Emily Esfahani Smith: The Power of Meaning – Crafting a Life that Matters,

Penguin Random House UK, Ebury Rider Publishing, Pub date 12. January 2017, hardback, 9781846044649

There are such a vast amount of titles on happiness flooding the book market that one almost feels obliged to be happy or certainly a failure if you are not. What drew me to this book was the title.  “The power of meaning” and its different approach in the field of positive psychology elevated this title from the rest of the pack, the emphasis lying on how to lead a meaningful life which is very different from being happy most of the time.  Emily Esfahani Smith is a journalist with a philosophy degree from Dartmouth; she also has a master in positive psychology which gives her a perfect background.

When she describes in her opening chapter on growing up in a Sufi meeting house her parents ran in Montreal, one realizes how early in life the author was exposed to religion and philosophy and the big questions we all encounter:  what values should I life by, how did the universe come to be, is there anything divine out there, what will bring me fulfillment in my life.  During her research Esfahani Smith found purpose to be one of the most fundamental basics that lead to a meaningful life which made perfect sense to me. She chose narratives of ordinary people, interviewed professionals studying these topics to manifest her research which made this book so easy and inspiring to read while gaining knowledge on how to lead a richer, more satisfying life. 

Four of the most fundamental pillars of leading a meaningful life according to her findings are belonging, purpose, storytelling (which was a big surprise to me but not anymore after I read the chapter) and transcendence.  

Her work is very accessible, inspiring, thought provoking, thoroughly researched and full of insight for those who are on a path of discovery to a meaningful life. The book comes with my unreserved recommendation.