Jeff Goins - The Art of Work: A Proven Path to Discovering What You Were Meant to Do

Praise for The Art of Work

The Art of Work will make you think differently about what you do and how you do it. Jeff Goins is a fresh young voice in a field full of copycats. He challenges us to approach our work the way we would a canvasboth delicately and with furious discipline. People will be reading this book, and profiting from it, for a long time.

STEVEN PRESSFIELD, BEST-SELLING AUTHOR OF THE WAR OF ART

This is one of the most honest, direct, and generous books about you and your life that you will read this year. It took guts to write and it will take guts to read. Leap.

SETH GODIN, BEST-SELLING AUTHOR OF WHAT TO DO WHEN ITS YOUR TURN

Today, unlike any previous time in history, we have options about the work we do and the role it plays in our lives. But it is precisely here that so many of us get stuck. With so many choices, we struggle to figure out what we really want or where to start once we do. In The Art of Work, Jeff Goins provides a clear framework for discerning our calling, developing our mastery, and maximizing our impact. This is the plan weve been waiting forfrom a guide we can trust.

MICHAEL HYATT, NEW YORK TIMES BEST-SELLING AUTHOR AND FORMER CEO OF THOMAS NELSON PUBLISHERS

This is the real stuff. The Art of Work is a powerful dive into what matters, how to connect with that inside yourself, and then how to bring it out into the world in a useful way. This book will push some buttons you want pushed, and from there, it will guide you toward a new level. Dig in.

CHRIS BROGAN, NEW YORK TIMES BEST-SELLING AUTHOR OF THE FREAKS SHALL INHERIT THE EARTH

Every story of success is, in fact, a story of community. Lines like that and the powerful truth behind them are why Im such a big fan of the books Jeff Goins writes. At times, The Art of Work felt like I was reading my diary. Jeff has such a knack for clearly articulating the thoughts weve all quietly wondered!

JON ACUFF, NEW YORK TIMES BEST-SELLING AUTHOR OF DO OVER AND START

How would it feel to go to work each day because you wanted tonot because you had to? In The Art of Work, Jeff Goins shows you how. This is a real-life treasure map that can lead you to the life you were meant to live.

CHRIS GUILLEBEAU, NEW YORK TIMES BEST-SELLING AUTHOR OF THE HAPPINESS OF PURSUIT AND THE $100 STARTUP

I used to think hating your job was just a normal part of every adults lifethat is until I discovered I could build a job I actually loved. Thank goodness for Jeff and thank goodness for this book. Heres to not waiting one more day to find, build, and engage in work you love!

ALLISON VESTERFELT, AUTHOR OFPACKING LIGHT AND FOUNDER OF YOURWRITINGVOICE.COM

If there were just one chapter I could recommend to my colleagues and clients from this book, it would be The Portfolio Life. Just this! I wont spoil it, but I will say it gave me a permission to be and embrace what I suspected about myself (and apologized for) for my entire life! Im living a portfolio life, and you cant make me go back to conventional wisdom. Thanks, Jeffthis book is a must-read for the creative spirit, the restless soul, and the lifelong learner anxious to make things happen!

CARRIE WILKERSON, AUTHOR OF THE BAREFOOT EXECUTIVE, CARRIEWILKERSON.COM

Jeff Goins takes away the mystery of discovering and mastering your true calling, all with a healthy slice of reality thrown in. Thoroughly life inspiring.

CHRIS DUCKER, AUTHOR OF VIRTUAL FREEDOM

Our hearts crave connection to a meaningful calling. The Art of Work shares the process for hearing that calling and then doing the work that feels like slipping into an old pair of shoes. A must-read for anyone wanting to live a life that mattersfully alive.

DAN MILLER, NEW YORK TIMES BEST-SELLING AUTHOR OF 48 DAYS TO THE WORK YOU LOVE

The Art of Work accomplishes the next to impossible, providing clear, relevant, useful guidance on finding your calling while being enormously enjoyable to read. It is required reading for anyone who is asking, What should I do with my life?

PAMELA SLIM, AUTHOR OF BODY OF WORK

The Art of Work is encouraging, uplifting, and meaningful. I cannot recommend it enough. It may be one of the best books on finding your purpose in life Ive ever read. If youve ever wondered what your life should be about, this is a book you should pick up and read today.

JOSHUA BECKER, WALL STREET JOURNAL BEST-SELLING AUTHOR OF SIMPLIFY

No more excuses! The Art of Work illuminates the path for anyone who wants to embrace their calling and build a body of work they can be proud of.

TODD HENRY, AUTHOR OF DIE EMPTY

Reader Reviews

The Art of Work is a practical, yet inspiring prescription for how to identify and nurture your true passions in life, allowing you to turn a calling into your own beautiful contribution to the world. Its full of stories of regular people who have come alive by following their vocations and overcoming the greatest obstacle: fear. Jeffs writing has forever changed my outlook on chasing my dreams.

JENNIFER

I have some simple criteria for enjoying and defining a book as good: I dont want it to end. I could and will re-read the book. It touches my heart, and I know it will touch the hearts of others. The Art of Work met all those criteria.

BRYAN

If youre feeling stuck in life, read this book. In it, Jeff gently prods you to rethink the idea of a calling while encouraging you to recognize that you already have one. Then he gives you practical steps to start identifying what that calling is, which might just help to unstick you.

BRANDI

The Art of Work is chock full of inspiration that will motivate you to live your best life. Jeffs encouragement to just take the next step is a roadmap that will have you going from overwhelmed to accomplished. Looking to live life on your terms? Permission granted!

KIMI

2015 by Jeff Goins

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, scanning, or otherexcept for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Published in Nashville, Tennessee, by Nelson Books, an imprint of Thomas Nelson. Nelson Books and Thomas Nelson are registered trademarks of HarperCollins Christian Publishing, Inc.

Published in association with The Youth Cartel, 8511 Victory Road, La Mesa, California 91942.

Interior designed by Mallory Perkins.

Thomas Nelson, Inc., titles may be purchased in bulk for educational, business, fund-raising, or sales promotional use. For information, please e-mail SpecialMarkets@ThomasNelson.com.

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations are taken from THE NEW KING JAMES VERSION. 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

ISBN 978-0-7180-2208-2 (eBook)

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Goins, Jeff.

The art of work : a proven path to discovering what you were meant to do / Jeff Goins.

pages cm

ISBN 978-0-7180-2207-5 (paperback)

1. Vocation. 2. Vocational guidance. 3. Self-realization. I. Goins, Jeff. II. Title.

BL629.G65 2015

331.702--dc23

2014023732

15 16 17 18 19 RRD 6 5 4 3 2 1

For my siblings: Nikki, Marissa, and Patrick.
May you make your mark on the world.