20-Something, 20-Everything: A Quarter-life Woman's Guide to Balance and Direction Paperback – April 10, 2005

This is an amazing book. I am not the biggest book reader (not since college). I prefer articles on health & news. Anyways, I got this book because while I enjoy my life and I've done many things I'm proud of, I wanted to know what my next step was. My profession is great, but up until this point in my life I was always studying to get to a desired result, certification, or degree. I was and am used to studying something.But right now, I'm truly enjoying the fruits of my labor, taking time for me, & not studying anything. But I got to a point where I wanted more than just 'enjoying life' and want to work towards some type of goal whether it be career or persona-wise because there's always room for improvement. I just didn't know what that next step of progression in my career or sense of self should be. So I got this book because I wanted to delve into the reasons as to why I was feeling this way.This book has opened my eyes to my feelings and things/events in my past or in my family tree that contribute to my personality, work ethic, thinking patterns, etc.I definitely recommend this book to 20-something women whether they are self-proclaimed readers or not. This book makes you reflect on yourself and makes for amazing conversation with your friends, significant other, siblings, mentors, and parents.

I don't write too many reviews on books, or anything for that matter...But I just finished this book after savoring it in a slow read for the last month and I have to say... It is one of the best books I have ever. I'm twenty-seven and this book is exactly what I needed when I needed it. I wish I would have read this book in my early twenties because I would be many years wiser back then if I would have really chewed on everything in this book. She is very wise and offers so much helpful advice, not too mention the stories of her life and others going through the same twenty something process is both refreshing and comforting knowing... I'm not the only one with these fears, struggles, confusions, and feelings of being lost. At the end she also gives awesome references for more books that will helps give direction and wisdom. I plan on reading those too. I know this book is a little older, and there might be newer resources on the subject but the information in no way is outdated and its wisdom for the years to come that I believe are timeless. I am very happy on this read... I took so much from it, it gave me a fresh perspective on myself and my own journey from past to present and future.

I love this book so far because it starts off with reflecting on our own families and the past. I like that I have written exercises to go along with which makes it seem that it's not just something to read and forget. I just started and on the first two exercises but love it already 😉

This is perhaps the hardest book I've ever read, and I havent' even finished it. I'm accustomed to books giving you the answers as you lazily read along. This one is completely different. This is a guided workbook into your soul. It tackles your childhood, where you got your expectations from, who you have been at different times and in different circumstances of your life, what you want, what you think you want, why you think you want what you think you want... This book has some reading, but it's mainly guided exercises. I would highly recommend having a specific notebook for "20 Something" and all the activities. The results are amazing and far reaching and requires complete honesty and unveiling. It clarifies who you are and what you want for all aspects of your life: career, family and personal relationships. This is a great read for all young women, but this is not by any means a "beach book". This requires concentration and dedication.

To be honest, I struggled with this book. Not because it wasn't well written but more so because I am 23 and have a good job. I don't feel "lost" in my career to be soul searching for the right direction to go in life. I think that's what this book is more geared towards. However, that said it was a nicely written book and I could see where it could be useful to others.

My belief is Christine does not just give to the reader but simultaneously provides the space for individuals to truly process life in their 20s. Moreover, she allows those beyond their twenties the space to reflect, question and confront what was, in the hope of providing insight for individuals currently in their 20s that can be influenced.The book is not just an educational tool for outlining aspects of the process of living in your 20s. It is a literary mastery that allows any reader regardless of gender the opportunity to explore, experience, personalize, and actualize their own lives while striving to live optimally.Furthermore, the strongest component aside from the aforementioned is it allowed me the chance to think about affects that I never provided the space or time for in an experiential manner. I feel that Christine has a succinct and effective writing style. She has this inimitable ability to convey a direct message that explicates understanding of living in the uncertain 20's during the 21st century. Lastly, the abundance of exercises throughout allows for preparing and normalzing the individual experience in a candid way.Thank you.Jay M. Greenfeld, M.A.PhD Program, Counseling Psychology

Amazing amazing bookFor anyone who's on the path of self discovery and quarter life crisis. It has answers to most of your issues. Please do everything it says and u'll be a different person as u read the last page.

Great book if you're looking to do some personal self-reflection. Lots of activities to complete. Book really is only helpful if you are willing to put time into it.

It was easy to read. It was broken into different topics that vould be read in bite size pieces. I didnt like the fact that it had pop quizes in the middle of the book but thats just me

This book is really great. I recently read another book about how your twenties are really important and how you should use them to set up your life (It's called The Defining Decade, and is also recommended!). It got me thinking about my life, and if I think about it, probably that book set off a spark of worrying that I wasn't doing enough and that my life wasn't successful enough. I was doing all this soul searching and getting nowhere really, so I bought this book in the hope it would settle me back down into a path towards being 'the kind of person I'd like to be by 30' (which I think was the premise of the Defining Decade.)And it did! The book is really, really full of different exercises that you have to do to explore your belief systems, who you are, what you want and so on. So I was taking them really seriously and writing a bunch of stuff in a journal. As I went along I skipped one or two of them because believe me there are a lot and you can't exactly do all of them in 5 minutes. She expects you to interview people, find mentors, do visualisation exercises, write a LOT and then go back over things and rate them or rethink them. Which is great actually because it's halfway towards getting real counselling or therapy, not just a book. But sometimes you can't necessarily be bothered to do them all, then you get freaked out and think you should be doing them or the book won't work.But later on there's a chapter where she tells you that you have to get rid of the word SHOULD and stop building your life around other people's expectations anyway.About halfway through the book, when I compared myself with some of the expectations and dilemmas that she uses to illustrate the problems of most 20-something women, I realised I really don't have any of these dilemmas and it's all pretty simple after all. I looked back at my initial list of things I thought I wanted, picked out the most important ones, and now I'm just working towards them. Not sure exactly what it was that did it, but I feel like the exercises made me get things out and prioritise them which was what I needed apparently.Great book. Totally recommended if you want to do a little self-therapy and work out your life!!

Viel ist schon über die sogenannte Quarterlife Crisis gespottet worden. Ein Phänomen der Überflussgesellschaft, so meint man, in der die Jugend die Vielzahl von Möglichkeiten, die sich ihr bieten, nie so richtig wertschätzen gelernt hat. Woher die Ursachen stammen lassen wir hier dahingestellt; Fakt ist: Niemand hat den Seelenzustand, in dem ich mich seit über einem Jahr befinde, jemals besser in Worte gefasst als Christine Hassler. Aufmerksam wurde ich auf sie durch einen Klick in der Suchmaschine. Der Begriff 'Quarterlife Crisis' lieferte auf einer der hinteren Ergebnisseiten einen Link zu einem Artikel der amerikanischen Online-Bloggerzeitung Huffington Post. Autor: Christine Hassler. Thema: Quarterlifers und ihre Schwierigkeiten mit sich selbst und der Welt. Wer nicht nachvollziehen kann, wie viel mehr an Qual jede zusätzliche Auswahloption mit sich bringen kann (sei es der Karriereweg, Beziehungen zu Liebespartnern oder den Eltern, oder so abstrakte Dinge wie Geldanlage oder Rentenversicherung), der schätze sich glücklich. Er war entweder stets zufrieden mit dem, was andere für ihn entschieden haben, oder er hatte tatsächlich die Selbstdisziplin, sich aus eigenem Antrieb mit diesen Belangen grundlegend auseinanderzusetzen, und im vollen Bewusstsein der Tragweite seiner Entscheidungen seinen Kurs zu setzen. Ich gehörte zu keiner dieser Fraktionen. Das 'sichere' Studienfach passte nicht zu mir; ich wählte es ab und schrieb mich dafür in zwei Orchideenfächer ein. Nun war ich glücklich, aber mit Ende des Studiums traf mich die Unsicherheit meiner beruflichen Zukunft und meiner fehlenden finanziellen Sicherheit. Auf einmal wusste ich gar nichts mehr und noch weniger wusste ich, wie ich nun weitermachen sollte. Beziehugen verliefen mal mehr, mal weniger desaströs, und mein schlechtes Gewissen wuchs ins Grenzenlose, weil ich die aufrichtigen, ehrlichen und wohlmeinenden Gefühle, die mir entgegengebracht wurden, nicht aus vollem Herzen erwidern konnte. Fragen der Geldanlage überließ ich dem Fachmann von der Bank. Zu meinem Glück bin ich nicht an eine 'Spielernatur' geraten, aber ich verstand nicht wirklich, was er mit meinem Geld tat und warum. Christine Hassler widmet sich dem, was sie das 'Twenties Triangle' nennt: Wer bin ich, was will ich, und wie bekomme ich das, was ich will? Zahlreiche Übungen geben dem Leser einen Anhaltspunkt zur Beantwortung dieser Fragen. Sie widmet sich besonders intensiv den Bereichen Berufswahl/Karriere und Liebe; in erster Linie geht es ihr aber darum, dem Leser eine Anleitung zu geben, sich selbst und seine Bedürfnisse grundlegend kennen zu lernen, um aufbauend auf diesen Erkenntnissen Entscheidungen zu treffen, die für ihn selbst am besten sind. Ihr ist wichtig, den Leser anzuregen, eine "Ich sollte/müsste eigentlich/brauche unbedingt"-Mentalität abzulegen und stattdessen auf "Ich will/fühle mich wohl mit" zu setzen. Dabei ist sie allerdings keineswegs naiv und verschließt auch nicht die Augen vor der Realität. Ein ganzes Kapitel ist der Erstellung eines sicheren finanziellen Fundaments gewidmet, inklusive Tipps zur Schuldenreduzierung und zur Geldanlage. Mehrmals betont sie, dass 'seiner Leidenschaft folgen' nicht automatisch finanziellen Erfolg beschert, und dass Gefühle der Unzufriedenheit manchmal schon mit minimalen Änderungen verschwinden. Ändern allerdings muss man in einer solchen Lage fast immer etwas: Sei es nun grundlegende Lebensbausteine, kleineres Füllwerk, oder vielleicht auch nur den Blickwinkel darauf, wann das Gebäude 'gut' ist. Ich halte '20 Something - 20 Everything' für ein sehr kluges und hilfreiches Buch. Es bietet Hilfe zur Selbsthilfe. Die Fragen nach dem, was für den eigenen Lebensweg am besten ist, kann jeder nur für sich selbst beantworten. Christine Hassler aber liefert einen Leitfaden, anhand dessen man die (angeblich) lebenslang nachklingenden Entscheidungen des ersten Lebensviertels aus einer soliden Mischung aus Verantwortungsbewusstsein und Bauchgefühl heraus treffen kann - und so das überwältigende Gefühlschaos dieser Zeit durchschifft, ohne zu kentern. Ich empfehle das Buch uneingeschränkt weiter. Allerdings muss der Leser die Bereitschaft zur aktiven Mitarbeit mitbringen und sich intensiv mit Christine Hasslers Übungen auseinandersetzen. Die Erkenntnisse können unter Umständen an Grundfesten dessen rütteln, auf das man bisher sein Leben aufgebaut hat, und einen unter Umständen mit mehr Fragen als Antworten zurücklassen. Aber die Autorin fängt fast jedes Gefühl von Panik und Unsicherheit in beruhigend klaren Worten auf und regt an, aktiv gerade auch diejenigen Bereiche in Ordnung zu bringen, die einem momentan noch am meisten Bauchschmerzen bereiten. Ich glaube, ich bin auf einem guten Weg.