“Piercingly frank, funny, gorgeous, vulnerable, and ultimately really damn helpful.”
— Julie Lythcott-Haims, New York Times bestselling author of How to Raise an Adult
How to Begin is for you if…
You’re ambitious, but feel you’ve never been given full permission to find and strive for what’s possible for you.
You’ve achieved things in your career, and it’s now time to “climb the second mountain” and think about legacy.
You’re unhappy with how the world is working right now, and you want to change your part of it for the better.
You’re a coach, and you want to support your clients to be great and do great things.

You’re at the start of your adult life, and you’re fired up to live a life of meaning and impact.
You’re ready to begin, and to start doing something that matters.
We unlock our greatness by working on the hard things.
With The Coaching Habit, Michael Bungay Stanier wrote the bestselling coaching book of the century. With The Advice Trap, he showed you how to tame your Advice Monster. Now, he’s here to help you reclaim your ambition, figure out what you should do that matters… and begin.
This is your practical guide to finding the focus and courage to set a Worthy Goal: one that lights you up, compels you to grow, and serves a bigger game by being thrilling, important, and daunting.
With Michael’s trademark humor, compassion, and laser-focused clarity, you’ll walk through a tested process to:
- find and strengthen your Worthy Goal to the very best it can be;
- get absolutely clear on your commitment so you know what you’re up for;
- develop the resources to cross the threshold, so you don’t have to travel alone;
- build momentum, progress, and impact.
Don’t regret a life half-lived. Use this book to start doing something that matters.