Cure for the Common Life

Posted Sun Mar 19, 2006 in Books

Wife brought Cure for the Common Life by Max Lucado home from the local public library for me. I’ve been struggling with my work life for awhile, and she recognized the struggle. And, while it’s too long a story to post here (I won’t bore you), it’s been a time of significant introspection.

I wasn’t sure what to expect from Lucado. However, he has an excellent reputation in Christian circles, so I approached the book with an open mind. I’m nearly through the workbook component at the end as I write.

Cure for the Common Life is a good piece of work. In it, Lucado outlines how to discover and work toward finding your sweet spot in life. He defines the sweet spot as a place in life where all of your unique abilities are focused on your favorite topics under your optimal conditions with the right people in such a way that you will say “Yes!” I can recommend the book heartily to those looking for the sweet spot in their lives. Let me tell you why.

Lucado approaches the problem from two perspectives, internal and external. To find the sweet spot, one must understand that one fits into a larger context and has unique talents to bring to others. This external position is necessary to understand and accept. While Lucado approaches the external context from a Christian perspective, his statements are consistent with other worldviews.

The internal context requires the individual to do a lot of introspection to discover those things, situations, and actions that make work uplifting. Lucado provides instructions and a set of tools to assist the process. The tools are simple, easy to apply, and work. Some time is required, but the investment is worthwhile.

In the end, you will find yourself with a substantial amount of motivational material from the Bible, plus a list of strengths and a context for those strengths, all in a concise package that is short and sweet. You will have your S.T.O.R.Y.—your “Strengths, Topics, Optimal Conditions, Relationships, and Yes!” put together in one short bit of writing. It will be up to you to decide how to implement what you learn, but Lucado offers some suggestions for actions to help get you moving.

Did my analysis teach me anything I didn’t already know about myself? My honest answer is “a bit.” I had a fair grasp of my strengths and skills, some knowledge of the context in which I prefer to apply those abilities, and some understanding of my leadership interests. However, I now have all of those facts in a concise, complete package. I also gained a substantial amount of encouragement from Lucado’s writing.

I can strongly recommend this book for those individuals seeking to find the sweet spot in their work life. The book will work for non-Christians who are tolerant of a Christian worldview. It would also make a good gift to another who is facing those kind of life-struggles, perhaps with an offer for some mentoring. There’s also a section on working with your children to help them find their sweet spot in life.