Join getAbstract to access the summary!

Take Control of Your Life

Join getAbstract to access the summary!

Take Control of Your Life

How to Control Fate, Luck, Chaos, Karma and Life's Other Unruly Forces

McGraw-Hill,

15 min read
10 take-aways
Audio & text

What's inside?

Forget chaos, luck, and karma, you can control your life with planning and effort (not that good luck wouldn’t help).

auto-generated audio
  • 0.5×
  • 0.75×
  • 1×
  • 1.25×
  • 1.5×
  • 1.75×
1×
auto-generated audio

Editorial Rating

7

Qualities

  • Applicable
  • Concrete Examples

Recommendation

For most of this book, Dr. Richard Shoup explains the mysterious forces that cause people to believe that they don’t control their own lives. He defines chaos, luck, and karma, and gives readers strategies they can use to exert control over these life forces. These descriptions are interesting, but the most useful section is the seven-step action plan for taking control of your life at the back of the book. This simple guide is useful for anyone making a significant life change, from losing weight to taking up a new career. Shoup cites many examples and clearly believes anyone can change. He is upbeat but realistic about the challenges that change presents. The book offers a process, not a “quick fix,” but if you or someone close to you is on the cusp of a serious change or needs encouragement to take control, getAbstract recommends this book to you.

Summary

Forces that Affect Your Life

If you want to take control of your life, first you have to understand the forces that affect you: chaos, luck, “flow,” and karma. If you can understand chaos, you can thrive on it. Expect chaos. Things are always going to happen that force you to change your plans. However, an unexpected change is not always a setback. Often these events can turn into something wonderful. When you welcome disruption, you are more likely to be open to opportunities for positive personal changes.

Luck is very similar to chaos, in that both can bring good or bad circumstances, and neither seems to be controllable. The difference between the two is interpretation. Chaos is the steady stream of events. The way you interpret these events is luck. Being stuck in heavy traffic could be bad luck. If, as you sit in traffic, you hear something intriguing on the radio, you might consider yourself lucky to be there. Luck is your personal interpretation of neutral events. To view luck positively, have faith that something good will happen.

Trust your intuition. If you act as your intuition tells you to, you will often get positive results. Don’t wait for luck ...

About the Author

Dr. Richard Shoup is a psychotherapist and a Presbyterian minister. He is an authority on bringing a new perspective to career transitions, human relationships, and life changes. He is cofounder of the Vocare Group, which offers seminars on career transformation using spiritual and psychological tools.

Comment on this summary