Zen and the Art of Making a Living: A Practical Guide to Creative Career Design

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Our staff enjoys] your book, and, of course, we share the book with our students. Your ideas about meaningful livelihood are important to me and to my students. Your book with its basic principle of choosing to be in control of one's career is very valuable to these people. It helps us to help them to create their new reality." Allow your natural compassion and bliss to ripen, and you are sure to find your vocation sooner or later." A strong sense of purpose enables you to respond positively to the inevitable difficulties, annoyances and inconveniences of life in general and change in particular.

William Shakespeare once wrote, "Our doubts are traitors and make us lose the good we oft might win by fearing to attempt." Fear of falling short often prevents people from seeking their true calling. Overcoming obstacles and making the best of a situation creates energy that you can use for greater achievements The real question is what to expect from 40 hours weekly job? Is it okay, to add a bit of inner satisfaction, instead of focusing only on money? It makes the perfect sense, but it’s also a distant reality for most people nowadays.It's hard to imagine that Boldt has forgotten anything in this massive, unconventional volume. He shows a strong understanding of the need for a new view of work in Western cultures. "So often today, white-collar workers are hired for their brains alone, blue-collar and service workers for their bodies only, as though these could be detached from the beings who possess them," he writes. "As a consequence, there is so much emotional pain around work in our culture. This pain spills over into virtually every aspect of life. Families, relationships, and communities are deeply affected by it. We can't really blame anyone for this, or at least, it does us no good to do so. Freedom can't be demanded from others—it must be created for ourselves." How often do we see a person, that we actually know personally, who have the impression that the whole universe is acting to satisfy his/her demands? – Apparently, not so often. In this one-of-a-kind compelling, and engaging book summary you’ll find why, how, to find a job that will match not just your skills, but your spiritual energy as well. Who Should Read “Zen and the Art of Making a Living”? And Why? We fear change. "Yet it's not knowing what's coming around the corner that makes life interesting." The most innovative, unconventional, and profoundly practical career guide available--newly revised and updated

The first half of this book argues that everyone has a purpose in life and we are responsible to pursue this purpose, for various reasons. Reading about the hero's journey was fascinating (incredibly so), and has made me consider reading Joseph Campbell's The Hero with a Thousand Faces. It's a normal career book with a bunch of zen babble. You have the "philosophy" aspects which take up most of the book, but the actual career advice is just the usual "discover your values, make a list of your talents, etc" that you get in these books. Laurence G. Boldt is a career consultant and an author born on November 18 th , 1954. He is the author of several inner healing types of books like Zen Sou, The Tao of Abundance and others. Laurance has also given speeches on happiness all across the U.S. “Zen and the Art of Making a Living Summary”In today's job market, the question has become not Can I find a job? but Can I find a job I like? Laurence G. Boldt answers this question with a resounding yes in Zen and the Art of Making a Living: A Practical Guide to Creative Career Design. Most freelancers have already embraced many of Boldt's Zen principles simply by deciding to take responsibility for their life's direction. Zen and the Art of Making a Living provides outstanding resources and information on self-marketing, accounting and negotiations for the freelancer. Yet the true potential of the book comes not from its strength as an advice manual but rather from its lessons on life. In fact, Boldt offers such strong support for the Zen approach that the book is useful even to those who are not currently searching for their mission in life. Making a living is a much larger experience than simply earning money -- it involves understanding the role we play in our lives and creating a life of which we are proud to be called artists." After fifteen years, 4,000 clients and authorship of my own career counseling program, this is simply the best book in its field that I have ever seen! I have reviewed almost all career counseling books, programs and strategies available. None is better than Zen and the Art of Making a Living."

Everyone can learn self-awareness. Cultivate a positive attitude. Express gratitude. A karate master once said that if he were a garbage man, he'd be the best garbage man in the universe. Taking pride in even the most menial task creates a positive state of mind and opens you up to possibilities. "When open, our minds have tremendous power to receive ideas."

Still, there's no doubt that even those who are searching for concrete answers and discrete steps to finding deep satisfaction with work will find a great deal of value in this book. For example, Boldt uses nearly every argument possible to convince the reader to ignore the concept of work as a means of making money so that we can enjoy our nonworking portions of life. The reader comes away knowing not just that work can be fun, but that something is wrong if it isn't satisfying. Only a few people can count themselves fortunate, being in a place where they can actually express their full potential and feel respected. The other and probably most important part are the monthly incomes and are you satisfied with your current financial situation. For over three decades, author Laurence Boldt, has been helping people to live their dreams, through his work as a writer, speaker, and career consultant. He is the founder of EmpowerYOU.com and author of five books, including the bestselling career classic Zen and the Art of Making a Living. This groundbreaking work has been credited by many with revolutionizing the career field, offering a new a vision of work and a new technology of vocational guidance. Boldt's other books include the bestselling How to Find the Work You Love, The Tao of Abundance, Zen Soup and How to Be, Do or Have Anything.

I am a career/placement counselor located in New York City. I wanted to thank you for writing such a wonderful book. It seems . . . the unfortunate trend is for people to keep their work and emotional/spiritual lives separate. I believe the integration of the two is the very essence of happiness in one's work life, and I was glad to learn that someone [had] elaborated so eloquently on the topic. I also loved the way your book was laid out-it is very user friendly and interactive, without losing its deeper meaning. Thank you." I receive this book from my Dearest Friend Kerrie Kephart, in a moment I loose my job and I felt hopeless. I remembered what she wrote to me: "and fly your wings my batterflie". It was like a light in a dark room for me. It helps me to discover that I love to work with people, that somehow I need the contention of a institution, the lessons from the warriors, the sage, the students and... Get into too many philosofal ideas mixed with a recipes of looking for a job, was a cool breeze in a hot summer day. More than twenty years ago, I began this work with the conviction that people of all ages and professional levels were ready to embrace the challenge of creating work they truly love. Through good economic times and bad, I’ve seen this conviction borne out in the lives of countless dedicated individuals who have found their own ways to put their passions to work. The success of this book and, even more, the many letters and comments I’ve received from readers who’ve found it helpful in mapping their own journeys to fulfilling work have been truly gratifying. This revised edition has given me an opportunity to sharpen and clarify my thoughts on a number of topics. Considerable revisions have been made throughout. The entire text has been updated, and a lot of new material has been added. For those familiar with this book, the bibliography and most of the Web resources that appeared in its previous incarnations have been greatly expanded and put online (empoweryou.com), where they can more easily be kept current. You already assume what Laurence G. Boldt has to say and expect from you! Your dedication, your self-respect, and your belief to make that final push into happiness. The Zen state is all about that, bliss and everlasting peace.

In fact, nothing other than happiness matters that much. With all due respect to any career, you must remember that a job is nothing more than a way to earn a living. Putting it in front of everything will bring you in a position to beg, as we mentioned earlier. Transform your life with Zen The Zen teachings were unknown to Westerns for many centuries, but now we live in a different time. The access to these life-altering methods is available to anyone, and thus you can really begin your Zen journey. Start with the things that trouble you For good thoughts... towards men, are little better than dreams, except they be put into action; and that cannot be, without power and place." -- Francis Bacon In my late 20s, I got partway through the very extensive writing and reflecting that this workbook calls for, and that's it. There's only so much soul-searching that I can do. I recommend those young people to read this book before they embark on the career life. This is also good book for those who are interested to spend their effort to quest for their life's work at any stage of life, it is never too late to start!!