graduating。 I think college does a great job at educating you in your chosen field， but no so much about the job market and how to navigate through it。 This book has so much practical and concrete advice， and it's written in such a conversational manner that it feels like you're chatting with a friend。 I loved all the exercises， and I genuinely found all the advice to be renewing and helpful。 This is not a book that blindly advises you to quit your paying job and pursue your passion， it is a book that encourages you to pursue your passion as a side project until you can find a stable source of income in your desired field。 It's so good。 It's so helpful。 And it's a reminder that careers， no matter the field， span decades。 It takes hard work and hustle to get where you want to be， but that doesn't mean you never will。 Anyway I encourage everyone to read this book。 I gave it a 4。5 because I found some of the ending chapters weren't as engaging for me personally， but it's such an important， eye-opening， and comforting read。 。。。more

Malavika ，

Had some fun insight， but this isn't really my genre。 Stay tuned for further thoughts on the podcast。 Had some fun insight， but this isn't really my genre。 Stay tuned for further thoughts on the podcast。 。。。more

Anica Bareis-Golumb ，

I agree with many other reviews of this book; the book is definitely written for a certain type of privileged person who is already well connected in professional fields， or for a person who knows that they have a secret dream and want it to become a reality。 It was a less helpful read for someone who isn't sure what path to pursue。 The most useful part of the book are the questions。 I would suggest just flipping through the book for those。 Otherwise the entire book is comprised of anecdotal sto I agree with many other reviews of this book; the book is definitely written for a certain type of privileged person who is already well connected in professional fields， or for a person who knows that they have a secret dream and want it to become a reality。 It was a less helpful read for someone who isn't sure what path to pursue。 The most useful part of the book are the questions。 I would suggest just flipping through the book for those。 Otherwise the entire book is comprised of anecdotal stories that can feel infuriating if you're at the point in your career transition where you aren't sure where to go next。 One positive is that overall this book can encourage a reader with the fact that they aren't alone in their feelings of dissatisfaction with their career 。。。more

Lindsey Mazur ，

Super lovely little resource for this time in life。 At age 27， reading this gave me a lot of useful tips and actionable goal posts。 The exercises and resources really sparked some ideas。 This book is more a reminder to get started on a life of purposeful pursuit， than merely just self-help lit。 I will say a few moments felt redundant， and there were quite a few of the author's showy personal accolades that sometimes felt thrown in just for merit or to prove his own authority， BUT BUT BUT- needle Super lovely little resource for this time in life。 At age 27， reading this gave me a lot of useful tips and actionable goal posts。 The exercises and resources really sparked some ideas。 This book is more a reminder to get started on a life of purposeful pursuit， than merely just self-help lit。 I will say a few moments felt redundant， and there were quite a few of the author's showy personal accolades that sometimes felt thrown in just for merit or to prove his own authority， BUT BUT BUT- needless to say， I enjoyed the takeaways。 。。。more

Tom ，

I chose a perfect time to read this; today began my journey on a new lily pad。 I love how the author clearly states that climbing the corporate ladder doesn't exist anymore， because even though I did take a few steps up some ladders， me finding other jobs had always been a new lily pad instead。 Something that's familiar， but not too familiar that I'm not doing the same job over and over。The only reason why I'm giving the book a lower rating than most is that a lot of the self-help books I read i I chose a perfect time to read this; today began my journey on a new lily pad。 I love how the author clearly states that climbing the corporate ladder doesn't exist anymore， because even though I did take a few steps up some ladders， me finding other jobs had always been a new lily pad instead。 Something that's familiar， but not too familiar that I'm not doing the same job over and over。The only reason why I'm giving the book a lower rating than most is that a lot of the self-help books I read in my lifetime， the same logical explanation is being used （besides the lily pad metaphor）。 I'm aware of hustling hard and keep going and creating a vision board so you have something to look at while accomplishing your goals。 This book would be geared towards people who are going through a quarter-life crisis that needs that extra push to get them out moving， and I've already read one too many of those books to know where my motivation needs to be。 （Granted， the book is written that it's pretty easy to understand and provides enough real-life examples。） 。。。more

Margarita Malixi ，

Loved this book。 Had everything I needed！！

Jon Phang ，

Adam gives really good insight in regards to life and ideas about modern youth career planning

Chukwudike C-Madù ，

Probably the most practical self help book for any twenty something year old！

Laura Smail ，

“Always ignore people who tell you not to pursue your dreams。 Almost everything has already been done， but it hasn’t been done by you， and that’s all that matters。” ~ @whatsupsmileyIt was barely 8:00 a。m。 and his phone was ringing off the hook。 A long sigh echoed from the other side of my cubicle as a tired young man reached over to answer the first of many calls that day。 My overworked colleague searched for words to soothe the stressed caller while drafting an agency-wide email and trying to f “Always ignore people who tell you not to pursue your dreams。 Almost everything has already been done， but it hasn’t been done by you， and that’s all that matters。” ~ @whatsupsmileyIt was barely 8:00 a。m。 and his phone was ringing off the hook。 A long sigh echoed from the other side of my cubicle as a tired young man reached over to answer the first of many calls that day。 My overworked colleague searched for words to soothe the stressed caller while drafting an agency-wide email and trying to fit in a last-minute meeting request on his boss’s full calendar。This was Adam Poswolsky’s daily grind before he had his breakthrough。Adam （a。k。a。 Smiley） defines a breakthrough as “a moment of opportunity and possibility when you discover why you’re doing what you’re doing and what you want to give to the world。” For my former coworker， that moment came when a friend asked him， “Why would you be doing anything less than maximizing your potential in life？”Smiley’s lightbulb moment led him to write “The Quarter-Life Breakthrough，” a career book for millennials that redefines our basis for making important decisions， like which job opportunity to accept， when to leave a position， and whether or not to pursue grad school。Breaking from tradition， Smiley asserts that play-it-safe career advice from friends and coworkers can actually prevent you from stepping into your breakthrough and discovering your true vocational calling。 Unlike other career books， Smiley’s goal is not to help you land a new job lickety-split。 On the contrary， Smiley challenges his readers to carefully consider whether an opportunity would be a good match based on four personal criteria: gifts， community， impact， and quality of life。Smiley writes from his own experience and shares the good， the bad， and the ugly。 Full of honesty and free from pretense， Smiley’s words resonate with anyone who has ever questioned what’s next。 It doesn’t matter if you’re new to the workforce or a seasoned veteran， I promise you will have a lightbulb moment when you read “The Quarter-Life Breakthrough。” 。。。more

Faith Dismuke ，

I could only get past the intro and the first 30 pages。 Although the book mentions in the intro that it is not a “selling dreams“ type of book， The constant feel of the book is go after your passion and how you feel。 The advice is not particularly practical or helpful in actually going into the job market。Even as a motivational book the examples are not as motivating。 Many of the examples in the beginning are about individuals who were already in a very established position。 Although their stori I could only get past the intro and the first 30 pages。 Although the book mentions in the intro that it is not a “selling dreams“ type of book， The constant feel of the book is go after your passion and how you feel。 The advice is not particularly practical or helpful in actually going into the job market。Even as a motivational book the examples are not as motivating。 Many of the examples in the beginning are about individuals who were already in a very established position。 Although their stories are presented as them being risktakers， the individuals all had significant safety nets that many who are going through a quarter life crisis do not have。 Every self-help book has his audience。 I do not feel like I am this particular audience。 。。。more

Kerri ，

With books like these， I so often feel like I intuitively know everything the author will speak about in these books and don't discover anything new — but just need to see it on the page as a giant structured reminder。 Some of the exercises were interesting， as were the anecdotes; nothing unpredictable。 Most takeaways were fairly surface-level and some parts showed author slightly out of his depths （i。e。 Grad School section）。 Overall， pleasant enough writing and some charming moments。 With books like these， I so often feel like I intuitively know everything the author will speak about in these books and don't discover anything new — but just need to see it on the page as a giant structured reminder。 Some of the exercises were interesting， as were the anecdotes; nothing unpredictable。 Most takeaways were fairly surface-level and some parts showed author slightly out of his depths （i。e。 Grad School section）。 Overall， pleasant enough writing and some charming moments。 。。。more

Stephanie Thoma ，

This is a great book for anyone hovering around age 25 to read。 Also， if you're in SF or wanting to get to SF， plenty of restaurant-specific recs to spark a book of its own！I appreciated how Smiley name-dropped orgs he's worked with to help get his foot in the door and career off-the-ground and breaks down the process of how he got to where he is: TEDx speaker， published author， that it took 8 drafts to get this book right， and all。Takeaways:- Ask yourself "What do you love about yourself？ When This is a great book for anyone hovering around age 25 to read。 Also， if you're in SF or wanting to get to SF， plenty of restaurant-specific recs to spark a book of its own！I appreciated how Smiley name-dropped orgs he's worked with to help get his foot in the door and career off-the-ground and breaks down the process of how he got to where he is: TEDx speaker， published author， that it took 8 drafts to get this book right， and all。Takeaways:- Ask yourself "What do you love about yourself？ When was the last time you were really happy？ Cried？" or "What life events made you question how you see the world？"- Don't wait for permission to find meaning in your current job- Start what you love as a side gig and instead of going all-in FT， perhaps you can find that exact job already exists- Job Search resources: ReWork， 50 ways to get a job， B lab， Escape the city， Gamechangers 500， 80，000 hours， Imperative， General Assembly， Experience Institute， The Muse。- Want to write a book and self-publish？ Crowd-fund it in Kickstarter like Smiley did！- Go to grad school if your NEED to in order to fulfill your purpose。- When you build up the skills you need to distinguish yourself from the crowd， you can reach your potential。- Make a list of companies in your area of expertise and see if you can build a mission-aligned partnership。- Invest in a breakthrough community like StartingBloc- Apply to be a motivational speaker via CAMPUSPEAK 。。。more

Bobbie Jo ，

Encourage everyone to read！ Very insightful。

Mahikanth Nag ，

Must read if you are afraid of doing what you really want to do in your life。

Lai War ，

Very good book

Riel Reyes ，

I started reading the book a day after my 24th birthday， the beginning of my mid-20s。 The book worked for me in a way that it validated my ideals and practices in life rather than become an instruction manual that just ask you to do things。 While it doesn't bloat you with alienating terms as it is well-written， Smiley addressed adulting issues pretty well that it felt like he was talking to me。 My favorite was the guy who rode his bike everyday to wander who ended up getting a job because he tal I started reading the book a day after my 24th birthday， the beginning of my mid-20s。 The book worked for me in a way that it validated my ideals and practices in life rather than become an instruction manual that just ask you to do things。 While it doesn't bloat you with alienating terms as it is well-written， Smiley addressed adulting issues pretty well that it felt like he was talking to me。 My favorite was the guy who rode his bike everyday to wander who ended up getting a job because he talked to a lot of people along his way to where he's going。 。。。more

Zaya ，

If you've ever read any self-help books， you have already heard a lot of the information here。 It was fine。 If you've ever read any self-help books， you have already heard a lot of the information here。 It was fine。 。。。more

Sonia ，

Quite an optimistic， uplifting book if you're currently re-evaluating where you are in your career in your 20s/30s。 Not entirely 'feel good' however; this book also gives you very practical， concrete steps you can take to start figuring out what to do next if you're currently living a life that isn't aligned to your values （and that these values will continuously shift， and that's okay too）。 The most useful parts of these books were the end of chapter 'thought exercises'。 The wide perspective fr Quite an optimistic， uplifting book if you're currently re-evaluating where you are in your career in your 20s/30s。 Not entirely 'feel good' however; this book also gives you very practical， concrete steps you can take to start figuring out what to do next if you're currently living a life that isn't aligned to your values （and that these values will continuously shift， and that's okay too）。 The most useful parts of these books were the end of chapter 'thought exercises'。 The wide perspective from over 20 interviews was also helpful as a reminder that there is 'no one way' that is the best -- it all comes down to what's best for -you-。 It could be entrepreneurship， it could be social work， it could be the corporate world， it could be working in a big MNC。。。I found this book motivating for getting me thinking about what my values are， and what's currently lacking in my life today that I could start taking small steps towards building。 Not widely life-changing; but certainly encouraging and points you in the right directions。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Quarter-Life Breakthrough

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Quarter-Life Breakthrough&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Quarter-Life Breakthrough&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0