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Start.: Punch Fear in the Face, Escape Average, and Do Work That Matters Hardcover – April 22, 2013

by Jon Acuff (Author)

641 customer reviews

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Wall Street Journal best-selling author Jon Acuff reveals the steps to getting unstuck and back onto the path of being awesome.

Over the last 100 years, the road to success for most everyone has been divided into five stages that mirror the decades of working life:

Your 20s are a period of Learning. This is the decade of trying a thousand things, exploring a multitude of interests, and discovering what really motivates you.

Your 30s are a period of Editing. This is the decade of sorting out interests, where you discover what you really care about and who you really are.

Your 40s are a period of Mastering. This is the decade of narrowing focus, honing skill sets, and becoming an expert in your field.

Your 50s are a period of Harvesting. This is the decade of reaping the benefits of good decisions and enjoying the highest income-earning period in a career.

Your 60s are a period of Guiding. This is the decade of mentoring, training, and encouraging others on their own road to success.

Every successful person has followed these steps regardless of their occupation. But three things have changed the path to success and

erased the decades associated with them:

Finish lines are dead – Boomers are realizing that a lot of the things they were promised aren’t going to materialize, and they have started second and third careers.

Anyone can play – Technology has given access to an unprecedented number of people who are building online empires and changing their lives in ways that would have been impossible years ago.

Hope is boss – The days of “success first, significance later,” have ended. A new generation doesn’t want to change the world eventually; they want to change it now through the wells they kickstart in Africa and the TOMS they wear on their feet. The value system has been flipped upside down.

The result is that you’ve got an entire generation pushing down to start over, another generation pushing up to start for the first time, and in the middle of this collision, the tools to actually change the world.

Experience years now trump chronological age. And while none of the five stages can be skipped, they can be shortened and accelerated.

There are only two paths in life: average and awesome. The average path is easy because all you have to do is nothing. The awesome path is more challenging, because things like fear only bother you when you do work that matters. The good news is Start gives readers practical, honest, actionable insights to be more awesome, more often.

It’s time to punch fear in the face, escape average, and do work that matters.

It’s time to Start.

Start.: Punch Fear in the Face, Escape Average, and Do Work That Matters

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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Jon Acuff has authored three books, including the Wall Street Journal best-seller Quitter, which has helped thousands of people close the gap between their day jobs and their dream jobs. In 2010, Jon joined the Dave Ramsey team as a full-time author and speaker. Jon’s wildly popular blog, StuffChristiansLike.net, has more than 4 million readers worldwide and was the inspiration for his first book, Stuff Christians Like, published by Zondervan. Follow Jon on Twitter @jonacuff and online at jonacuff.com.

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Product details

Hardcover: 272 pages
Publisher: Ramsey Press (April 22, 2013)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1937077594
ISBN-13: 978-1937077594
Product Dimensions: 6.3 x 0.9 x 9.3 inches
Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (641 customer reviews)
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #11,179 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #205 in Books > Business & Money > Business Culture > Motivation & Self-Improvement
- #219 in Books > Business & Money > Management & Leadership > Motivational
- #318 in Books > Business & Money > Personal Finance

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Customer Reviews

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4.6 out of 5 stars

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Top Customer Reviews

I like to solve problems I don't want to stand up ...

ByWhispering Hillson October 2, 2014

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

I was looking for a book that had real practical lessons to teach. A "how to" on escaping average, this is a book about someone elses journey. Yes you can use the tactics the author used but they are specific to one kind of career writing. I also found repeatition in his story in each chapter and I agree this could have been a short story in place of a book. Where's the steps to making the change? Networking (duh), less time spent on mindless entertainment, unplugging from technology, and getting back to hobbies that become careers.

What about a person who has skills in their career but is not one who is ready or even wants public attention. I want to make waves but I want to be the brains behind someone elses face. How to be the introverted success story? I like to solve problems I don't want to stand up talking about it. We know that is where a lot of these self-help folks make their money, in speaking engagements, blogs, or pod-cast subscriptions.

So to me this is not a self-help book, but a story of someone who changed their average into extrodinary.

0Comment 23 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

Blogorious Wisdom

ByThe Good Doctoron July 3, 2013

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

Blog writing, I suppose, has come to influence modern writing becuase of the following device:

People love to write short lines like this and put sevreal of them on a page by themsleves with 17 sub-headings per page.

Who started this?

It's really addictive, isn't it?

Like getting little text messages from the author every two seconds.

I blame Rob Bell.

The paragraph is dying quickly in this age of blogging and texting, and perhaps deservedly so. However this book manages to use all of these modern writing devices to communicate some timeless principles effectively and humorously. Then it goes a step further by not just suggesting applications but putting them in appendices that are extremely user friendly. I found this book laugh out loud funny and extemely valuable as a tool for finding further direction.

Moreover, I found the book gave me permission to do two extremely important acts concerning my future: A) start doing something about it and not think about it. and B) Experiment without the pressure of having my experiment become a lifetime commitment after just 3 months.
So, if you are seeking direction for a major life change or just looking to confirm a little right turn you want to take , you cannot go wrong with this boook.

Now, I'm off to live my dream and create a blog to elongate America's attention span through the use of extended paragraphs.

Pray for me.

0Comment 16 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

Give Your Dreams a Fighting Chance

ByMatthew Eatonon July 30, 2016

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

Have you ever wanted to start doing something amazing? Have you considered the price you pay if you do something without thinking about it first?

In this era of entrepreneur ventures and independent thinking, we often forget there are virtues to slowing down and thinking about whether or not being an entrepreneur is worth it in the first place. The internet might be a land of opportunity, but is it the right opportunity for you?

"Start" answers some of the lingering questions that might keep you up and night. It is about considering where your leverage and power in the world of self-starting is with good humor and great ideas along the way. It is about learning that a job gives you a moment to say no to something you'd have to say yes to if you were struggling for money.

This is a pretty amazing book all around, but it also delves into some of the areas I tend to have problems connecting with. I generally don't concern myself with legacy. I don't have a family to worry about. I don't have children to feed or dogs to groom. Still, even with this as an obstacle to my own growth and self-acceptance, I still recommend this book highly to anyone on the verge of starting some sort of entrepreneurial venture.

If you think you're ready to set out on your own now, take a few days and digest this book. You'll be better off for it and you might even see the value in being a part of the cubicle farm for another year or so along the way.

0Comment 2 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

Expect Life-Change. And Awesomeness.

ByJordanon July 10, 2014

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

This book was the catalyst for a major life & attitude change in me. Before I read this book, I was living in fear, rather than becoming a better version of myself.

This book really just encourages you to find your "inner awesome" and just START working on your dreams. Jon Acuff writes with humor and preciseness. I love this quote from the book: "We start to believe that dreaming or walking down the road to awesome is an inherently selfish idea. As if you only have two options: abandon every commitment you have and dream, or resign yourself to an average life in order to honor your commitments. What if there was a third way? A way to honor all your commitments even while you completely change your life and the world in the process? ... What if you could start today?" (pp.42-43)

This book is challenging, encouraging, and most of all, motivating. Plus, it's FUN to read!! Since I read it, I've started leaning into who I was called to be, rather than hiding from it. I've started to learn how to find a balance between maintaining my commitments between work and my dreams. I started believing that it's not Either-Or in my life, but AND.

Add this book to your reading list, and expect life-change. And awesomeness.

0Comment 4 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

Well done, Jon Acuff!

ByAmazon Customeron June 6, 2017

Format: Audible Audio EditionVerified Purchase

This is a book for anyone who thinks they don't have time to do what they love, because they're overwhelmed doing what they must. Read this book, or preferably listen to it. In the audio book edition of Start: Punch Fear in the Face, Escape Average and Do Work that Matters, Jon Acuff reads the book himself. He imbues it with his freshness and enthusiasm and occasionally even drops in a side comment (bonus!). I've heard Start twice now, and it was just as good the second time. Not everybody will benefit from every recommendation Acuff makes, but most people will find nuggets of wisdom that can transform a life. The book is inspiring without being hokey, and it's visionary while remaining practical. Well done, Jon Acuff!

0CommentWas this review helpful to you?YesNo

Most Recent Customer Reviews

Five Stars

Great read!!

Published 4 days ago by Steve

Super motivational!

So insightful! So motivating and inspirational! Love this book! I might have to read it again! It has many great examples and stories.

Published 5 days ago by Tim Azevedo

Recommend!

Heard about this book on Dave Ramsay show-got it for my son and I think it is really helping to get him moving in a direction. Recommend!

Published 1 month ago by Ferrygirl

A Life Changing book if you let it be.

This Book is a game changer if you let it be! I knew there were some places in my life that I was holding back and dealing with fears- I just did not know why or how to get...Read more

Published 1 month ago by Dee

Make Awesome a Norm!

I don't normally write reviews, but in the spirit of the book, I don't want to be normal anymore. Jon Acuff has this ability to make his parables not only get to the point, but...Read more

Published 1 month ago by William Charbonneau

START. empowering yourself to live the life that will make you happy!

This title came across in an email from Book Bub and it caught my attention - I like the idea of punching something in the face - so, I was intrigued and got the book.Read more

Published 1 month ago by Michelle Wagher

I think the book did a great job of giving me a more positive way of ...

I think the book did a great job of giving me a more positive way of looking at where I am in my profession and life overall.Read more

Published 2 months ago by Redwolf

Five Stars

Still reading - so far so good!

Published 3 months ago by Melanie B.

Awesome book

Love the way that author writes
Very practical and simple concepts that will make you awesome

Will definitely recommend to others

Published 3 months ago by Marilyn Harvest

Scared to step out and Start? Then this is the book for you!

I had read Jon Acuff's book, Quitter, and liked it as well, but this one hit me right where I am. I would classify this more as a motivational book for getting out of your...Read more

Published 4 months ago by S Young

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