Five Books That Shaped My Career Pivot
Photo by Brittney Jean Photography
My transition from full time communications professional to independent career coach was several years in the making. While I was pondering my next chapter, I did a ton of exploration and research for a career path that would ultimately bring more independence, creativity and fulfillment.
These five books helped shape my thinking, and I still return to them for inspiration and advice:
1. Don't Keep Your Day Job: How to Turn Your Passion Into Your Career by Cathy Heller
I first found Heller a few years ago through her excellent podcast (also called Don’t Keep Your Day Job), where she would interview people who turned their passions into businesses. Many of the interviews from the podcast ended up in this book, which is full of inspiration from real people — not just celebrity CEOs. Heller’s enthusiasm and energy are infectious, and she is a major inspiration for the work I do today.
2. Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead by Brené Brown
If you ever worry about what other people will think if you step out and do something new, I invite you to read the quote that inspired the title of this book:
“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; . . . who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly."--Theodore Roosevelt
Daring Greatly helped me to rethink failure and helped give me the confidence to step more into “the arena” as a marketer of my own business.
3. The Genius Zone: The Breakthrough Process to End Negative Thinking and Live in True Creativity by Gay Hendricks
This one is a quick read with an important message: Spend most of your time in your zone of genius. That is the place where creativity flows freely and you are actively pursuing the things that offer you fulfillment and satisfaction. If you don’t know what your zone of genius is yet, don’t worry. The book is full of hands-on activities to help you hone in on it.
4. Designing Your Life: How to Build a Well-Lived, Joyful Life by Bill Burnett and Dave Evans
This is one of the most comprehensive books on career development I’ve ever come across. Burnett and Evans use design thinking to show readers how to create a fulfilling life and career. The book is chock full of helpful exercises that I have personally used and also assigned to my clients. What I appreciate most is the book’s overall assumption that we all have the power to create the life we want through our intentional choices and taking action.
I also recommend Burnett and Evans’ latest book, Designing Your New Work Life: How to Thrive and Change and Find Happiness—And a New Freedom—At Work, for more up-to-date tools and advice.
5. Show Your Work!: 10 Ways to Share Your Creativity and Get Discovered by Austin Kleon
Publisher’s Weekly says it best: "Some people are natural self-promoters. For others, it's painfully difficult to put their work out there. In this creatively designed pocket-sized book, Kleon offers the latter group effective strategies that allow them to share their work without leaving their comfort zone....."
I remember picking up this little book at the counter of a bookstore and reading it as I moved from Brooklyn to LA. At the time, I had no idea how it could ever apply to my career. Yet years later, I now realize that this little yellow book has had a huge influence, both on how I market myself and how I advise clients to build their own profiles.
For more book recommendations for work and fun, check out my Bookstore.org shop. (I receive a small commission purchases through this link).
Happy reading!
-Lauren