Doing Work You Love : Discovering Your Purpose and Realizing Your Dreams [Paperback]

Cheryl Gilman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 1997

Here--at last--is the book that gives readers the scoop on how to find that perfect career. Offers practical techniques and no-nonsense suggestions on everything from identifying the "right" job and networking to perfecting a resume and interviewing.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Doing Work You Love is a superb, enlivening book, filled with insight, inspiration, and very workable methods to get anyone going on their path of authentic and meaningful work." -- Rick Jarow; author, Creating the Work You Love

"Doing Work You Love is an insightful and practical book. Just one reminder which I put to practical use helped me negotiate a contract which will pay me several thousands of dollars more than I was first expecting." -- Ernie Zelinski; author of The Joy of Not Working and The Magic of Thinking Big

"Doing Work You Love provides futher proof that we can create a livelihood for ourselves today that only yesterday would have seemed like an impossible dream." -- Sara and Paul Edwards; authors, Finding Your Perfect Work and Secrets of Self-Employment: Surviving and Thriving on the ups and Downs of Being Your Own Boss

"Unlike most career books, Cheryl Gilman's Doing Work You Love takes the reader on a rich, creative journey into themselves and the path towards meaningful work. Not only is it a must read for those in search of fulfilling work that they love but for the coaches who partner with them during the process. -- Cheryl Richardson; author, Take Time for Your Life

Do you love your work? You should. Career Coach Cheryl Gilman...author of Doing Work You Love says that you should have a meaningful career that both excites and energizes you.

She says you spend two-thirds of your waking hours in work-related activities...and you should ask how you want to feel during that time. She recommends you time yourself for sixty seconds and list ten things that you enjoy most in life. As you write...she wants you to think how these things make you feel...and then how you could have these feelings at work.

Gilman says if you think you've chosen a job or even a career...don't feel like you are stuck... Choosing a career isnot forever. If you did something for a while but it no longer fits...you need to rethink the possibilities in your life.

To get started on a new career, while still in your current job, Gilman says to research as much as you can another job for one month.Find out what that job reall is like and ifit would really be the work you love. -- Andrew Finlayson, Business News Producer at KTVU/Fox in San Francisco/Oakland, CA

This book offers many more exercises to help the reader jump-start her or his creativity. In Doing Work You Love, Gilman applies the growing body of intuitive knowledge to the problems of career choice and maintenance. The pivotal question: How does one discover one's own natural talents and apply them effectively within today's business world?

Gilman encourages readers to start where they are and begin their future now. Through chapters on creating a sense of safety, increasing creativity, uncovering purpose, and staying motivated, she guides the reader all the way from taking stock of present options and creating a vision for one's future to aceing a job interview. She tells the reader what to do when the blues get you down (exercise, talk to someone who is not your mate, keep a journal, honor your body, reward yourself daily, etc.). And she offers suggestions on how to help children and friends find their own paths. Gilman notes that human beings weren't created to live at a frenetic pace. The hectic tempo of the modern office may suit a caffeine-soaked brain, but it may also upset our internal rhythms. One of the delights of this book is its acknowledgment of the body. Often career selection is undertaken entirely from the mind's standpoint, and we end up doing things for hours every day (such as sitting in front of computer screens) that further our career ambitions but cause our backs to stiffen, our muscles to atrophy, our eyes to weaken. The body is not a machine external to us; its health affects our mental acuity and moods. When choosing a career path, we should give some thought to the question, What does our body want to do?

Doing Work You Love offers less philosophizing than some similar books, and more practical help. -- Intuition Magazine

About the Author

Cheryl Gilman provides personal development and career coaching. Her work has been featured in the Boston Globe, the Boston Herald, and other newspapers.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill; 1 edition (September 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0809230437
• ISBN-13: 978-0809230433
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.8 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,610,522 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Empowering!, September 7, 2000

By 

Serena Moro (London, Ontario, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Doing Work You Love : Discovering Your Purpose and Realizing Your Dreams (Paperback)

EVERYONE should read this book. While you read it, you'll be reminded that we all have choices in life and that all of us can and should be 'doing work that we love.' I found this book very empowering. The text is easy-to-read and follow, the exercises are very insightful, and the "Aphorisms and Reminders" at the back are extremely empowering. I found myself jotting them down in places I could see them, and I still review them to keep me motivated. I felt so empowered by this book that I made the decision to leave my job in search of Work That I Love and I have never looked back. Cheryl Gilman provides a forum for you to explore your own options, be it staying where you are, or moving on...the CHOICE is up to you! A big THANK YOU to Cheryl Gilman for guiding me along my journey in rediscovering who I am and what I want to do in life. An exceptionally good book.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Cheryl Gilman brought my career goals into clear focus., February 14, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (Boston. MA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Doing Work You Love : Discovering Your Purpose and Realizing Your Dreams (Paperback)

After reading "Doing Work You Love", I had a better understanding of what it means to embark on a career. I had previously taken jobs to try them on for size, to see how they fit, to see if they "fit" me...only to end up loathing getting up in the morning! Speaking from her own experiences, Ms. Gilman's writing is engaging and humerous, yet to the point and no-nonsense.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If you are unhappy with your job/career then read this book., February 15, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Doing Work You Love : Discovering Your Purpose and Realizing Your Dreams (Paperback)

Doing Work You Love is an excellent book. I highly recommend it to anyone who is not happy in their current profession. It is inspirational and motivational at helping you to discover what career you really want to have in life. It is easy to read and understand. It also dispels many common myths and fears about job searches and changing careers.