My Lifestyle Career

Five Books to Help Jump-start Your Lifestyle Friendly Career (No matter what your age)

Happy almost Thanksgiving! As you head into the holiday season, and begin to search for the perfect gift for the hard-to-buy people on your list, why not consider buying a great book to help your loved ones reinvent their careers outside the 9-5 box?  Considering how many hours people spend at work, this is one gift sure to keep giving long after the glow of the holidays have dimmed.

Here are my recommendations of new and notable reads (click here for a list of additional recommendations):

Making a Living Without a Job, revised edition: Winning Ways for Creating Work That You Love:  This book has been out for a while, but a revised edition of it was just released this year.  One of my all-time favorites!

Escape from Cubicle Nation: From Corporate Prisoner to Thriving Entrepreneur:  Practical and inspirational read for anyone itching to leave corporate America to join the ranks of thriving entrepreneurs.

Career Renegade: How to Make a Great Living Doing What You Love:  A serial entrepreneur, Jonathan Fields, shares his expertise on how to turn your passions into profits, including excellent advice on how to leverage the power of the internet to leverage and monetize your expertise. 

Now What?: The Young Person's Guide to Choosing the Perfect Career:  A good pick for the 17-30 year olds on your holiday list.  I have to confess that I have not read this book in it's entirety, but the reviews on Amazon are amazing, and having read Lore's earlier book, The Pathfinder: How to Choose or Change Your Career for a Lifetime of Satisfaction and Success  I am willing to bet this book is a winner.  

Don't Retire, Rewire!: 5 Steps to Fulfilling Work That Fuels Your Passion, Suits Your Personality, and Fills Your Pocket :  This is a very insightful guide for people approaching "retirement" age and wondering how to transition their skills from a corporate career to a "second" phase.  A quick read, but offers useful exercises and resources for the over 50 crowd.

Did I forget any of your favorites?  Please share your recommendations in the comments.

Stuck in Neutral?: Book Helps Power Your Reinvention Resolve

One of the things I love about my career is that as part of my "continuing education" I can indulge my passion for reading books about career reinvention.  I'll admit that having read so many books over the years, I now tend to scan more than read.  But every once in a while, I read something so fresh, so compelling and so on target -- that I actually slow down, take notes and savor every word. 

If you want a life-changing book that will really make a difference in your resolve to create a lifestyle-friendly career, get a copy of  Creating Your Best Life: The Ultimate Life List Guide by Caroline Miller.  It is one of the best books I've read in a very long time.

Unlike so many of the "rah-rah" self help books on the market that are heavy on cheerleading but light on substance, this book is rooted in scientific research that validates the importance of meaningful goal setting in creating successful outcomes.  As one of the readers notes in his Amazon.com review, '"It is nearly impossible to read this book without reflecting on your life goals, what exists in your life that facilitates them, what obstacles get in the way, what successes can you build on from your past, and most interestingly, what occurs on the fringes of conscious awareness that pushes you toward your goals or pulls you away from them. Despite studying and teaching positive psychology for nearly a decade, I found myself scribbling all over the pages.

Has anyone else read this book?  I'd love to hear your feedback.