Four successful women share their hardships and their strength: "e;An object lesson in the power of friendship-and the power of perseverance."e; -Arianna Huffington, author of On Becoming FearlessFor over a decade, four women came together for weekly "e;kitchen table coaching"e; sessions designed to support each other through life's ups and downs. They experienced marriage and motherhood, divorce and widowhood. They'd had their hearts broken by a failed adoption or a partner's infidelity; they'd started companies and lost companies; they'd cared for loved ones through terminal illness; and one of them even experienced being shot and left for dead during the Jonestown massacre-only to go on to a career in the US House of Representatives.The power and strength of their collective friendship has enabled them to not only survive but thrive, and the remarkable results can be found in this collection of lessons, stories, and wisdom. Part autobiography, part self-help book, This Is Not the Life I Ordered also teaches you how to put together your own gathering of kitchen-table friends, and is filled with useful strategies for:Finding courageManaging misfortuneUnderstanding moneyReinventing yourselfLearning to love your mistakesFacing naysayers and much more