Customer Reviews

Do What You Love for the Rest of Your Life: A Practical Guide to Career Change and Personal Renewal

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I was attracted to the title of this book since I have been in the same field for 30 years and have begun to feel burnt out. I didnt see a way out before normal retirement, until I read this book.

This book has been very helpful to me since it includes a step by step guide to identifying your passions, what you do well, your fears, your financial picture (including differentiating between needs and wants), family concerns and more. Equally encouraging are first person reports from people who actually made dramatic life style changes and are doing what they love. I have gone over the sections and am just finishing evaluating my finances and feel that I am in a better position to make a change in the next few years. I now see that some lifestyle changes, an early or normal retirement with a reduced income and a part time job could give me options that will improve the quality of life for myself and my family.

Sometimes you need a nudge or another way of seeing things differently. This book has given that to me and I highly recommend it.

When my husband was down-sized a few weeks ago from his corporate job, with its hefty salary, we were both depressed and fearful about the future. Then, we read Bob Griffiths' intelligent new guide to career change and personal renewal. My husband had been an industrial chemist for years, but had often felt that he had chosen the wrong profession. Secretly, he felt that he belonged in academics. Bob's sage advice in his book encouraged him to apply for a job teaching college chemistry at a prestigious college. At the time, he believed that he had no chance of landing an interview, let alone being offered the position. However, he was chosen over forty other candidates, and there is an excellent chance that his contract will be renewed for next year. It is true that he makes less money in academics than he did in industry, but he has never felt better about himself and his life, and that makes me happy, not only for him, but about our marriage, which had suffered because of his dissatisfaction with his former job. We both feel that we have a new lease on life. I highly recommend Bob Griffiths' book to anyone who is tired of the same old grind. He's a superb coach who inspires you to realize your dream in life, but he is also a Dutch-uncle when it comes to helping you deal with the practical and financial aspects of changing your career.

When I left the corporate world in June of 1998, it was quite a difficult period -- after 14 years, I left a high-paying job at a movie company in Hollywood and moved to a small Northern California town (without a paying job waiting for me) to write plays and screenplays. It was trial and error all the way -- with the emphasis on Error. This past Christmas I was given this book as a gift. Wow! What common sense guidelines, interesting case histories, and superb advice from Mr. Griffiths! While I can't undo past mistakes, this book is STILL useful in helping me plot out my goals and do it successfully. I urge anyone who is thinking of changing careers in mid-life (or even before) TO READ THIS BOOK! It will save you a lot of grief. Take it from one who knows!

This is a must-read for baby boomers who feel like tearing up their resumes and starting over again. Griffiths' own story of how he reinvented his crazy Wall Street life is compelling and instructive on its own, but he has added to that the stories of many others who faced all those obstacles that keep most people from doing what is right for them, instead of what our culture tells them is right. The writing is crisp and clear: "Money ruled me for most of my life," he confesses. "Despite all my outward success, I had little sense of self worth." He made more money than he ever imagined, and was deeper in debt than he could ever handle. At age 50 he made a sharp turn and since then has become a nationally recognized, award-winning playwright, an actor, director, and, now, author: a satisfying life. It's easy to say, "I hate my work/life." It's another to find the courage to make the sacrifices necessary to do something about it. Griffiths provides a clear and compelling road map for the mind, the wallet, and the family of people who know they want a change, but need some help figuring our how to go about it, from the dream to the reality.

"Do What You Love" stands miles above the rest. It's not just another "here's how to right a killer resume" kind of book, but rather deals with the whole person - especially the fears surrounding a big move like this. Griffiths, along with the other career changers he surveyed, share how he did it and the issues they all had to work through. Their personal testimonies are inspiring, besides offering practical help.

It's also great to read Griffiths' sensitive treatment of the spiritual component. He encourages us to de-compartmentalize our lives, to integrate our personal, professional, and spiritual selves, and take time to get to know ourselves before we embark on this major life change. On top of it all, he's an excellent writer.

This book was nothing less than impressive! It states it is a practical guide to career change and personal renewal and it never disappoints. From the intro through the end, this book talks about giving up the lesser important aspects of your life to live a rich and fulfilling one through your career. Why stay in a job that you weren't meant for and begrudge yourself for going to work each day when you can get up each morning and think, "Goody! I get to do it again"?

Why NOT you, Identify your passions, Who am I professionally, Who am I --Really, Fear, Family, Finances, Essential spirituality, from dream to reality, the road map, transition, the new you, choosing a new employer, starting your own business, trade-offs, beyond your wildest dreams.........all off this and more is covered in this book!

Want ONE book to show you how to find a job and live a life that will fill you with joy? THIS is the book to get. I guarantee it will not disappoint!

Do What You Love for the Rest of Your Life : A Practical Guide to Career Change and Personal Renewal by Bob Griffiths can certainly stand on its merits. It gives good case histories detailing how various people he interviewed turned their careers around. It discusses the different sacrifices ech had made. The story about the Wall Street tycoon who managed everone else's money but his own seems to stand out the most.

However, this leads me to the weakness of this book. I finished this book abouttwo weeks ago and the main thing that stands out is the organizational structure and that many things can influence a person into changing a career. If you were to ask me the specific details behind the case studies, I really can not remember much. Part of it is Griffith's writing style and part of it could be that the stories themselves are really not overly inspiring. In other words, tehre are probably ten other similar stories out there. That is good in the sense that people can relate to Griffiths. However, in depicting a specific case study somehow the inspiration level is decent as opposed to excellent.

Nonetheless, this book is worthy if not quite over the top.

I purchased this book about 3 years ago when I considered leaving the full-time arena and going freelance. I followed the book which included analyzing what you like best and how to plan for the big change and do what you really want in your life. It was an excellent guide and tool and I could not have made the switch without it. Since then, I left the corporate cubicle world and have moved into freelance computer consulting work, working from my home office. I knew several friends who had made the switch and they said once you make the switch, you never want to go back to the 9 to 5 job and commuting. There are tons of opportunities online for freelancers. You just have to see yourself making the switch, believe in yourself, and work hard...and you can make it happen.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to be happier in their job and life!
5 + stars!

It's your basic pyramid scheme. Griffiths left his high-power Wall Street job for the simple life - teaching workshops on how to leave the corporate world for the simple life just like he did! The price of the book buys you his seminar on Barnes and Noble's online book club where, for your $13 and some hours of your life that you will never get back, Griffiths works to convince you that you, too, have the "self-esteem" to stop being a soulless corporate lackey. Griffiths sends you to some online hobby quizzes (which he didn't write himself) and then he tells you what your dream job might be. My top callings were "librarian" and "FBI agent," which seemed to me might involve some level of professional conflict of interest. Then he spends the rest of the seminar smugly deflecting your "resistance" every time you point out that your secret dream to be an Aruban scuba diver might not be practical or dodging questions about how to feed two kids on $8 an hour.

What do you do when you give up your spirtually unfulfilling but financially rewarding job only to find that its a cold, hard world out their? You write a book about it in the desperate hope that it will make you some money.