Shifting Sands: A Guidebook for Crossing the Deserts of Change

Rating:
Summary: A Real Gem
Review: I was initially drawn to Steve Donahue's book, Shifting Sands: A Guidebook to Crossing the Deserts of Change because I am interested in adventure. The book did not disappoint. His story of crossing the Sahara Desert was so spellbinding that I could not put the book down until I found out how it all resolved.

Most books that use metaphor, do so with a short reference here and there. This is the first time I have read a book which carries a single metaphor from cover to cover. It certainly challenged me to reflect on the metaphors in my own life which could be used for my own growth in consciousness.

The interweaving of the Sahara adventure with the awarenesses Steve got from it is very well done; a seamless flow of story telling, ebbing and flowing with the metaphor's implications, and guidance for embracing a path which can enable all human beings to face life's lessons more successfully.

A real gem, well worth your reading.

Rating:
Summary: Shifting Sands A Guidebook for crossing the Deserts of Chang
Review: If you are standing at the top of a mountain looking down and wondering how and why you got there? Then this book is for you. Take a compass rather than a map. Seek a topography that fosters change, gives you a soft place to fall and a wide angle view of a never ending expanse The desert metaphor provides the perfect lessons for life in the 6 rules of desert travel outlined by Steve Donahue in this book.
If you have spent half your life reaching for the pinnacle of success and are standing on your mountain top wondering which way to go now, then you will appreciate Steve's wonderful story of his travels through the Sahara Desert. He has woven his true story of his trek across the desert into a guide to help you discover your direction and purpose. It's time to start enjoying the journey, stop at all the oases, travel alone together, step away from your campfire and call the border guard's bluff.

Rating:
Summary: Shifting Sands A Guidebook for crossing the Deserts of Chang
Review: If you are standing at the top of a mountain looking down and wondering how and why you got there? Then this book is for you. Take a compass rather than a map. Seek a topography that fosters change, gives you a soft place to fall and a wide angle view of a never ending expanse The desert metaphor provides the perfect lessons for life in the 6 rules of desert travel outlined by Steve Donahue in this book.
If you have spent half your life reaching for the pinnacle of success and are standing on your mountain top wondering which way to go now, then you will appreciate Steve's wonderful story of his travels through the Sahara Desert. He has woven his true story of his trek across the desert into a guide to help you discover your direction and purpose. It's time to start enjoying the journey, stop at all the oases, travel alone together, step away from your campfire and call the border guard's bluff.

Rating:
Summary: Highly Recommended
Review: Shifting Sands is a thoroughly enjoyable and helpful mixture of adventure and insight presented in unself-conscious, humorous and moving prose.
Donahue illuminates an incredibly rich metaphor for the transitional periods of our lives, shifting between his experience of crossing the Sahara and showing how, in his own life, he has coped with the metaphorical deserts we all find ourselves struggling through.
I recommend this book to anyone who, like me, has unexpectedly come to a crossroad in their life and is seeking some guidance on how to proceed.

Rating:
Summary: An Oasis in a Climb-and-Conquer Culture
Review: Steve Donahue's "Shifting Sands" is an oasis in a mountain-climbing culture that thrives on goal-setting and goal-getting. At once poetic and practical, it's chock-full of insight and ideas for crossing our personal deserts -- the stuff of real life, such as dating, marriage, divorce, parenting, career transition, chronic illness, and loss -- with more meaning and direction. I took its message to heart. Now I'm crossing my own deserts -- in life and at work -- with more patience and joy. If you're serious about growing and prospering, this book is for you. I highly recommend it.

Rating:
Summary: Worth Reading
Review: Steve Donahue's book, Shifting Sands: A Guidebook to Crossing the Deserts of Change captured my attention from start to finish. This treasury of practical wisdom weaved together in a very interesting and compelling story was very inspirational to me. His book made me realize the deserts in my life, and more importantly, the ways in which to navigate through them with success. His adventure is so fascinating that I couldn't put it down as I needed to know the ending. Steve is excellent at incorporating lessons into his story and at the same time keeping the reader spellbound with his adventure.

Rating:
Summary: Shifting Sands... not just a self-help book
Review: Steve Donohue strikes a powerful chord in his book, "Shifting Sands: A Guidebook for Crossing the Deserts of Change" - the metaphor of a desert rather than an upward climb is far more logical and applicible to "everyman's" journey in life. I am not a reader of self-help books or even of much non-fiction, but do some in the course of my work, so in reading Steve's book, I was pleasantly surprised to find an enjoyable and refreshing read. His story, told with humor and pathos, is easy to relate to and very comforting and inspiring. I highly recommend this book to any and every one.

Rating:
Summary: Shifting Sands... not just a self-help book
Review: Steve Donohue strikes a powerful chord in his book, "Shifting Sands: A Guidebook for Crossing the Deserts of Change" - the metaphor of a desert rather than an upward climb is far more logical and applicible to "everyman's" journey in life. I am not a reader of self-help books or even of much non-fiction, but do some in the course of my work, so in reading Steve's book, I was pleasantly surprised to find an enjoyable and refreshing read. His story, told with humor and pathos, is easy to relate to and very comforting and inspiring. I highly recommend this book to any and every one.

Rating:
Summary: A must-read for all mid-lifers
Review: This book is like a cool drink of water on a desert-hot day for those of us who are trying to make it in a world where the climb to the top doesn't always go as planned -- and the world itself seems topsy-turvy, too!

I picked up Shifting Sands for my husband who's been experiencing the longest mid-life crisis in history. I ended up not only reading it but loving and benefiting from it myself.

Steve Donahue offers an alternative to setting and reaching goals the way mountain (and corporate) climbers tend to do -- the way we've all been taught. I was able to immediately put to use his gentle suggestions for navigating through a world in which change is the only constant (hence the "shifting sands," desert metaphor).

Careers...marriage...parenting...chronic illness -- all are deserts. This book offers some counter-intuitive suggestions for using change and adversity to your advantage.

The story of Donahue's own Sahara Desert crossing makes it an easy and enjoyable read, too. It's a self-help book that reads like an adventure novel...what more could you ask for?