Book Review: The Defining Decade
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If you know anything about me, you’ll know my ‘happy place’ is a bookstore, usually the nearest Barnes and Noble. So, it really shouldn’t be a surprise when I went to find an answer to my problem in the nearest psychology and twenty-something section of my favorite bookstore.
In today’s market, there are a lot of ‘adulting’ and quarter-life crisis self and personal development books out there. The Defining Decade should be your first go-to book if you’re not familiar with anything else.
Whether you want to change careers or are trying to find a career that positively influences your personal life, The Defining Decade is a great starting point.
I love this book. As a late-twenty-something, I still reach for this book, even though I originally read this book about 4-5 years ago.
When I first read The Defining Decade, I was going through a lot of grief and instability. I had just lost my dad and was living in a city across the latitude of the United States from my hometown. I was grappling for a secure foothold in my life when I felt like my life was a balancing act.
While it goes into depth about how relationships, careers, and networking can influence your life in your 20s and early 30s, Dr. Meg Jay is great at offering you the steps to create the life you want in your future.
Each case study delves into one aspect of her patient’s life during their twenties. It might revolve around relationships, both romantic or platonic, or delve into how to find a job without really having the qualifications but having enough experience to get you noticed and in the door. Many things overwhelm you as a twenty-something adult, but it doesn’t always have to be that way.
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Dr. Jay separates her book into sections, depending on what you are looking to improve in your life. You can either read it all the way through or pick particular sections. Each section can stand alone, but helps you see the overall effect on how each area of your life can impact your future.
Work is your first section.
As an early twenty-something, you’re most likely a recent graduate or have only been in the workforce for a few years at this point, regardless of your high-school employment. Your professionalism and career are easily shaped in your twenties because you can be taught various things, all while wanting to succeed.
There are ways to adapt to what you have learned or what you desire to do in your professional career. You might know what you want out of your career or you might be testing the waters a bit to find your best fit, but having a weak-tie networking strategy and an ability to learn from experience is a great starting point.
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Next, Dr. Meg Jay delves into Love.
Love is a big factor for twenty-somethings, especially those searching for a relationship. Having that connection and support system feels essential when everyone and their cousin is getting married or engaged on social media.
Love can be hard to define or even see when your approaching or in a quarter-life crisis but Jay allows you to see various case studies that help you identify and determine key courses of action to find your ‘person.’
Last, but not least, is how your body interacts with your mind as a twenty-something.
Being based on psychology, you’d assume that the whole book is about the body and the mind revolving around the life experiences during your twenties. You wouldn’t be wrong on that point either.
Jay shows you how the mind adapts and changes during your twenties and how your decisions and experiences impact your brain’s function and decision-making processes.
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The Defining Decade is not only about getting your sh*t together. Many books focus on what you should be doing to make your life seem more together and successful habits that make you seem more adult.
It not only shows you how your life is developing throughout your twenties, but why it’s important to mold it the way you want to get your desired results. It’s not an easy task, but one that is easier to change and adapt to in your twenties than later in your life.
If you’re on the fence about the paperback or hard-cover edition, The Defining Decade is also a great read on e-readers, tablets, and on audio!
Have you read The Defining Decade? What were some of your favorite pieces of wisdom? If you enjoyed The Defining Decade, see if you’d like any of my other book recommendations from my e-newsletter.
