Dan Miller - 48 Days to the Work You Love. Preparing for the New Normal

2010 by Dan Miller

All rights reserved

Printed in the United States of America

978-1-4336-6933-0

Published by B&H Publishing Group

Nashville, Tennessee

Dewey Decimal Classification: 248.84

Subject Headings: CHRISTIAN LIFE

VOCATIONAL GUIDANCE

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations have been taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible, Copyright 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003 by Holman Bible Publishers.

Other Scripture quotations are KJV, King James Version of the Bible; NIV, the Holy Bible, New International Version, 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society; NLT, the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, 1996, used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189, all rights reserved; and TLB, the Living Bible, Tyndale House Publishers, Wheaton, Ill., 1971, used by permission.

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Contents

Authors Note

The workplace has continued to be ravaged by changes since the first edition of 48 Days to the Work You Love. We have seen the collapse of major financial institutions, auto manufacturers, real estate companies, and thousands of smaller companies around the world. Many are now askingHas the process for finding fulfilling work changed as well? And the answer is Yesand No. Yes, the process of connecting with a company has changed. Yes, many of the old work models are being eliminated, never to return again. No, the opportunities have not disappeared; they just look different. We know that with any change, new opportunities appear as well. The world has become flattenedmeaning you can apply for positions with organizations that are not even in the same country where you choose to live. The chances of having a job with a guaranteed salary and benefits are diminishing, but its never been easier to define new work models that allow for increased time, freedom, and income.

And no, the process for finding work that fits, and that is the application of our calling, has not changed. As outlined in the original 48 Days to the Work You Love, I believe that 85 percent of the process of having confidence in ones career direction comes from looking inward15 percent is the application to fitting work. That process of looking inward has not changed. Its still a proven process of finding your unique talents, creating a clear focus, and then findingor creatingthe appropriate application for meaningful, fulfilling, purposeful, and profitable work.

Thus, with this revised edition we will look at the changing trends and the impact of recent changes on the workplace. The process of finding work that fits is not a one-time event. Whether you are eighteen or sixty-two, fulfilling work requires an ongoing understanding of who we are and who we are becoming. Each transition point in life (even if unexpected and unwelcomed) gives us a fresh opportunity to realign our daily activities to embrace our continued maturity and our ability to contribute effectively.

Prepare for the new normal.

Foreword

Few categories of our lives define us and grow us spiritually, emotionally, relationally, and as people. Our work is one of those powerful defining areas. Sadly, a j-o-b is what most people settle for, but as Dan Miller so powerfully points out in the coming chapters, a calling lights up your life.

Dans insight and actual hands-on implementation of discovering and developing a calling has influenced thousands of lives, including mine and many of my team members. You see, implementation is the key. In the last few years I have been very inspired to be wild at heart and to have a purpose-driven life and am a huge fan of those culture-impacting books (by John Eldredge and Rick Warren, respectively). I am even more excited by 48 Days to the Work You Love because it puts clothes on the concepts. You may be like me; I sometimes need someone to help me put the concepts into action. Knowledge without action is personified in the overeducated broke and broken who wander listlessly among us.

The following pages lead you to implement a step-by-step plan to show the world your purpose and your heart in a way that is most satisfying. It is satisfying not because you will never face adversity or make mistakes in the processnor because your career will zoom ahead and never falter. You will fall, you will err, and your career will not take a perfect path. No, this material is satisfying and life-changing because you will have the tools to discover a key part of the plan God has for your life. This material is satisfying because when you begin discovering and implementing this plan, you will have a sense of God-given power that will propel you through adversity and errors. This new God-given power will give you the energy to recognize that even wrong turns can benefit the end result.

In the last several years, while meeting and spending time with people who have become inordinately successful, I have observed several common traits among them. Two of those traits stand out. One is they have a calling, which they have discovered and are implementing. The other is they have made mountains of mistakes in the process of becoming successful. The gleaming mountain of success is actually a pile of trasha pile of the mistakes we have made. The difference between the successful and the troubled is not error-free living; it is that by discovering and implementing a life calling, the successful stand on their pile of trash while the troubled sit under theirs.

Most of us spend too much of our lives in paralyzing fear, shame, guilt, and dread when it comes to our work. Work has become the daily grind instead of the great adventure it should be. The beauty of this material is that as you implement it, you will gradually process your negative emotions and move into a thriving work life. As someone who lives this material everyday, I know you will still experience doubt, fear, and mistakes. However, by finding and functioning in your calling, you will increasingly grow in confidence that you were put here to win in spite of those things, not without them.

I am excited for you because by opening these next few pages you are lighting a fire. The wood may be old and wet, but it has the capacity to become a raging bonfire! This is a book about implementation, so do it!

DAVE RAMSEY

Nationally Syndicated Radio Host

Your 48 Day Schedule

Heres where the rubber meets the road. This is not just another book to read; this is a process for putting you on track for meaningful, purposeful, and profitable work. Follow this step-by-step process, and youll see your dreams come to life and experience the exhilarating joy of doing work that releases your passions and strongest abilities. Put yourself on this time schedule so you radically change your level of success if you have ever felt that your work is just a necessary exchange for a paycheck. Work through each step and keep moving even if you feel you could do more work on a particular step.

Each days assignment refers to a section in the book. You may want to do a quick overview and read some of the examples of people who have dramatically changed their view of work as they found that sweet spot where work and play become indistinguishable. This is a process to get you through those inevitable and perhaps unwelcome transition points in your life.

Check off each days activities as you complete them. See yourself getting closer and closer to the work you love. Start the countdowntoday is Day Number One.