Book Review: Do What You Love

nnThis book review is part of a series that covers the topic of Career Coaching. Career Coaching focuses on the needs of individuals to find fulfillment and satisfaction in their career. Many of us try to improve our lives by improving or changing careers. Gwen Jewett is the Official Guide to Career Coaching.nnDo What You Love for the Rest of Your Life: A Practical Guide to Career Change and Personal Renewal, by Bob Griffiths, is a valuable resource for people interested in Diet and Weight Loss, and it is available through Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble.n

nBook Descriptionn

nIf your job is more stressful than it is satisfying and you fantasize about leaving it for a career you truly love, here is the book for you! Bob Griffiths himself quit a fast-track Wall Street firm at age 50 and launched a passionate new career-a move that has brought him enormous happiness and a sense of personal renewal. Now in this illuminating, eminently practical new book, Griffiths shares the secrets of real career success with everyone who wants to do what they love best.nnDo What You Love for the Rest of Your Life takes you step-by-step through the adventure of changing careers at any stage in life. Here are easy-to-follow exercises to help you tap into your hidden strengths and reach your full potential. Here, too, are concrete, result-oriented suggestions on reworking your resumé, developing a "financial freedom plan" that gives you long-term stability, even starting that small business of your dreams. Griffiths shows how to identify your passions, honor your calling, and find the courage to deal with change. The choice is yours to make.nnBob Griffiths advocates nothing less than a fundamental change in the way we measure success. Rewarding, inspirational, as uplifting as it is useful, and full of remarkable true stories of people who have undergone major change, this extraordinary book will help you find the courage to succeed in the ways that really make a difference. It's true: You can at last Do What You Love for the Rest of Your Life!n

nPublisher Descriptionn

nGriffiths, a former Wall Street honcho who downshifted into a more satisfying career as a playwright and professional speaker, draws on his and others' experiences to provide a road map for change. He advises readers to commit to a career change, identifying doubts (often money-related) before undertaking the process of identifying a passion, perhaps by taking tests or seeing a career counselor. The new career, says Griffiths, should integrate the personal and career selves. Emphasizing the need for family discussions about such change, Griffiths suggests that children care less about economic status than reliable parenting. As for money, he suggests getting control of finances and analyzing expectations, recognizing, e.g., that children can get a good education at non-brand name schools. His advice ranges from the psychological ("maintaining a constructive attitude") to the practical (make a chart assessing the skills and abilities applicable to new career possibilities). Avoid burning bridges, he says, as networking works better than responding to job ads. Acknowledging the trade-offs, Griffiths concludes that "self-worth" is more important than "net worth." His book is hardly comprehensive the appendix refers to a host of resources, including the legendary What Color Is Your Parachute? And, of course, it recounts the success stories rather than the failures. Still, Griffiths's spiritual approach living the Golden Rule and recognizing that happiness "is inversely proportionate to expectations" offers wise counsel to those beginning such journeys.n

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