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Edit: 27/03/2015

This book IS the holy grail, the one that rules them all! Re-reading it I have found that it contains concentrated wisdoms taught by all the wise people such as Tony Robbins, Brené Brown, Jonathan Fields, Sage Grayson, Beate Chelette etc... And yet it's nearly 40 years old!!
It contains concrete and easy to follow instructions and exercises. It's not some la-dee-da self help book, it's a very practical tool to get s**t done!
I know I will need to go back over and over again to various chapters depending on what I might be struggling with.

Here's what's inside in a nutshell:

Part 1: The first chapter will tell you whether you need to keep reading or not if you don't yet know. This part gently unravels your current situation and how you got there. As I see it - it's about the necessity to briefly look back in order to move forward. If you feel stuck or unhappy and don't know why - chances are you should read this bit.

Part 2: Full of exercises, you will have to do a lot of thinking, imagining and writing as you go through this chapter (don't just keep reading, play along). It is designed to help you figure out what you REALLY want and what your "style" is. As someone in a creative field these exercises were excellent groundwork to determine my personal branding, among other things. The case study examples will give you a better idea of all the possibilities. Sher also provides tools for dealing with innate shortcomings you uncovered in Part One and facing the inevitable obstacles that arise as you dream up your great big goals. Trust the process, you will gain a lot of clarity from this chapter.

Part 3: Amazing tools on how to brainstorm, figure things out and find help. In this chapter Sher helps you break down the seemingly impossible path toward your dreams and goals into gradual steps and actions. Suddenly the unachievable seems quite do-able and if you follow all the advice you will find great motivation to jump in and start taking first steps. Just take the time to go through with all the questions & brainstorming, it's worth it.

Part 4: First aid against gremlins and fear that will inevitably strike. This is the chapter to read and re-read once you've started working toward your goal. It also contains invaluable advice on setting up your support system & explains possible resistance you might face and how to deal with it. Do not disregard the part about the buddy system, it's definitely helpful to have someone to keep you accountable.

I would love to know if there is a website or blog somewhere that collects all the "success stories" that grew out of this book. It would be a fascinating and motivating read.


2014:
Finished this book and now I have to turn it around and start over again.
This is the most amazing slap-in-your-face honest and yet warm-encouraging-hug resource for anyone wanting to make s**t happen.
If you are grappling with an existential crisis or wondering what to do with your life - read this. If you have suddenly realized you need to change course and want to set up an action plan - read this!
If for nothing else the book provides amazing tools for brainstorming sessions. And let me just say: I can't believe this book was published in 1979! It is still so very relevant it's almost sad.