What will I learn about: the three major roadblocks—others' expectations, inaction, and hidden resistance—that prevent you from figuring out your true life's purpose?

Discover the three major roadblocks—others' expectations, inaction, and hidden resistance—that prevent you from figuring out your true life's purpose.

What will I learn about: separate your authentic desires from the noise of family and peer expectations by evaluating the motivations behind your past choices?

Learn how to separate your authentic desires from the noise of family and peer expectations by evaluating the motivations behind your past choices.

What will I learn about: Uncover your personal hidden resistance by designing your ultimate fantasy job and analyzing the negative thoughts that arise when you imagine actually doing it?

Uncover your personal hidden resistance by designing your ultimate fantasy job and analyzing the negative thoughts that arise when you imagine actually doing it.

What will I learn about: Realize that you don't have to quit your day job to follow your dreams; dedicating just a little time each day to your passion can dramatically shift your mindset and happiness?

Realize that you don't have to quit your day job to follow your dreams; dedicating just a little time each day to your passion can dramatically shift your mindset and happiness.

What will I learn about: why outward success doesn't always bring inner fulfillment and how to navigate the fear of changing course when your perfect-looking life leaves you unhappy?

Understand why outward success doesn't always bring inner fulfillment and how to navigate the fear of changing course when your perfect-looking life leaves you unhappy.

I Could Do Anything If I Only Knew What It Was

How to Discover What You Really Want and How to Get It

Barbara Sher with Barbara Smith

★ 4.4 / 5(449 ratings)

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Categories:

Personal Development

If You're Curious About These Questions...

You should listen to this audiobook

💡Have you ever wondered why you feel stuck and directionless, even when you have the talent and drive to succeed at almost anything?
💡What if the real reason you can't figure out what you want isn't a lack of passion, but a hidden internal barrier you haven't even identified yet?
💡Are you curious about how your feelings of 'laziness' or indecision might actually be a sophisticated defense mechanism protecting you from your own success?

Listen to I Could Do Anything If I Only Knew What It Was — Free Audiobook

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Key Takeaways from I Could Do Anything If I Only Knew What It Was

✓Discover the three major roadblocks—others' expectations, inaction, and hidden resistance—that prevent you from figuring out your true life's purpose.
✓Learn how to separate your authentic desires from the noise of family and peer expectations by evaluating the motivations behind your past choices.
✓Uncover your personal hidden resistance by designing your ultimate fantasy job and analyzing the negative thoughts that arise when you imagine actually doing it.
✓Realize that you don't have to quit your day job to follow your dreams; dedicating just a little time each day to your passion can dramatically shift your mindset and happiness.
✓Understand why outward success doesn't always bring inner fulfillment and how to navigate the fear of changing course when your perfect-looking life leaves you unhappy.

Learning Tools

Reinforce what you learned from I Could Do Anything If I Only Knew What It Was

Mind Map

I Could Do Anything If I Only Knew What It Was

Core Obstacles to Finding Purpose+

Overcoming the Need for Safety+

Rethinking Unsatisfying Success+

Navigating Transitions and Loss+

Quiz — Test Your Understanding

Question 1 of 6

According to Barbara Sher, what is the primary reason people struggle to figure out what they want in life?

A. They lack the necessary talent, drive, or intelligence to succeed.
B. They are blocked by personal obstacles like expectations, non-action, and hidden resistance.
C. They read too much self-help literature instead of actively pursuing their dreams.
D. They set their initial goals too high and become easily discouraged by failure.

Question 2 of 6

Why does the author argue that taking action is crucial, even when you don't yet know what your goal is?

A. It guarantees that you will immediately discover your true passion on the first try.
B. It proves to your family and peers that you are no longer bound by their expectations.
C. It helps eliminate what you dislike, raises your confidence, opens doors to luck, and trains your instincts.
D. It exhausts your hidden resistance so that your subconscious mind can think more clearly.

Question 3 of 6

How does the book suggest you identify your personal 'hidden resistance'?

A. By asking the people closest to you what they believe your biggest flaws are.
B. By imagining yourself doing your ultimate fantasy job and noting any uneasy feelings or negative thoughts that arise.
C. By keeping a detailed daily log of the tasks you procrastinate on at your current job.
D. By writing a thorough essay about your past failures to analyze exactly what went wrong.

Question 4 of 6

What key lesson is demonstrated by the story of Jerry, the editor who wanted to be a screenwriter?

A. You must completely quit an unfulfilling job in order to find true happiness and success.
B. Working in a creative field is usually too exhausting to allow for any meaningful side projects.
C. Identifying too closely with a job means you should switch to a completely different industry.
D. Pursuing your passion for just a short time each day can make you happier without sacrificing your sense of security.

Question 5 of 6

For 'fast trackers' who are highly successful but unhappy, what does Sher recommend as a crucial first step before making a major life change?

A. Immediately reducing their working hours to part-time so they have time to think.
B. Tuning into and releasing repressed feelings like anger, fear, and hurt through targeted journaling.
C. Entering a new, unrelated competition to reignite their natural drive and ambition.
D. Selling off their luxury items to immediately adopt a more modest and stress-free lifestyle.

Question 6 of 6

When trying to find a new purpose after a major life transition, what is the purpose of the 'touchstones' exercise?

A. To recall memories of things you enjoyed in five-year increments in order to identify recurring themes in your life.
B. To reach out to old friends and ask them what they remember about your childhood passions.
C. To list all the negative aspects of your past to ensure you don't repeat the same mistakes in your next career.
D. To create a strict five-year financial plan that will support you while you transition to a new field.

I Could Do Anything If I Only Knew What It Was — Full Chapter Overview

1Recommendation
21 — Overcome expectations, inaction, and hidden resistance
32 — Small actions can have a big impact
43 — When success doesn’t satisfy, change direction
54 — Use major life transitions and loss to discover new purpose
65 — Final summary

I Could Do Anything If I Only Knew What It Was Summary & Overview

I Could Do Anything If I Only Knew What It Was (1994) offers practical guidance to help people figure out what they want in life and how to use that knowledge to go after it. It tackles the most common obstacles to goal-setting with exercises and tactics that help people customize an approach that works best for them.

Who Should Listen to I Could Do Anything If I Only Knew What It Was?

People who do not know what they want in life

High achievers who feel like something is missing

Anyone struggling with figuring out their next steps

About the Author: Barbara Sher with Barbara Smith

Barbara Sher was a therapist, career counselor, and business owner who has been called “the godmother of life coaching.” Prior to her death in 2020, her career spanned five decades that included many media appearances, a worldwide network of “Sher’s Success Teams,” and seven books, most notable among them the best-seller Wishcraft, and Live the Life You Love, which won the Books for a Better Life Commission’s top motivational book award.

I Could Do Anything If I Only Knew What It Was

If You're Curious About These Questions...

Listen to I Could Do Anything If I Only Knew What It Was — Free Audiobook

Key Takeaways from I Could Do Anything If I Only Knew What It Was

Learning Tools

Mind Map

Quiz — Test Your Understanding

I Could Do Anything If I Only Knew What It Was — Full Chapter Overview

I Could Do Anything If I Only Knew What It Was Summary & Overview

Who Should Listen to I Could Do Anything If I Only Knew What It Was?

About the Author: Barbara Sher with Barbara Smith

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