Come Alive
Reviewed By Janet Mawdesley August 16, 2019
Author Yu Dan Shi
Distributor: Yu Dan Shi
ISBN: 9780648521167
Publisher: Karen McDermott Publishing
Release Date: 2019
Website: https://www.yudanshi.com
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Come Alive is a very topical book with subject material aimed directly at the high achiever from Yu Dan Shi, herself a victim of being a driven high achiever, who has faced her personal crisis, discovered a way through it and emerged, still a high achiever, but now a very different person to the younger, less accepting person, far more driven person she was once.
Born into a family in China during the Cultural Revolution, female children were considered not worthy of schooling, many being taught to barely read and write.
Her parents though were driven by the desire to one day move out of the situation they found themselves in, that of abject poverty, and have a far better life. Yu Dan was fortunate that her family believed strongly in education. She started school at 4 years old, studied industriously, graduating from University at the age of 17 years.
Once again, she was fortunate to be able to leave China in pursuit of a career in the western world, a doorway that was only available for a few short years. Being driven by her parent’s belief in her, her own desire to work hard, earn money and give them a better life, saw her striving ever harder to succeed, to be the best.
Eventually, after she had ticked off so many of the items on her tick list of things she must achieve, she was forced to slow down, learn a painful lesson and begin to take stock of a life that had somehow, failed to bring her the joy she realised was missing from her life; that essential ingredient that would and did make all the different as to how she was to restructure her life.
There is immense sadness throughout this deeply personal story from Yu Dan as she paints a very real picture of life at the top of the Corporate ladder, the immense pressure placed upon people who work at this level, are high achievers and eventually face very real burn-out in their business and personal lives, paying a very high price for failing to take a step back and reassess.
A change of direction after a serious health scare helped provided a clarity that had been missing from her life. Eventually, and after a long struggle with her personal demons, she discovered an enriching way to happiness and meaning as a highly respected and sought-after business mentor and executive coach. In Come Alive she shares the four proven and researched principles, as well as the practical steps to take on change, to be able to face the fear and do it anyway.
Care less is the two-word phrase she uses to sum it all up, which translates to stop caring about what everyone else wants or thinks and start caring about what matters to you as you begin to make sustainable changes in your life.
At the end of each chapter there is a Reflection that is most useful, even to simply use in your daily life a marker for the changes you have made on your journey to working smarter, being happier and enjoying far better, far happier, far more productive life as you Come Alive.