The Money is in the Gravy: Finding the Career that Nourishes You

Rating:
Summary: The Missing Rosetta Stone---A must read!
Review: I greatly enjoyed the book The Money is the Gravy. I have struggled with the question of career versus self-actualization for more than twenty years. For most of that time I have been in the real estate business. I became proficient in my business yet never found joy in it.

Sometimes I felt like I had been working on a 5,000-piece jigsaw puzzle without the box lid that has the picture of the finished puzzle-The Money is the Gravy was the box lid with the picture on top of it. The picture of the puzzle was on page 68. X marks the spot where skill, meaning, and enjoyment converge.

I have finally accepted there will be little joy as long as I am in an ill-fitting occupation.

You will enjoy Clarks "voice" and the way he uses subtle humor, cartoons, pull quotes and many historical references. This is a style I enjoy reading.

I highly recommend this book. Don't wait twenty years to figure it out like I did. Books about making money are plentiful--this one tells you how to be happy and make money.

Rating:
Summary: You don't have to be trapped.
Review: I'm not a self-help kind of a person, but this book has helped inspire me to pursue a meaningful career that is based on what makes my soul feel good, not just my bank account. This book has practical information on making a positive change that is so important now, as people are remaining in careers that bring them absolutely no gratification or inner peace, but a nice paycheck. This book helped me realize that at 40, I want the last half of my working years to be fruitful on a personal note, not just financially. If you enjoy what you're doing, the money will follow, or the lack of it won't be an issue. This book has helped me begin the process.

Rating:
Summary: If you're trapped in a career, read this book!
Review: I've been saying for years that I would rather be doing something else. But here I am, still a lawyer. I haven't actually made any changes because something has always held me back.

I've read some career change books. They've either overwhelmed me with their length or turned me off with simplistic new age messages. The other problem is that most careers books seem to be written by ex-theologians or life coaches who have had little experience of the business world.

"The Money Is The Gravy" is unlike any of these. John Clark is from the business world. I get the feeling he has experienced what I'm going through. He unites ideas drawn from many different fields, and gets across very profound themes, often using humour, cartoons, etc. So this is a career change book, but a lot more too. It's a whole approach to life.

Basically what the book has done is give me an intellectually credible framework for moving forward and making changes in my career. Plus the book has engaged me at an emotional and spiritual level.

My guess is that this book is destined to become a classic among professionals who don't like their careers much. There is wisdom and inspiration on every page. If you're like me, you'll read it in one sitting, then want to read it again, slowly.