On the Bookshelf: Living with Purpose

On The Bookshelf ART 3

Set the course of your life as you want to live it, not the way someone else (or lots of someone elses) said that you should live it. You must stay true to your values, always weigh the facts carefully, and then make the smartest possible decisions with the available data.

After that, proceed boldly.

All of these steps are keys in moving forward through both your life and your career with confidence—and ultimately achieving success.

Wisdom Meets Passion: When Generations Collide and Collaborate

by Dan Miller and Jared Angaza
Thomas Nelson, 2012

So many people live by the “shoulds” of life: You should get an education at XYZ University. You should stay in that job… at least it’s “secure.” You should settle down, buy a house in the suburbs, raise a family and be content with what is. But a few generations of disgruntled workers have proved that living the way you “should” often leads to dissatisfaction and the feeling that there should be more to life.

In their new book, Wisdom Meets Passion, Dan Miller and his son Jared Angaza offer the perspective that life can be intentionally crafted to be meaningful, abundant and unique to each individual. Certainly, wisdom and a little strategic planning are necessary, but for work to be enjoyable and profitable, it must be infused with passion.

The book includes practical suggestions on varied topics starting with the basics: how to discover and define your passion. Life’s nonstop busy-ness is often like running on a treadmill: a lot of action, but not much forward progress. The authors offer strategies to help you get off that treadmill. You’ll learn the value of “sitting for ideas”—scheduling time to simply think—so you can clarify the direction your life should take.

Once you know what you want to do, they address how to incorporate passion into your life in a way that is feasible and profitable. As entrepreneurs who have chosen to go their own route and have helped thousands of others do the same, the authors have little patience for excuses that a person doesn’t have the money or time to live his or her passion. Instead they offer creative solutions for earning that cash and maximizing your time.

By combining success stories, personal accounts and practical ideas, this father/son team delivers an interesting and thought-provoking read.

—Erin K. Casey
Noteworthy Quote:
“Continual learning is the key to continual living.”

A few things you’ll learn:

How to increase the life in your life

Why it’s important to choose your perspective

How to improve your education without sitting in a classroom

The Power of Reputation: Strengthen the Asset That Will Make or Break Your Career

by Chris Komisarjevsky
AMACOM, 2012

All behavior in business affects your personal reputation and by extension your success. This truth is the dominant theme in Chris Komisarjevsky’s book, The Power of Reputation. The transparency of today’s tech-connected world has all but erased the lines between our private and professional personas. More than ever, authenticity and consistency are essential to building and maintaining a good reputation. Komisarjevsky explores key components of reputation—character, communication and trust—and explains how to improve in each area. By sharing his personal experiences as well as some of the best and worst moments of well-known business leaders, Komisarjevsky delivers an engaging, educational book.

—Erin K. Casey

Noteworthy Quote:
“Earning trust is a never-ending and vital process, especially in a world where skepticism reigns.”

A couple things you’ll learn:

How to earn a good reputation and build credibility

How to motivate others and show them you care

Collaborate: The Art of We

by Dan Sanker
Jossey-Bass, 2012

Business no longer thrives through cutthroat competition. Smart businesses forgo that traditional “us vs. them” market-share war with a win/win philosophy that’s collaborative and innovation-focused. In Collaborate: The Art of We, Dan Sanker reveals a world of possibility and profitability, where people and companies invest resources to take on seemingly insurmountable problems or fill needs consumers never knew they had. True collaboration, Sanker says, rallies diverse information, knowledge, skills and perspectives toward a singular goal—and can yield huge payoffs. Technology and globalization ease collaboration, cut costs, increase efficiency and improve service. Sanker explains the art and science of teaming up on projects so readers can put it to work in their businesses.

—Beth Douglass Silcox

Noteworthy Quote:
“The urgent problems facing us will not be solved by the old way of doing things.… We need to change the game.”

A couple things you’ll learn:

Why collaboration and competition aren’t mutually exclusive

Why you should nurture a collaborative environment

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