Synopses & Reviews
In Seth Godinandrsquo;s most inspiring book, he challenges readers to find the courage to treat their work as a form of artand#160;Everyone knows that Icarusandrsquo;s father made him wings and told him not to fly too close to the sun; he ignored the warning and plunged to his doom. The lesson: Play it safe. Listen to the experts. It was the perfect propaganda for the industrial economy. What boss wouldnandrsquo;t want employees to believe that obedience and conformity are the keys to success?and#160;But we tend to forget that Icarus was also warned not to fly too low, because seawater would ruin the lift in his wings. Flying too low is even more dangerous than flying too high, because it feels deceptively safe.and#160;The safety zone has moved. Conformity no longer leads to comfort. But the good news is that creativity is scarce and more valuable than ever. So is choosing to do something unpredictable and brave: Make art. Being an artist isnandrsquo;t a genetic disposition or a specific talent. Itandrsquo;s an attitude we can all adopt. Itandrsquo;s a hunger to seize new ground, make connections, and work without a map. If you do those things youandrsquo;re an artist, no matter what it says on your business card.and#160;Godin shows us how itandrsquo;s possible and convinces us why itandrsquo;s essential.
Synopsis
It took me sixteen years to write this book. That breaks down to a brisk twelve words per day. But it wasn't the writing that took so long. . . . It was the working.I had to work at big companies and small companies. I had to get hired and fired several times. I had to find my dream job, then walk away from it. But after all that, I can now say the following with absolute certainty:
You already have everything you need for an amazing career. In fact, you've had it since day one.
Starting on the first day you got paid to scoop ice cream or restock shelves, you've had the chance to develop the four elements all great careers have in common: relationships, skills, character, and hustle. You already have each of those, to one degree or another.
Now it's time to amplify them and apply them in a new way, creating a Career Savings Account(TM). This unique approach will give you the power to call a Do Over--whether you're twenty-two, forty-two, or sixty-two. You'll have the resources to reinvent your work and get unstuck. You'll even rescue your Mondays as you discover how to work toward the job you've always wanted
Just as a bank account protects you during a financial crunch, a Career Savings Account(TM) protects you during a career crunch. You need a CSA because you'll eventually face at least one of these major transitions:
- You will hit a Career Ceiling and get stuck, requiring sharp skills to free yourself.
- You will experience a Career Bump and unexpectedly lose your job, requiring strong relationships to survive.
- You will make a Career Jump to a new role, requiring solid character to push through uncertainty and chaos.
- You will get a surprise Career Opportunity, requiring dedicated hustle to take advantage of it.
It took me sixteen years to figure out how to call a Do Over on my career. Please don't wait sixteen more seconds before starting yours.
Synopsis
The get ready, get going guide to navigating career change and doing work you love New York Times bestselling author Jon Acuff has drawn millions of online fans who love his refreshing mix of humor, honesty, and wisdom about the world of work. Now he offers his most important book yet, a guide to making big career changesand#151;by choice or necessityand#151;and escaping the horrible feeling of being trapped in the wrong job.
Acuff finds it amazing that people spend more than eighteen years studying and preparing for college, but little or no time honing their careers between graduation and retirement. He offers an empowering tool he calls the Career Savings Account, which will change the way readers think about their skills, relationships, character, and work ethic. He also shows that if youand#8217;re on the wrong track, you already have what you need to change itand#151;even if your family and mortgage mean you canand#8217;t simply pick up and move for a new opportunity.
Throughout the book, Acuff features inspiring and funny true storiesand#151;not merely his own, but those of friends who restarted their careers after a layoff, an extended maternity leave, or simply the realization that they were suffering fifty weeks a year just to pay the bills and enjoy two weeks of vacation. Everyone can benefit from Do Over, from new graduates to fiftysomethings and beyond.
About the Author
Seth Godin is the author of more than a dozen bestsellers that have changed the way people think about marketing, leadership, and change, including
Permission Marketing,
Purple Cow,
All Marketers Are Liars,
Small is the New Big,
The Dip,
Tribes,
Linchpin, and
Poke the Box. He is also the founder and CEO of Squidoo.com and a very popular lecturer. He writes one of the most influential business blogs in the world at SethGodin.com.