Finding the Quest That Will Bring Purpose to Your Life

Filled with anecdotal evidence, this book is nothing more than a recount of people who decided to pursue their "calling" and found meaning through it. It is a poor attempt at teaching you that humans are programmed to work towards goals and that we find deep enjoyment in doing so. Anyone is better off reading Flow.

PROS- profiles of real people, good analysis and take-away nuggets at each chapter end, and instructive appendices;
CONS- a bit imperative, author a bit of an enigma, got tired of hearing about continual travel.

This book is about how to focus your life on a productive quest so as to make it happen. One thing that attracted me to reading this book is that I was interested in reading about real people and their life choices, for this was something that attracted me to a book I enjoyed years ago, Po Bronson's What Should I Do with My Life?: The True Story of People Who Answered the Ultimate Question . But I didn't expect the degree to which the author has analyzed and synthesized the topics into a set of principles that uses these profiles as illustrations, makes the book even more contentful.

Each chapter focuses on some aspect of pursuing a life quest, uses several people as examples, and then closes with some summarizing principles. He addresses practicalities by suggesting how to think about blue-sky goals, such as breaking into pieces, so as to make them become accomplishable. Especially useful is ways in which people have adjusted their finances for their quests, or adjusted their quest to fit their finances, some methods of which are extremely clever. In contrast, Bronson's book was simply a compilation of profiles along with observations. Like Bronson's book, I found it refreshing to learn about all these different people and their life decisions, but the real strength of Guillebeau's book is organizing it by issue rather than interviewee, the many practical suggestions, and the level of analysis.

The one thing which I found hard to take is his frenetic approach to life. Some of the profiles reveal an unrealistic degree of obsession (e.g. one person a tree-sitter for over a year; another not speaking for 17 years). Consequently, some of the conclusions that suggest to do things this way, or that way, come off like a list of imperative commands that not everyone could fulfill. Also, the author's description of his project to visit each country of the world feels lonely and hollow, and I got tired of it -- I feel like there is some grounding to his life which is missing.

Also, to me the title seems a bit unrepresentative of the actual content of the book: only the beginning is about why questing induces happiness. And to me the subtitle seems incorrect: it is not so much about finding your quest, as it is figuring out how to manage and accomplish the quest that has meaning to you.

Still, it is impressive how deeply the author has considered the questions and extracted useful conclusions, and it is rewarding to read and absorb the lessons and observations. This is one of the few books I have read with a pencil in hand to highlight.

This is a quick airplane or treadmill read that can be inspirational for those who are inclined toward having a quest, which for Guillebeau is a purpose, a calling or a mission. It has a clear goal and specific end point, presents a clear challenge, requires sacrifice and a series of small steps and incremental progress toward the goal. Guillebeau intersperses compelling tales of his own quest to visit every country in the world with those of other folks, like sailing around the world solo, or seeing as many bird species as possible, shooting and publishing one million photographs, and many others. He dispenses some helpful advice to those who would embark on their own quests regarding ways to fund the dream, when to keep going and when to stop, and the importance of finding people who believe in the quest. While the author's personal quest was certainly worth reading, some of the others bogged down a bit. The relation of the quest to Joseph Campbell's hero myth or Jungian scholar James Hillman's Soul's Code was begging to be mentioned, but never was because the book never got to that level of exploration; it remained surprisingly superficial. The assertion that everyone has a calling or a mission doesn't ring true. Those of us who do are lucky and this book isn't likely to have much of an effect. Those who don't won't find one by reading this.

This book immediately intrigued me from the title. I often get into little “life ruts” & feel like I could be doing more with myself. I feel like I don’t have enough excitement & purpose in my life. Chris’s goal was to visit every country by the age of 35 & he succeeded! WOW! I am a big traveler & reading about what he’s accomplished gets my wheels turning!

This book is about finding the quest that will bring purpose to your life. The author starts by talking about what a quest is & how it’s different than a short-term goal. It’s not something you’re going to accomplish in a day. With a quest, there’s a clear challenge & a specific endpoint. Quitting smoking or losing weight aren’t things he considers a quest. He says you should think big & avoid fuzzy goals. The author brings up Aesop’s Fables & Arabian nights, classic stories about quests, which is a neat way to think about it. He says, “Quests bring meaning and fulfillment to our lives.”

The book then goes on to short stories about other people’s quests, all of which got me thinking about my own life. Throughout the stories are lessons and tidbits of advice from the author. He goes into a lot of detail about finding your quest & how to dream big.

I found this to be a very enjoyable, inspiring read. It got me to think deeper about my own life, change my perspective on life, and get me out of my blah feeling rut. This book got to me to think more seriously about the things I want to accomplish in life, not just as a passing thought. Now to find my quest!

I received this book in exchange for my honest review.

The happiness of Pursuit is an interesting story of a life quest for the author of his goal to visit close to 200 countries which he accomplished before the age of thirty-five. The author also profiles over 50 other stories like the lady that when she was a teen she visited overseas, but since she was married and had children that was beyond her realms of possibility. She decided instead to create meals from her overseas ventures using the alphabet as a guide starting with A.B.C etc. The family thoroughly enjoyed that adventure. There are many quests like this one to enjoy reading about. You may feel like choosing one the quests in this book and make it your own or be inspired to create your own vision of what it would be like to go on your own journey.
Chris Guillebeau is a New York Times best selling author and has a great job of making these stories jump off the page and make the reader feel like he was in the midst of the journey as it unfolds.
I truly enjoyed this story and highly recommend it.
I received this book for free from the publisher for my honest review.

As a fellow writer on topics of personal development, I opened "The Happiness of Pursuit" with a healthy dose of skepticism. I was expecting a sort of "cure for the bored and privileged" story of hipsters and such.

Man, was I ever wrong. And very happily so.

Sure, there are people he profiles in the book who had the advantages of wealth or societal position. But there were many who didn't. Some were solo quests, some were group endeavors. There were stories of tragedy and love and a lot of humor and most of all story after story of human kindness. This is a book that helps restore your faith in the human capacity for both incredible achievement and astonishing generosity.

At the same time it is more than simply a series of anecdotes (including many from Chris' own quest to visit every country in the world). He examines the motivations behind quests, the processes by which people attempt, fail, or accomplish them. It's a methodical, scientific approach, pulling out common factors and then presenting them in a way that the reader can use for themselves.

It is a dangerous book in that way. Early in the book he focused on the premise that everyone needs a quest, something to strive towards. My guard was up instantly, since I'm rather happy with my life the way it is: "The last thing I need is a quest! I have to make sure I do NOT let this book derail me into some fool odyssey that will disrupt my life!" Sure enough, about halfway through I'm thinking things like "Huh, maybe I should take up that 100 pushups challenge after all..." or "I've always wanted to visit Antarctica" (even though I haven't). Chris' engaging and persuasive writing style - talking enough about his own experience to establish credibility without crossing the line into braggodocio - nudges the reader closer and closer over that boundary between "Oh, I couldn't..." and "Why not?"

Most impressive of all, though, is that unlike many other inspiring books, Chris doesn't leave you hanging after the inspiration strikes. He spends a good portion of the book talking realistically about the troubles and barriers that occur during quests, including very specific criteria for identifying when it's best to just quit. He also goes into what to do when you're done - describing that strange feeling of emptiness that occurs when you've done the thing you wanted to do, and are wondering "what next?"

That is possibly the biggest thing that sets this book apart from others in the genre - he covers it all, not just the initial parts, and justifies his initial assertion that everyone does need to find their quest. I thought it was best summed up in one sentence: "Regret is what you should fear the most."

It's a quick and easy read, very entertaining, but I'd recommend taking it slowly and letting each chapter marinate in your thoughts for a while. This is a book, like most of his, that has the potential to change your life if you let it.

Upon returning one recent evening home from a mini vacation I found this book in my pile of mail needing my attention. Anxious to get back into the swing of things and to work I moved through the pile then opened the package containing the book. **Note, anything with the word Happy or Happiness thrills me** I flipped through the book and immediately was pulled in. I thought when I received the book it would be about Chris' adventures as he traveled the world visiting every country, as an avid traveler this sounded like a book I'd love. In reading it I discovered it was so much more.

It is a book about various interesting people, their pursuits and some of their adventures along the way. It's a guide book for anyone wishing to tackle a pursuit or that can't let an idea they have for something that others may find crazy go. It's a book about the highs and lows of doing things that many may find odd but felt totally normal to the persons pursuing them.

Three days later after a marathon read I finished up the book, it had me laughing, it made me dream it also gave me hope for the pursuit that I wish to follow. Most of all it made me happy to know that there are so many people out there doing amazing things.

I hope he writes another book soon with stories of other people's adventures on their pursuits, this is the kind of thing we need more of. Heck if they did a TV show about it, I'd actually turn mine on.

You don't pursue happiness, you find happiness in the pursuit. And what do you pursue? Well, that's where it gets interesting because everyone is different: social work, spending time with your family, scaling mountains, cooking a great meal, solving a hard puzzle at work, ... In short, you find happiness when you are engaged in a meaningful challenge, or adventure - a quest.

What makes a good quest? It has a clear goal, a set of intermediate milestones, it imposes creative constraints, and most importantly, it is a personal journey where the reward is in the pursuit.

"The Happiness of Pursuit" provides a collection of stories about few dozen personal quests - travel around the world, make 10,000 hats, cook a meal from every country, and so on. It's an inspiring read, but ironically it still spends most of the time on the end goal - aka, how do you find a quest - instead of focusing on the pursuit and what makes it worthwhile.

A quest doesn't have to be a large and long-term challenge, it doesn't have to upend your entire lifestyle, or force you to switch jobs. A good quest can be as big or small as you want, as long as its meaningful, measurable, and has an end goal. It would have been great to see more examples, and a framework, for how to identify such quests.

In absence of that, my personal takeaway: a quest is a meaningful challenge or adventure, that has a clear goal, and a set of milestones along the way. A good quest imposes creative constraints and provides a framework that makes it both more meaningful, challenging, and interesting to pursue - a good quest is remarkable. A good quest is measurable and allows you to estimate and document progress, and has a clear and defined end goal. A good quest is a journey and the reward is in the pursuit, not (just) the destination.

“The quest was never about conquering an arbitrary grouping of countries. It was about challenging myself to pursue a big goal, and allowing myself to change as I went along.” the author reflects at the end his quest of visiting 193 countries.

It’s enjoyable, interesting, and easy to read about individuals that took on personal quests. There are 50+ quests discussed and dissected. Some quests like the author’s, the girl who stayed in the tree, the silent man, A-Z dinners from around the world, fifty dates in fifty states, and the walking man are throughout the book. Other quests are mentioned less to make a point.

Despite the fun the author seemed to have with the topic and the inspiring quests it felt like a research paper. The book asks and answers the questions of what is quest, what do all quests have in common, how do they start, what are the challenges, and why. Each question is answered and proven with examples.

The book stayed away from historical and famous people with the exception of a little bit about Jay Leno, Jerry Seinfeld, and Seth Godin. I suspect many superstar athletes, leaders, artists, and more were or are on a quest based on the definitions presented here.

There was a love of numbers. If you can count it and measure it, it might be a quest. How many days can you stay in a tree, miles to run, or countries to visit? This book is not overly spiritual or serendipitous, it’s laid out logically and asks and answers questions logically. I wasn’t inspired to start a quest; however I did feel a bit guilty not having one!

Each chapter ends with three points to remember about quests. The appendixes list quests and people who did them with suggestions for your own.

I received a complimentary copy of the Happiness of Pursuit as part of a Facebook promotion. I had seen the author’s Art of Non-Conformity blog late in his own quest to visit all the countries in the world, and wished I could have followed from an earlier point.

I love the title of the book. From the beginning it made sense tome. Having read Paulo Coelho’s Alchemist earlier this year, which also supports the idea of pursuing your dreams and passions, I realized early on this was a different take on presentation. While Coelho uses a captivating story steeped in deeply religious and cultural principles and legends, Guillebeau’s book is more a catalog of different people who have completed a quest. Their commonality seems to be they had a strong desire to do something for themselves other than the usual, predictable goals of finding a job, completing a degree, earning money, getting married, etc. In most instances the quest grew out of a passion for something and a personal self-imposed challenge, rather than meeting any challenges the world had imposed upon them through common expectations. I thought the stories were interesting, though all seemed to be painted with a wide brush and few details on the intricacies of the quest.

The appendix sums up the entire book quite nicely and the grand take away is that pursuit itself is its own reward, which I think can be true some times, though I would say completing a quest, even if you have to modify it, allows you to move on to something else.

After reading only the first few pages, I was gripped by this book. I've always been the type that constantly needs a project or some big goal to be working towards, but after accomplishing the big goal or finishing a project, there is always the inevitable emptiness and wondering what to do next. I found kindred spirits in this book, from the family that biked from Alaska to the southernmost tip of Argentina to the man on an "Epic Quest of Awesome." I found the stories sprinkled throughout this book to be inspiring and was "wowed" over and over. I found myself telling everyone about the quests others have completed; I found myself planning quests for myself, things I would have never thought possible if I had not read some of the remarkable things that "regular" people have achieved.

The author categorizes types of quests, defines what makes a goal a quest, interviews people who have achieved or are working towards seemingly impossible things. He talks about barriers, unexpected problems, how to choose a quest, and more. If you have ever daydreamed about achieving something big, you will be inspired by this book. While not every example is something you might want to emulate (for example, I would not choose to take a 17 year vow of silence), it is still fascinating to read about these quests. I found myself wishing that there was more information about many of them, but I think that is actually part of the allure of the book - the lesson that you do not need to know everything about another person's quest to appreciate it or to decide what you want to do; in fact, it is impossible to fully understand since it is by definition not your quest.

While some of the advice in the book may seem a bit cliche (e.g. "think outside the box"), I do not really consider this to be an advice or self-help book. If you pick this up wanting step-by-step instructions on how to travel the world, you will be disappointed. However, if you read this book seeking inspiration, you will probably come away with a wealth of ideas. One of the appendices even shows you how to scale-down quests if you are not ready for such a big commitment but want in on the fun. Overall, I would absolutely recommend this book. Make reading this book your first goal, and you will feel empowered to achieve any quest.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

As with the author's last release, The $100 Startup, the thing that sets the two books apart is the manner in which he tells the stories and how he weaves each story throughout each book. He sets up the stories by defining what "quest" means, then by utilizing his better and better writing makes a cohesive case for "finding your own quest."

Chris Guillebeau is not one to dictate from a lofty, golden perch. He lives his writing, which makes the stories contained in "The Happiness of Pursuit" even more meaningful and enjoyable. At the reading of the first line in the book, "It was nearly one a.m. when I stepped off the plane....", you know a challenge is awaiting Chris just around the corner.

One of the highlights (and there are many) is that we are treated by joining him as he finishes his own quest of visiting each country in the world. We join many who have either finished, remade, or are in the process of rethinking their own quests. There are many turned-down pages in this book and I am on my third read. I highly recommend "The Happiness of Pursuit" for valuable lessons in the joy of completion, the pursuit of the journey, and what it takes to actually begin a quest, let alone finishing one.

The concept of this book is interesting, and the title is clever. But that's where the positives start. I'm shocked that the book has gotten so many good reviews so far.

The book as a whole is very shallow. My main problem is that the author doesn't seem to differentiate between pursuits, and the book becomes a list of gimmicky challenges instead of worthwhile pursuits. Examples: visiting a LIST of countries, cooking meals from all the countries, walking across a country, having a date in every state, even making 10 thousand hats. Crossing items of a list may sound motivating, but it the items you're crossing are inherently invaluable, you're wasting your time. Instead, I wish the author's chosen quest would have been to become a better writer.

I had an incredible opportunity to read this book prior to publication. You cannot possibly dislike a book written by Chris, who has been to every country in the world. His books are top notch and powerfully written. I would argue that The Happiness of Pursuit is Chris's best yet. This book has given me a new inspiration to engage in and begin quests individually and with my family.

Although I am working full time, finishing a masters degree, expecting a baby, and paying off thousands to student debt, I have realized that my quests can range from learning to cook fantastic meals to beginning to write to running the R2R at the Grand Canyon. When I began reading I felt a little guilty that I hadn't travelled extensively (I have been to several countries all over Asia), but then it dawned on me further into reading that my quest doesn't have to be something as extravagant as traveling to every country in the world, and that it needs to be meaningful to me.

The stories inside were intriguing, the writing is superb, and most importantly the book is flat out inspiring. If you are one who is on a quest, this book will only inspire you. Simply put, this book is an expansion of the words written by Emerson, "Life is a journey, not a destination." Everyone needs their own quests to pursue. The journey brings pain and hardships that inevitably help us to recognize pure joy.

Buy the book, read it, live it, and share it.

The premiss of this book is interesting and attention grabbing, and ultimately boils down to the idea that happiness is a result of focused pursuit of a goal or goals.

The author's own goal - or 'quest' - is to visit every country on the planet. It's fascinating to read about. In fact, the best part of the book are the real life accounts of people Guillebeau comes across who are on their own 'quests'.

Although the chapters are divided into a sort of how-to on how to pursue your own quest, and the chapters as well as the whole book end with 'useful' summaries, it's not a step by step guide by any means.
If marketed as a travel memoir it is an interesting read that may or may not spark off an idea for a 'quest' in the reader. If approached with the thought that it's a how to guide, you'll be disappointed.

What I think Guillebeau misses is that most people's 'quests' are more accidental then purposeful. In my experience people pursue what they love. The goal aspect, or the framing of it as a 'quest' comes later, and is artificial rather then organic. If framing your life pursuits as quests is helpful, great. If you already have goals, this book may put what you're already doing into perspective.
For someone who is 'questless', this book gets the mental wheels rolling on thinking about the purpose of a life.

Chris Guillebeau's new book The Happiness of Pursuit: Finding the Quest That Will Bring Purpose to Your Life, was a very interesting book. The author is a life traveler, business leader and motivator. He believes each person should pursue what we really are called to do, instead of doing what is expected of us. His approach was to travel and meet with people in short conversations to learn from them and share those nuggets with the reader.

His goal was to visit every country on the planet. He did this within 5 years. The book includes stories about people he met on his journey. He includes their successes and failures. Part of the purpose of the book was to encourage the reader not to give up on the quests they have in life.

This was an easy to read book. At times the writing became a little old, some of the same being written over again. But overall it was a very good book. Hopefully it will inspire you to never give up on your quests to live life. Note the title is not the pursuit of happiness, but it is the happiness in the pursuit.

"I received this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for this unabiased review."

The author describes the process of "questing" - often involving a specific travel goal, but which could be another type of goal. This is a good follow-up to the $100 Startup, although maybe not primarily for the same audience. The $100 Startup is a good book by the same author for people interested in starting a small business on a shoestring, primarily online. The Happiness of Pursuit treats a broader range of "big hairy goals" that people have but might not know how to execute effectively: what needs to be sacrificed, how to focus on the right things to achieve the goal, etc. Recommended, especially for "gap year" students, recent grads and even retirees, looking for their next big thing.

An excellent gift for someone at a crossroards. Divorce, job loss, health crisis, loss of a loved can all lead to overwhelming inertia, the author acts as a coach, guide and mentor to help those who need it to "GET UP & GO!" Chris Guillebeau is Host of the World Domination Summit (an international gathering of creative people), his 2012 book “The $100 Startup” was a New York Times bestseller, and he has traveled to every country in the world before the age of 35.

Excellent book club choice. I brought it to read on vacation with my sister and had to make sure it returned some in my suitcase. Although it offers nothing that you haven't heard before it still is a very good push. I also wish money wasn't a central premise. I once had a nice paying job: but not for 18 months now. I am far happier now living simply, making every penny count and loving the things I do have.

I loved this book from Chris Guillebeau and just like his two previous books [The Art of Nonconformity and The $100 Startup] it's filled with fun stories, great personalities and the sense that life is an adventure to be lived.

In this book, Chris unpacks the idea of a quest and gives us some compelling examples of people that have pursued something quests: something with a clear goal and a specific endpoint, a clear challenge, sacrifice of some kind, a sense of calling or mission and something that requires a series of steps. Along with telling us about quests, he inspires us by visiting the big ideas as adventure, personal vision, risk, courage and personal growth.

Probably my favorite part of the book talks about what happens when people are done with their quests - they gain independence and confidence, they mature, their vision seems to grow, and they are empowered for more. I've seen this first hand as the organization I work with has tried to send as many young people as we can on some kind of quest or adventure. Time and time again, those experiences have helped grow people along the lines that Chris has outlined.

Here are a few more quotes I loved from the book:
Discontent is the first necessity of progress. - Thomas Edison
He had decided to live forever, or die in attempt. - Joseph Heller
The most courageous act is to think for yourself. Aloud. - Coco Chanel
When you've given everything you have in pursuit of something great, it's hard to toss off a few quick sentences on "what it's like."
Why pursue a quest? Because each of us in our lives is writing our own story, and we only have one chance to get it right.

The Happiness of Pursuit is a great read and even though all of us could probably stand to read about more adventure in our life, this might be the motivation to get you to actually take the first step.

Disclosure - I was provided a copy of this book for free.

Chris Guillebeau achieved a balanced blend of intentional research about purposeful quests and his own organized internalization of selected stories to weave an experience, much like a personally guided journey, for the reader of Finding the Quest that will Bring Purpose to Your Life - The Happiness of Pursuit.

I announce a spoiler alert if you do not read this paragraph. Do not rob yourself of the true experience by “reading ahead” or by “skipping and scanning”. Evidently, Chris Guillebeau invested several hours to weave his own stories with varied stories of “others” to communicate “the Happiness of Pursuit”.

A suggested reading plan is 1st to read the Prologue, 2nd to continue through the chapters, 3rd to peek at the Table of Contents and Appendices during reflection only after your own experience. Reading the back book cover is enough of an overview, and, if I knew then what I know now, I would have saved the back cover for “after the journey”.

To give the preview a “fair chance”, I took a proof of the book to one of my “trusted personal inspiration locations”. As ReagansMom, I create inspirational and time-saving educational resources for future generations. At times I have tutored math in my special locations. I wanted to test the reading of this book in a busy location.

Surrounded with people, activity, comfortable coolness and seating, natural light, sounds of music and aromas of food that dependably inspire my own creativity, I began reading the Prologue and 1st chapter of Finding the Quest that will Bring Purpose to Your Life - The Happiness of Pursuit. I discovered an urgent need for a pencil to underline phrases, which I rarely need until the second reading of a book. I found myself double-creasing pages at 90 degree angles to visually point to unique nuggets of thought.

My first experience with the writings of the author, Chris Guillebeau, was The $100 Startup. I received the book as a pay-it-forward gift from a friend who received it from her friend, who purchased several of the books with an introductory special offer. My response to reading The $100 Startup was to investigate Chris Guillebeau’s website and to purchase copies of both The $100 Startup and The Art of NonConformity to give as gifts to friends and family members. I later subscribed to his ANOC emails and identified myself as “a reader/customer”.

This paragraph is a note specifically about spiritual matters and Finding the Quest that will Bring Purpose to Your Life - The Happiness of Pursuit. Chris Guillebeau, in this book, does list spiritual in Chapter 7 in his summary of the “annual review”. (More specifics about the annual review are available on his website and in his other products.)

This paragraph is a note specifically for book promoters and authors. This is the first book review I volunteered to write in response to a personalized email request. Several book promoters and authors have politely requested that I review “a free download” in the past. Time is so very valuable that I am intentional with my time investments through book reviews. As a certified teacher and successful past “homeschool mom” I write reviews for works that I consider valuable for future generations.

OK, Chris Guillebeau, you certainly have “raised the bar” for yourself. We anxiously await your next book.

ReagansMom

THE HAPPINESS OF PURSUIT is about finding a purpose beyond work, family, and other regular obligations. It's about finding a quest that belongs to you and makes you happy. The book offers advice intermixed with stories of other people's quests. Some of these quests are massive undertakings (visit every country) and others are more manageable within the confines of a normal life (cook a meal from every country). Some are lifetime quests and some are small quests that last a year or less. Some end in triumph and some end in tragedy. Some serve a greater purpose (make clean water accessible to everyone) and some are highly person (walk across the country). Guillebeau manages to cover just about every type of adventure a modern day person can have.

Most people probably can't (or, at least, won't) drop everything to pursue some grant quest, but we can all at least start with a smaller one. I think it is impossible to read this and not want to start your own.

The writing style is engaging, fun and witty.

The Happiness of Pursuit was an interesting and thought provoking book. I most enjoyed the author's stories and reflections about his own quest, his journey to visit every country in the world.

Chris shares many truths and life lessons, and there were many times I wished I had my highlighter handy. I laughed out loud about his awful time in Italy, and I found myself wanting to hear more about his quest and the lessons he learned from it.

Things I enjoyed:

There were many excellent quotes, including the quotes at the beginning of each chapter.

I loved reading Chris's stories of his travels and his personal reflections about his own quest.

There were many good ideas expressed well, such as the points about failing as part of the path to success in the Misadventures chapter.

I also appreciate that he covered many aspects of quests and different ways to approach and pursue them, such as plan or don't plan, different motivations for embarking on quests, how to fund them, and reasons for stopping or continuing.

I liked reading about how and why some people changed their plans, such as the man who fell in love in the middle of his quest, or the woman who had to get out of her tree because of a forest fire, and the man who finally decided it was okay to change course and start talking again.

My favorite chapters were Life Listing, Misadventures, and Transformation.

Things I didn't like:

I wasn't crazy about how quest was defined in the beginning (although I understand needing parameters for the stories shared in the book), and then having the suggestions for smaller quests at the end which don't seem to meet the criteria set at the beginning. I think the point should have been made that you are the ultimate author and definer of your own quest.

Some of the quest stories were not interesting to me or I couldn't relate to them at all, especially ones about people sacrificing their relationships with their families, and/or embarking on quests that seemed really arbitrary or meaningless. On the plus side, there are all sorts of quests mentioned in the book, and they are certainly food for thought, inspiring self-reflection about what I deem to be a worthy quest and why.

Also, I wish there were more depth to the stories that were shared, both from others and the author.

I do find the book inspiring and interesting, and I'm looking forward to going back through it to highlight my favorite quotes, so I would say it's a good book, definitely worth a read.

Chris Guillebeau achieved a balanced blend of intentional research about purposeful quests and his own organized internalization of selected stories to weave an experience, much like a personally guided journey, for the reader of Finding the Quest that will Bring Purpose to Your Life - The Happiness of Pursuit.

I announce a spoiler alert if you do not read this paragraph. Do not rob yourself of the true experience by “reading ahead” or by “skipping and scanning”. Evidently, Chris Guillebeau invested several hours to weave his own stories with varied stories of “others” to communicate “the Happiness of Pursuit”.

A suggested reading plan is 1st to read the Prologue, 2nd to continue through the chapters, 3rd to peek at the Table of Contents and Appendices during reflection only after your own experience. Reading the back book cover is enough of an overview, and, if I knew then what I know now, I would have saved the back cover for “after the journey”.

To give the preview a “fair chance”, I took a proof of the book to one of my “trusted personal inspiration locations”. As ReagansMom, I create inspirational and time-saving educational resources for future generations. At times I have tutored math in my special locations. I wanted to test the reading of this book in a busy location.

Surrounded with people, activity, comfortable coolness and seating, natural light, sounds of music and aromas of food that dependably inspire my own creativity, I began reading the Prologue and 1st chapter of Finding the Quest that will Bring Purpose to Your Life - The Happiness of Pursuit. I discovered an urgent need for a pencil to underline phrases, which I rarely need until the second reading of a book. I found myself double-creasing pages at 90 degree angles to visually point to unique nuggets of thought.

My first experience with the writings of the author, Chris Guillebeau, was The $100 Startup. I received the book as a pay-it-forward gift from a friend who received it from her friend, who purchased several of the books with an introductory special offer. My response to reading The $100 Startup was to investigate Chris Guillebeau’s website and to purchase copies of both The $100 Startup and The Art of NonConformity to give as gifts to friends and family members. I later subscribed to his ANOC emails and identified myself as “a reader/customer”.

This paragraph is a note specifically about spiritual matters and Finding the Quest that will Bring Purpose to Your Life - The Happiness of Pursuit. Chris Guillebeau, in this book, does list spiritual in Chapter 7 in his summary of the “annual review”. (More specifics about the annual review are available on his website and in his other products.)

This paragraph is a note specifically for book promoters and authors. This is the first book review I volunteered to write in response to a personalized email request. Several book promoters and authors have politely requested that I review “a free download” in the past. Time is so very valuable that I am intentional with my time investments through book reviews. As a certified teacher and successful past “homeschool mom” I write reviews for works that I consider valuable for future generations.

OK, Chris Guillebeau, you certainly have “raised the bar” for yourself. We anxiously await your next book.

ReagansMom

THE HAPPINESS OF PURSUIT is about finding a purpose beyond work, family, and other regular obligations. It's about finding a quest that belongs to you and makes you happy. The book offers advice intermixed with stories of other people's quests. Some of these quests are massive undertakings (visit every country) and others are more manageable within the confines of a normal life (cook a meal from every country). Some are lifetime quests and some are small quests that last a year or less. Some end in triumph and some end in tragedy. Some serve a greater purpose (make clean water accessible to everyone) and some are highly person (walk across the country). Guillebeau manages to cover just about every type of adventure a modern day person can have.

Most people probably can't (or, at least, won't) drop everything to pursue some grant quest, but we can all at least start with a smaller one. I think it is impossible to read this and not want to start your own.

The writing style is engaging, fun and witty.

The Happiness of Pursuit was an interesting and thought provoking book. I most enjoyed the author's stories and reflections about his own quest, his journey to visit every country in the world.

Chris shares many truths and life lessons, and there were many times I wished I had my highlighter handy. I laughed out loud about his awful time in Italy, and I found myself wanting to hear more about his quest and the lessons he learned from it.

Things I enjoyed:

There were many excellent quotes, including the quotes at the beginning of each chapter.

I loved reading Chris's stories of his travels and his personal reflections about his own quest.

There were many good ideas expressed well, such as the points about failing as part of the path to success in the Misadventures chapter.

I also appreciate that he covered many aspects of quests and different ways to approach and pursue them, such as plan or don't plan, different motivations for embarking on quests, how to fund them, and reasons for stopping or continuing.

I liked reading about how and why some people changed their plans, such as the man who fell in love in the middle of his quest, or the woman who had to get out of her tree because of a forest fire, and the man who finally decided it was okay to change course and start talking again.

My favorite chapters were Life Listing, Misadventures, and Transformation.

Things I didn't like:

I wasn't crazy about how quest was defined in the beginning (although I understand needing parameters for the stories shared in the book), and then having the suggestions for smaller quests at the end which don't seem to meet the criteria set at the beginning. I think the point should have been made that you are the ultimate author and definer of your own quest.

Some of the quest stories were not interesting to me or I couldn't relate to them at all, especially ones about people sacrificing their relationships with their families, and/or embarking on quests that seemed really arbitrary or meaningless. On the plus side, there are all sorts of quests mentioned in the book, and they are certainly food for thought, inspiring self-reflection about what I deem to be a worthy quest and why.

Also, I wish there were more depth to the stories that were shared, both from others and the author.

I do find the book inspiring and interesting, and I'm looking forward to going back through it to highlight my favorite quotes, so I would say it's a good book, definitely worth a read.

As an entrepreneur myself I read a fair number of “self-help” books, usually gleaning a few concepts that I successfully apply to improve my life or business in a small way. I expected this book to be the same, however it’s not.

The book surprised me in it’s honestly. Chris is not trying to shrink-wrap a 12-step formula to solve all of your problems, and he doesn’t pretend to have all the answers. He IS telling you what he knows and sharing insights and stories from others who have experienced dramatic change through quests of their own. He’s done a lot of groundwork for you and really gives you a glimpse of the whole process.

I know a bit about this as my life trajectory was completely altered due to my family’s quest to go 100 days without eating processed foods. We’ve also taken some pretty killer road trips and know a thing or two about adventure. The confidence and perspective gained in the process has enabled great personal growth and happiness. I found myself nodding all the way through “Chapter 15: Transformation” where he discusses the remarkable ways a quest can change you as a person.

This stuff is not a magic pill, more a door you can open to new possibilities and ways of thinking. So many people get stuck in thinking they are the victim in the world when they have complete power over changing their life…if they can just break through (often disguised) fear.

So if you are happily cruising along in your life, I’m not sure this book will do a whole lot for you (I still enjoyed reading it). But if you feel something HAS TO change or that you are missing your calling in the world, then this could be the catalyst for dramatic changes in your life. And if you’ve ever considered a quest, this should be required reading for you.

I'm a fan of Chris Guillebeau's helpful guidance, and I have been for some time.
I find that he is passionate, honest, and his writing makes you feel like you are talking to a friend that has figured out some stuff that he can teach you. Good stuff.

I really had trouble with The Happiness of Pursuit.

Don't get me wrong, I am a person who is well aware of the joy of pursuit, quests, missions, etc... I've had a fairly challenging life, abandonment, neglect, and adoption as an infant, complete with health issues, near death experiences, amnesia, blindness (while in school to become a cinematographer)... I am an auto-didact and extremely focused and passionate about many things and I tend to pursue anything that catches my interest until I have learned everything about it and usually, in that pursuit, I will adapt the concept in a way that is meaningful to me, and then I will pursue it into a business, art form, personal mission, etc...

I was curious about Guillebeau's suggestions on how to find a quest, as I seem to be between personal quests, and I hate that sort of stagnation.

The problem with The Happiness of Pursuit is that it is >90% inspiration (the stories of people who have heard the call and undertaken personal quests). The stories are nice, and we meet many interesting characters with a variety of quests from the seemingly mundane to the dramatic and world-changing.

I would have liked more direct suggestions and guidance in how to find my quest and a little focus and better organization could have made a huge difference, for me, as far as enjoyment and usefulness, of The Happiness of Pursuit. As is, it reads like a quest into unmodulated ADHD, which I do very well on my own. Perhaps my expectations were mildly unreasonable and I should look for a workbook to help me brainstorm and whittle down ideas until I find my next quest. I guess I just wish the book had more workshopping.

If you like reading about a variety of interesting people taking on personal quests for their own benefit, or for the greater good, and reading some light analysis of some of the steps they took along the way, than this might be a good match for you. I'm off to see if there are any similar books with more of a workbook/workshop focus.

Chris Guillebeau has made pursuit a key aspect of the way he lives his life, having journeyed to every country in the world. He has a popular blog and is a bestselling author. Guillebeau's unique approach to life has been an encouraging model for many people, and now, in his new book THE HAPPINESS OF PURSUIT, he shares page after page of his insight on living life in pursuit of a quest.

Guillebeau recounts his personal journey and what led him to the quest he's been on. He defines the idea of a quest and why it's important. He sees the quest as something that brings fuel to a person's life. Throughout the book, he shares personal stories, as well as the stories of others who have found their quest.

THE HAPPINESS OF PURSUIT is for people who want more out of life. It's for people who want some solid advice to follow on how to pursue their life goals.

Review copy provided by Blogging for Books

Finished this book in just about 24 hours, picking it up over and over throughout the day to keep reading. The author does a great job of balancing his own travel stories while telling stories of others that pull you in to read more. Whether you are thinking of a large travel quest or any other type of quest, there are some nice takeaways in this book for everyone. I myself, found myself reflecting on my own creative quests, but will also be passing this book along to a friend of mine interested in travel based quests. An easy read. I would recommend to those with a spirit for adventure.

Listened for Review (Random House Audio)
Overall Rating: 4.00
Inspiration Rating: 4.00
Story Rating: 4.00

Audio Rating: 4.00 (not part of the overall rating)

Read It File It (short review): The Happiness of Pursuit by Chris Guillebeau is one of those books that will inspire you take on a quest for your life. To pursue something you have always wanted and accept all the things that come with it. I was impressed that he tackled the highs and lows of questing. That made it all the more inspiring. It was a nice reminder that sometimes you have to give up things to get other things that will make you happy!

Audio Thoughts:

Narrated by: George Newbern/Length: 7 hrs and 27 mins

George did a great job with this audiobook. He really made the individual stories come alive for me and I enjoyed listening to this one.

Having started my own (very) small business recently, I loved Chris’ last book – The $100 Startup – and was delighted to receive an advanced reader’s copy of this book.

I’ve been following Chris’ quest to visit all the countries of the world by the age of 35 for quite some time, but only recently started thinking about engaging in a quest of my own.

I’m a computer gamer, and engage in “quests” of all sorts on a regular basis through game characters I’ve developed. Why not, like Nerd Fitness founder Steve Kamb whose ‘Epic Quest of Awesome’ is discussed in the book, engage in real-life quests of my own?

This book came along at just the right time for me. Reading about the quests that many others have embarked on, and the inner journey these people took and/or are still in the midst of taking, was inspiring.

While I’m not called to engage in some of the more physically demanding quests – like walking from coast to coast – I AM intrigued by quests like those of Sasha Martin, who undertook a challenge to cook a meal from every country in the world at the rate of one per week. That’s a whole lot of researching and cooking, my friend!

Once started, I had a hard time putting the book down and my copy’s now full of sticky notes and highlighted sections. I suspect that I’ll be giving it a quick re-read in a month or two.

In addition to the book itself, I found great value in the three Appendices. Appendix 1 was a succinct round-up of all the “lessons” to be gleaned from the book. Appendix 2 is a handy-dandy compilation of the full “Cast of Characters” mentioned in the book, along with a recap of their quest and the current status of same.

Finally, Appendix 3 – ‘A Quest For Everyone’ shows that everybody – absolutely everybody – can create a quest of their own without buying a sailboat, traveling the entire world, or even spending any money!

You can do it! I know I will!

I was fortunate to read an advance copy of Chris' new book and in his typical style he makes extraordinary accomplishments something that we can all do. Face it, we all have a longing, a nagging or desire that will not go away. Perhaps it has been there for decades, and yet we have failed to act on it, for whatever reason. In this book Chris' dispels the idea that you need special skills or unlimited resources. His stories detail his own accomplishments (and failures) along the way to a 10-year quest to visit every country on the planet along with the adventures and misadventures of others. Chris' book encourages all of us to take the first step, no matter how small, toward fulfilling that great (or not so great, but personal) adventure that only we can complete.

I was given an advanced copy because I attended World Domination Summit which is put on by Chris. Therefore won't show up as a verified purchase. :)

I am a fan of his first two books and was excited to read this one. Recently I've been trying to find my own quest. Just something meaningful to pursue that would help me grow as a person and be really fun. So I'm glad Chris wrote this book. It's not just a book about "take action", but instead he shares his own experience about his quest and shares stories of many others who have done quests that have changed their lives.

It's a book I highly recommend for anyone who's looking to do something more meaningful in life and to really start to feel more alive by starting your own quest.

A quest, given our modern gaming culture and constant presence of social media updating, is something quickly understood and celebrated today. The word associates with things noble and larger than life; much more so than say a pursuit or a goal. A quest in monumental. A quest is the stuff of legend. A quest separates you from the pack and Chris Guillebeau wants you to find yours and take the first steps today.

Author Guillebeau [ quest = visit every country in the world – check! ] writes in his third book about the power of finding and engaging your quest. This tome is a less a how-to regarding the mechanics of leaving a job and a home to walk across the country while simultaneously mute and more about encouraging you to move step by step through the process of lacing up your sneakers and stepping out the door.

Using a multitude of other journeys and questers to paint the broad scope of possibility for the reader, Guillebeau is at the same time realistic in helping you to get started. Begin by asking questions but with a blue sky approach. What moves you rather than what will move others to look at me? Can I run a marathon tomorrow or can I run my first mile without passing out tomorrow? When I find myself stuck in customs in a less than friendly place will I have the cool to endure and the wits to study the various avenues of resolution for the best option?

Chris has another winner in Happiness. You will begin looking for your own quest within the first few pages and may be tempted to emulate one of those that you are engaging, but read to the end. Don’t put the book on your shelf next to ‘Nonconformity’ intending someday to pick up it and move. Leave it lying around, pushing you, encouraging you maybe even mocking you a bit when you let another day pass without taking at least one step on something that might mark your life as well lived.

Guillebeau has made quite a name for himself as a travel hacker, business maven, and strong voice for personal growth and independence. He recently finished his own quest of visiting every country on Earth.

This book focuses on the "questing" aspect of life, and how following a quest can enrich and empower a person.

Based on his own experience, as well as that of many others, he explores the various aspects of what it means to take on a quest, how questing varies from person to person, and how it can enhance growth and an independent spirit.

Each chapter explores some aspect of questing, and includes stories of real people's real lives, successes and failures. the book explores the power of goals and process in the quest, and the examples given are clear and useful.

I've read his other books and purchased several of the information products from his website, and I have the utmost respect for the author. The clarity and insight he shows at his young age is remarkable. I would like to attend one of his live events one day and see in person how he inspires thousands of people to grow and succeed.

I recommend this and all the author's works.

In August, I read the preview chapter of Chris Guillebeau’s new book, “The happiness of pursuit.” He identified the characteristics of a quest. I realized that these characteristics could easily be applied to a building project found in the Old Testament. Nehemiah was heartbroken about the ruined walls of Jerusalem, still fallen after more than a century. And so he set out to rebuild them. (I wrote a book about Nehemiah's project.)

I was intrigued. I asked for a copy of the book and received an uncorrected proof for free.

Guillebeau offers five characteristics of a quest: it has a clear goal and specific end point, it presents a clear challenge, it requires sacrifice of some kind, it is often driven by a calling or sense of mission, and it requires a series of small steps and incremental progress toward the goal. (page 15-16)

Chris takes the idea of a quest and shows how people are living quests all the time. Some of them matter to thousands of people. Some of them matter to the person doing them. (For Chris, a quest was visiting every country. Every country. And the book has several parts of his story. This autobiographical element takes us inside a person pursuing a quest, both during and after.)

What’s helpful is that this book gives a framework for identifying and pursuing your own quest.

It’s not a workbook, with blanks to fill in. However, every chapter has followup questions for reflection.

This could be paired well with Donald Miller’s "A Million Miles in a Thousand Years." There, Miller describes the idea of telling a better story with your life. Here, Guillebeau tells the stories of people who are telling those stories.

I need to be honest. I’m not sure I exactly understand the why of some of these quests. Rowing across the Atlantic or walking everywhere seem extreme to me. Eradicating water scarcity makes more sense. However, there is an integrity that is reflected in a person who says, “I don’t like what cars are doing to the environment. I’m going to walk.” And the concepts apply to both personal and public quests.

I'll go back to this book as I give counsel to others.

Three weeks ago I was fortunate to receive an advance copy of “The Happiness of Pursuit”. I have never met Chris and only know him through his work. If you’re a fan of his previous two books and his writing style I think you will enjoy this one immensely. It follows his familiar formula mixing personal experiences with interesting, often inspiring stories of others.

This time his subject is the pursuit of the “personal quest”. Naturally, the continuing thread through the book is his own quest to visit every nation in the world . . . and peppered throughout are the stories and tales of a variety of personal quests of other people. Some involve tales of extreme challenge - the family who biked over 17,000 miles from Alaska to Patagonia, the man who abstained from motorized transportation and took a vow of silence . . . for 17 years, the youngest girl to solo-circumnavigate the world in a sailboat and runner who sought to complete 250 marathons in one year.

Not every quest involved extreme physical or emotional effort, but they do involve unusual, if not extreme, dedication like the photographer who strives to take, edit and publish more than one million photographs or the author who spent a full year to read the entire Encyclopedia Britannica in an quest to become “the smartest man in the world”, then write a book about it. Regardless of the nature of each request they each involved the four characteristics that Chris considers essential for a true quest: 1) A clear goal; 2) Measurable progress; 3) A sense of calling or mission, and; 4) Sacrifice. I might add one more element for a true quest, and that is that they take you to the edge, and maybe beyond what you think is personally achievable.

Each story is inspiring, often with an unusual twist or unexpected ending. Each of them are guaranteed to motivate the reader to begin thinking of the possibilities for their own potential quest . . . and eliminate all the doubts and excuses of forgoing one. If you enjoyed Chris’ previous books, I think you enjoy this one . . . it’s definitely my favorite.

There is no one better qualified to examine what the modern quest is all about.

Chris has collected dozens of modern-day quests and interviewed the people who have taken them.

By comparing the different questers, and the lessons they learned, he gives expert insight on planning your own lifelong adventure.

The only reason I didn't give this book 5 stars is that I wish it was in a blog. Chris is an excellent blogger, and when he profiled someone new in this book, I wanted to see their picture, click through to their website, and get the supporting dynamic media that I've become accustomed to.

Instead, he is bringing stories from the internet and telling them in the medium of the last millennium - it's like Chris is a modern Prometheus, bringing the light of blogging back into the archaic medium of printed books.

Great title. Read the title and sub-title again. If this is something you are really interested in -- a quest, a mighty something -- then this is for sure the book for you. If not, if say you are enjoying becoming a parent to a young child and your focus has changed outward, then it might not be such a good match. It's interesting stuff, well written. Quotes, examples, good examinations of other peoples pursuits. Certainly novel idea for a book that's well executed. Missed five stars for me due to realizing as I read it I was more interested in here and now, and wanted more of the writing and less of the lists of lessons learnt.

I found this book to be incredibly inspiring. As someone who's naturally goal-driven and tends to work a little outside the box, the idea of pursuing specific quests like I'm the hero of my own story is massively appealing. I already have some plans underway!

I really enjoyed the premise of this book. The Happiness of Pursuit is simply what the title implies. When you actively pursue your goals happiness is the result that follows.

I enjoyed that the author had his own quest that opens up the book, visiting every country. The quest isn’t roses and fairy dust along the way and he choses to use all experiences as a lesson. You don’t only read about Guillebeau’s quest there are more quests from others throughout the chapters. The chapters are broken down not only with other quests, but life nuggets to take with you.

This book is not a typical self-help book; it flows with stories and summaries on how you too can go on a quest. I found it more so a quest of life not necessarily traveling the world. If you want a book solely on travel don’t let the title fool you. Everyone’s quest is different and that is okay. I wished each story had closure with each chapter; there was a lot of repetition and “lets go back to this story.” These quests were short stories and I found myself wanting a bit more. I sense “less is more” in books like these to make your own conclusions and life lessons.

For readers who have goals in mind of what they want to do this book really helps by moving the wheels in your mind to go forward. For readers who have absolutely no idea what their quest should be this book lets you know to always do what you love and the pieces will ultimately fall into place. Life isn’t about having it all together it is about enjoying the quest and whatever might happen along the way.

The Happiness of Pursuit is a great book because it offers valuable insights based on the extraordinary experience of author Chris Guillebeau, who invested 10 years of his life traveling to every country in the world. What will readers learn from the book? It depends. Simply reading this or any book is a waste of time unless the knowledge is applied and in this case, the possible gain is huge. Chris provides enough inspiring examples from his global travels to prove that being on a mission or "quest" to achieve a dream gives meaning and purpose to our life. As a good friend of mine likes to say, "This is a non-trivial matter"! Feeling a sense of purpose and meaning is about as good as it gets. This book can help the reader find and begin a personally important adventure. Happiness is not the same as peace of mind or enlightenment but it's sure better than being depressed.

A highly inspiring and fun read by Chris Guillebeau. The experiences and stories he gathered along the way on his own quest to visit every county in the world, all 193 of them, is remarkable. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and I know that this is one of those books I'll be reading again and again. My girlfriend and I are embarking on an around the world trip, our own quest, 18 months from now and this book has certainly provided us with even more inspiration and motivation to see it through. Consider this your playbook for how to give more thought to your life, your passions, and making it count. I should warn you though, after reading this book, you'll find yourself excited and planning your own quest and who knows what type of adventure that will lead to. Another excellent book by Chris. I have certainly found my go-to Christmas gift this holiday season, that's for sure.

"The Happiness of Pursuit: Finding the Quest That Will Bring Purpose to Your Life" by Chris Guillebeau is not only inspirational, it is also encouragement to keep plugging away to reach your goal. Guillebeau writes about other the ups and downs encountered in the journeys of successful enterprises and people. He is enforcing how mistakes and errors in judgement may look like a total fiasco but, when studied and approached in creative ways can lead to new innovations and better ideas. You can't find a new road unless you're willing to get off the one you've been following once you discover potholes and road blocks.

The author has provided valuable lessens in the benefits of changing our views, way of thinking, and approach to make our journey to success more joyful and enriching. How do we deal with choices that involve the feelings of others vs our own? How do we pin down the importance of our dreams and the feasibility of it? How can we pursue our dreams if the road blocks, like financial considerations, are too big? How do you keep going when something is pulling you down or you are becoming frustrated with so many things going wrong that you feel you'll never succeed?

This is the perfect book for those of us who put a dream on the shelf for one or more reasons. It's a book that tells us how to take that dream down, dust it off and happily begin riding it like a refurbished Harley once again in pursuit of your goal.

I've been following Chris Guillebeau for a while now so I was excited when I got the opportunity to read his new book. Additionally, the topic of it was something that I personally relate to and am excited about.

As with some of his other books, Chris uses case studies to explain the concepts and to share what others are doing. He uses the word "quest" to describe the challenges people set for themselves. From his own quest to visit every country in the world, to the woman from Tasmania who lived in a tree for over a year to protest illegal logging, or the man who walked across the United States. Everyone he interviews and talks about has set out to do something amazing. He gives notes on how to find your own quest and backs them up with stories of others. But, he notes, you don't have to pack up your life and travel long distances to do something amazing. It can be done in one's own home, from the woman who decided to make a meal specific to every country, to the man who set out to learn the four-year MIT curriculum in a single year. It's merely a matter of challenging yourself and doing something crazy for the joy of it.

Unfortunately, the book fell flat for me, as his other books have done before. I cannot pin point it but it just feels like there is something missing. In theory, I should love it. It has all the aspects I love - stories of people doing awesome things and steps to apply the things they've learned to my own life. I wish I was as excited after reading this book as I was before I started. It was still worthwhile to read, don't get me wrong, I just hoped to find a little more within its pages.

*I received this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review*

I look to books for both information and inspiration so it's no wonder I'd love Chris Guillebeau's new book. Everyone wants to pursue this abstract thing called "happiness", and Chris makes it less abstract by describing concrete steps one can take to identify a "quest" to bring a sense of purpose that will infuse one's life with meaning and direction. He makes it clear that this whole elusive "happiness" thing can be found not in outcomes but in defining and executing a quest. I'd heartily recommend this book to anyone -- and for people like me, struggling to navigate the seas of midlife, it's particularly important and resonant. Thank you, Chris!

Living your life to the fullest comes in many different forms. Chris shows instead of just tells you how to accomplish this yourself. He shares amazing stories from around the globe. From his own story to dozens of others. They pursue their quest and in their unique way find their own happiness in the process.

You know the saying from Ralph Waldo Emerson, "Life is a journey, not a destination.” It's the pursuit of your quest that teaches you what you need to learn to feel happier. If you need inspiration for your next project, quest or career change, this book will give you plenty to ponder and implement.

The only reason I didn't give this 5 stars is that I attended Chris' conference, World Domination Summit, in Portland the past two years. The conference is a shared experience that talks about these stories and concepts in greater depth. If I haven't attended this conference the past two years I would give this book 5 stars.

This is another great book from Chris. If you have ever wanted to step outside of your comfort zone or go on an adventure, this book is for you. This book is about taking chances and finding that something that's 'missing' from your life, via what he calls a 'quest'. These quests come in all shapes and sizes, and the reader learns about what a quest may look like from the stories of many others who've embarked on their own quests over the years. I very much enjoyed the approachable writing style and felt like there was a major takeaway on each page - I dogeared nearly the entire book!

What I like most is that Chris is taking you out of your comfort zone just by writing this book. While I was reading, I became quite uncomfortable with the fact that while I may think I take risks in my life, I am really just drifting along. His book is a wake up call that we shouldn't wait until we are 'ready' to embark on a quest that brings meaning to our life.

Overall, I think it's a great read as a standalone book, but definitely for anyone who's dreamed of doing something more with their lives. There are action steps littered throughout that will actually help you enact change rather than just read about it.

"We tend to overestimate what we can accomplish in a single day, but underestimate what can happen in a year."

In 'The Happiness of Pursuit,' Chris Guillebeau highlights many quests undertaken by those he has met or conversed with during his own travels, and offers lots of individual insights into what makes a true quest, and how you can go about finding and completing your own. Tackling such a significant, life-changing subject of 'quests' is admirable - and the reader is encouraged to break things down into smaller steps, or at least START on something to see where it leads - because with most quests, you never know where they will actually take you until you get started.

Keeping a pen in hand to make your own notes - and taking time to reflect on every few pages - makes this book more useful, especially given how difficult it is to relate to some of the people talked about in the book, who have wildly different lives and circumstances. No, I'll never walk across the entire United States - but yes, I can see that making a little progress every day is what it's really all about, and being able to chart/track your progress is a good motivator.

I would have liked Chris to go into more depth on some of the individual quests he highlights, but realise that if he'd done this, the book could have gotten bogged down (and much longer) whilst not being as relevant to a wider audience that I'm sure he's shooting for.

Overall this book - and Chris's own blog - is a good starting point for anyone wondering if they have it inside themselves to complete a life-changing quest of their own (semi-spoiler: you do!) ...just make sure you ACTUALLY START SOMETHING... i.e. if you order this book, don't wait for it to arrive. Start now, know that you can change as you progress, and this book will help you with tips and inspiration from around the globe.

OK, I'm halfway through $100 Startup, yet to read the book, and went to see Chris at the wonderful Seattle Town Hall 'cause the idea sounded fun. The Town Hall is a converted church (ooh, there's a joke).

First off, Chris has somehow found the amazingly uncharted territory of being inspirational without needing hype. Visiting every country in the world, he still chooses to make the stories of others center stage.

He's like a Clive Davis, who brought us Dylan, Whitney and Patti Smith. He's a fascinating guy who has the rare ability to let the story and other folks share the spotlight. I can't imagine the book being any different than the man. Unless it's not wearing those cool great buckskin shoes....