This book has comprised several simple truths that help an individual to figure out their main purpose in life. It is addressed to those who burn out at work spending numerous hours doing things they do not enjoy. Those activities do not bring them closer to the desired future. The book helps to find one’s path for a happier life and avoid wasting time on something completely worthless. It also makes it easier for an individual to re-establish faith in himself and his God. Finding the perfect calling in life can be difficult, which is why Ken Costa decided to combine his knowledge in different areas and publish this book.
“Know Your Why” makes the readers feel uncomfortable at first as they have to face the reality that they may be denying or concealing for themselves. The book will tell its readers not to lose their faith as the road to the real calling may take some time and risks, but it will be worth it. “Know Your Why” emphasizes the importance of God’s presence in people’s lives as they are trying to find their true calling. The author believes that it is important to understand that everybody on Earth is loved, known, and called by God. Through this book, he teaches his reader’s such important things as finding one’s passion or viewing one’s deeds through the eyes of God and not the eyes of society. According to Costa, an individual’s passions are fuelling God’s calling and it is not superficial to be determined to find them (5). As for one’s deeds, if something seems insignificant from the world’s perspective, it may have even more value in the eyes of God. The author also suggests that sometimes people can not find their calling, because they are looking in the wrong place.
The way I see it, the book has a lot of lessons for its readers to learn. They all seem simple at first, yet people happen to miss them out in their everyday life. “Know Your Why” teaches its readers two main things, to my mind, and these are being in balance with oneself and knowing God is always working in one’s favor. The author explains it in each chapter of the book. He claims that every person should feel that they matter, that their contribution to the world is significant from God’s perspective. The smallest things people do – be it offering help to someone or smiling to a stranger – can change one’s life. What seemed even more important is that the book tells people to never say they are a failure. Costa claims that not succeeding in everything is a part of life and several losses do not make one a failure (110). Instead of mourning themselves, people must learn from their mistakes, stop lingering over them and lean forward into the future with new knowledge. It is so simple on paper but so hard to implement in life which is why people should learn how to do it with this book.
Another great point in “Know Your Why” is establishing the right relationship with God. It is crucial to understand one thing: the way one views God is the way he views life. If people perceive God as a loving giving Father, they will see life in the same light. One’s beliefs are very important in creating the desired life and worshipping is crucial in finding one’s true calling; this is what brings people closer to God. Praying, talking to the Almighty, thanking Him for blessings and abundance and trusting the process makes a person closer to hearing His voice and getting direction. By all means, an individual still has to put in work and not just wait for a miracle to happen; they have to get out of their comfort zone.
The book gives the readers a clear vision of how Costa sees the road to finding out one’s calling. The way he described it in ten chapters or steps, as I would call them, makes it much easier to implement them in life. “Know Your Why” is a great reading even for those who may be just getting into religion, as the author quotes the Bible very often in every chapter. He always gives thorough interpretation afterward which helps with understanding all the concepts. Costa speaks in humility, showing that he needs to get rid of certain things, like clutter, and getting closer to readers by establishing certain order. By mentioning that, the author shows once again that even he has things to work on. He also challenges people to ask themselves the question, to find their calling in life. However, not everything may be clear at first and there may be a need in re-reading the book. It does not give the readers many specific instructions, which is why some people may not find it helpful. The author could have gone into more details when he was speaking about establishing one’s relationship with God. To people, who are only starting their relationship with religion, it might sound confusing. Other than that, it does not seem to have any flaws.
“Know Your Why” is a very useful book both for regular people and ministers. It gives food for thought and encourages taking action to achieve a happier life. I would apply several principles from it in my future ministry, such as those described in chapter “Called to Courage”. I would make sure everyone in my flock understands they need to eliminate the fear of failure when pursuing their dreams by reading extracts from the book. I would recommend reading it and create a study plan based on the book, so that we thoroughly discuss each chapter and everybody understands what Costa is trying to say. They will see that taking risks is essential in figuring out their real calling. In my life, there is a need in implementing aspects from the chapter “Called to Choose”, because it is sometimes hard to ask for help when making tough choices. I need to be humbler and embrace the fact that it is alright to ask someone for some advice. It is also important for me to learn how to be content even when things do not work out despite all the hard efforts that have been put into them. Not lingering over the loss and learning from it in order to move forward would contribute to fulfilling my calling better.
Ken Costa has put all his knowledge and experiences in this book for others to find their purpose in life, as it is his main calling. He offers things to think about and challenges his readers to dare and change their life for the better. It may not have a lot of new information on the matter, as some may think, but Costa makes one want to read it nevertheless. “Know Your Why” may not be another self-help book on how to become richer or more famous, but instead it offers answers to complicated questions people keep asking themselves.
Work Cited
Costa, Ken. Know Your Why: Finding and Fulfilling Your Calling in Life. Thomas Nelson, 2016.