Shriver's personal self-development message is not brilliant but it is honest and true. In her new book Just Who Will You Be? : Big Question, Little Book, Answer Within, published in April, 2008, by Hyperion, (ISBN:978-1-4013-2318-9, 2008) she asserts that living life as if it were a chance to build a good resume is not the key to happiness. Happiness, she says, involves pleasing the self as opposed to worrying about pleasing others. But she is leaving something out.
It's clear she's not talking about pleasing the self-centered "I" whose sole purpose is ego gratification. Instead, she is talking about the spiritual "I," who has unique gifts that, when expressed, not only please the self but also benefit the world. Though spirituality seems to inform this key theme in the book, she doesn't go there.
Shriver Seems to Downplay Her Spirituality
Shriver's spirituality gets barely a passing mention. Whether or not she writes about her spirituality is her choice, of course, but because of the spiritual underpinnings of the theme, this particular book seems to be missing its guts -- lacking its heartbeat - without it. It's ironic because she writes a good deal about taking risks and expressing one's true voice, yet she seems to have muzzled her spiritual expression when writing this book. In spite of this, it is still a good little read.
Maria Shriver on Fame and Happiness
Shriver's belief is that fame doesn't make you happy and the reader will find him or herself believing her. Shriver is famous, yes, but she digs deep when relating her experience of feeling lost in spite of her fame, and of how fame did not prevent her from experiencing the same emptiness human beings are prone to. You truly get a sense of the lost girl underneath the accomplishments.
In addition, Shriver's message is credible because she put her money where her mouth is. At one point in the story she relates how she gave up the opporutunity for more fame, and opted to take the road less travelled. This may be the most compelling part of the book. Here she mustered the courage to trade in the familiar for the unknown, setting an example for others to follow. Throughout the book, you really do get the sense that she is a fellow seeker, asking the same questions everybody asks about life and how to live it.
Maria Shriver's Take on Money and Happiness
Even though Shriver is probably right when she says money won't make you happy, this is a hard message to take from someone who presumably has lots of it, especially with gas prices being what they are. She does mention, however, that she has a heart for the poor. Again, this seems like an area of potential interest to the reader, but she doesn't go there in this book. This is not a central theme though, and, to her credit, she doesn't harp on it.
Maria Shriver's New Book is Up-Beat and Positive
Shriver's new book is based on a speech she made to her nephew's graduating high school class. It is brief and can be read in an afternoon on the beach. It's a good little book for passing on to friends who are struggling with identity issues, or to take out and re-read every now and then if you have gotten into a rut or if you are actively engaged in a personal self-development quest. With this book, Ms. Shriver is using her fame to put out there an encouraging, up-beat, positive message. Good for her.
