Making a Living Without a Job : Winning Ways For Creating Work That You Love

Rating:
Summary: Fun To Read Book About Not-Working For Others
Review: If you want to chuck your job and you're looking for a good self-help book to help you become an entrepreneur, consider "Making A Living Without A Job: Winning Ways For Creating Work That You Love" by Barbara Winter.

Winter says people can be "joyfully jobless" by developing "multiple profit centers." Rather than depending upon a single source of income, Winters says people should diversify their sources of income. Winter likes the variety of doing different things.

In addition to being an author, Winter publishes a newsletter, gives speeches and seminars, and finds other creative ways to earn a living. Because she has an interest in tea, Winter earned money teaching people how to have afternoon tea parties.

Winter writes that many people find "producing a tea a mysterious process." (Don't you just put the little bags in a cup of water?). In addition to enjoying teaching tea, it gave Winter the opportunity to travel to England and deduct travel costs as tea research. One of Winter's goals was to travel to England. She emphasizes that we should merge our personal goals with our business ideas, if possible.

In addition to discussing her own profit centers, Winters discusses many other entrepreneurs who earn money in creative ways. For example, one entrepreneur earns money by running a cattery, which is a cat boarding service. Of course, the cattery owner finds other ways to supplement income, such as founding Critter Communication Consulting, which helps people relate to their pets.

Winters writes: "Landlording is, of course, one of the oldest ways to make a living without a job. In earlier days, widows frequently took their only asset [a house] and turned it into a profit center." Another entrepreneur merges fighting seasonal forest fires with writing and odd handyman jobs to earn a living.

So, why don't people quit their jobs and become joyfully jobless? Fear of not having a regular income is one reason. Winters writes: "Too often we confuse fear with bad ideas! It's far healthier to accept that you are feeling fearful about a new plan-and determine that you'll act anyway... . stop and give yourself positive reasons for doing what's scary. Write out a list, if necessary... . Life shrinks or expands in proportion to your courage"

Winters says many people are afraid of looking foolish for not holding a job. We tend to draw a sense of identity from a conventional job. Quoting movie reviewer Roger Ebert, Winter writes, "'Set up your life so that your personal goals are their own reward... . What you do instead of your real work is your real work.'"

Winters says Ebert is a good example of someone who merged his early passion (for watching movies) with a career. Others only later discover their true calling and choose to pursue it. Winters tells the story of a cardiologist turned country western singer.

To me, it seems that being a cardiologist would destroy the country western perspective. What sort of lyrics does the guy write? "You picked a fine time to leave me, Lucille. With four kids in Harvard and stocks of low yield... ." I'm waiting for his hit single, "You Broke My Left Ventricle."

Winters says we tend to be work snobs and feel that the work we really want to do is beneath us. If it's fun, it can't be real work.

Without steady income, we might need to come up with something quick to earn money. Winter offers a list of suggestions for generating emergency cash. For example, she says we could offer to clean something, possibly an airplane. An airplane? I picture a guy standing in front of a 747 with a squeegee. I guess she means Cessnas and Pipers. Either way, this joyfully jobless sounds like it could become real work. Don't forget to wash under the wings.

Rating:
Summary: Lack of Focus?... Revise... Multiple Profit Centers!
Review: In the past forty years I've lived on four continents, in thirty homes, and held fifteen jobs... and had a few self employment activities on the side. By the standards of friends and other books, I lacked direction and focus. ** After reading MAKING A LIVING WITHOUT A JOB, I was a person a wealth of potential "profit centers." How wonderful to be given the insight and the permission to persue income while embracing diversity. ** You don't have to have ONE BIG THING to creat a life without a job. If you have a lot of interests/ideas; You have "multiple profit centers." ** Anytime I meet someone considering a job change or a career change... I send them to this book.

Rating:
Summary: Barbara Winters Gives You a Lot To Think About !
Review: It has been said that when the student is ready, the teacher will appear. "Making a Living Without a Job" is the kind of book that will appear to help you when you are ready to seriously consider stepping away(or when you are pushed away)from the security of a regular job as an employee. Perhaps I liked it so much because I was just very ready. My employer of 27 years is going through yet another downsizing, with all the anxiety and stress which accompanies the process.. In any case, Barbara Winters does a good job keeping her advice upbeat and uncomplicated. The book is an easy read. If you are expecting a book on how to make a quick million, this is not it, but if you want some philosophy about life, money and getting personal satisfaction from the work you do, this may be a book you are ready for !! I found it inspiring to me in many ways.

Rating:
Summary: A great book on channeling your creativity into an income
Review: It's a great book on how to channel your creativity into an income. Wade H. Nelson Durango, Colorado

Rating:
Summary: Laid off; Get this Book!
Review: Last Sept. no the one before that; in 2000; I got laid off. I saw this book on Amazon and it's title; "Making a Living Without a Job" was just what I wanted to do; since I didn't have a job. At first I read it cover to cover without taking much time or thought to the suggestions and ideas. I loved it; but I really didn't know why.
I found myself returning to the book the week after I had read it and then decided to really grasp it. I slowed down and I read; I laughed; I wept; I even got out a notebook of my own to write down ideas that seemed to be popping up by the dozens!
Since I have reread the book; I have had art work and writings published; had an art show in NYC and several other cities; taught Marketing for Artists at a gallery; Spoke publicly at art league meetings as the guest speaker; painted artsy furniture for the homeless people; became an Amazon seller and numerous other non-job profit centers! Besides all that I learned html; created mine and several others websites; learned yoga, tai chi, feng shui and was able to travel and study with a famous tv artist for a month!
I highly recommend this book; but really get into it and enjoy; let your creativity overflow! (...)
I would say this is by far the most useful and entertaining book I have read in the past year!!! I thank my lucky stars now; that I was laid off!!!!

Rating:
Summary: DO YOU THINK YOU ARE PAID LESS THAN YOU DESERVE?
Review: My mission (writing and training) is in showing workers that there is money missing from paychecks (over $16 million dollars) and how to find it. A key in the formula for finding and getting this missing money, without losing your job, is to not have a fear about losing your job. And, that's where Making a Living Without a Job steps in.

I picked this book up several years ago and love that it isn't a quick fix, be a millionaire in thirty days, book. It's offers up a system (a life plan) that is both practical and imaginative, safe and bold. The best part from my perspective, and how I've compelled dozens of people to add it to their library -- you don't have to quite your job to become joyously jobless. . . you only have to realize your job is JUST one of your profit centers. When you sneak up on independence by creating one or two little profit centers outside your "regular" job it's amazing how the stresses of the day job can be reduced.

If you think you are paid less than you deserve, then you owe it to yourself to explore the ideas in Making a Living Without a Job. And, by the way, Barbara is a wonderful writer with a lively voice. If nothing else you will enjoy her insight and humor.

Rating:
Summary: Change your thinking about what "work" means
Review: My work history has ranged the spectrum from Corporate Clone to short-term contracting, and even when I was employed full-time at a "real job" I always had one or two other businesses going on the side. But, like most Americans, I'd been brainwashed into thinking everyone should have a well-defined and well-thought-out CAREER, so I didn't take my "sidelines" seriously. And, after thirty-plus years in the work force, I was still searching for the One Perfect Job that would best utilize my abilities and satisfy my soul. This book changed my thinking: Barbara Winter shows how to evaluate your talents, interests, and skills, and turn what you already like to do into multiple income streams. She gives inspiring examples, provides tools for self-analysis, and offers encouragement; she doesn't give specifics on how to create your perfect work, but she can't because everyone's combination of abilities and knowledge is unique. The book started me thinking on how I could create income sources from the things I enjoy doing, and convinced me that I don't need to find that elusive Perfect Job after all. I recommend it highly to anyone searching for a better way to work.

Rating:
Summary: Change your thinking about what "work" means
Review: My work history has ranged the spectrum from Corporate Clone to short-term contracting, and even when I was employed full-time at a "real job" I always had one or two other businesses going on the side. But, like most Americans, I'd been brainwashed into thinking everyone should have a well-defined and well-thought-out CAREER, so I didn't take my "sidelines" seriously. And, after thirty-plus years in the work force, I was still searching for the One Perfect Job that would best utilize my abilities and satisfy my soul. This book changed my thinking: Barbara Winter shows how to evaluate your talents, interests, and skills, and turn what you already like to do into multiple income streams. She gives inspiring examples, provides tools for self-analysis, and offers encouragement; she doesn't give specifics on how to create your perfect work, but she can't because everyone's combination of abilities and knowledge is unique. The book started me thinking on how I could create income sources from the things I enjoy doing, and convinced me that I don't need to find that elusive Perfect Job after all. I recommend it highly to anyone searching for a better way to work.

Rating:
Summary: YES, You Can!!!
Review: Or at least that's how I feel about branching out into new directions, after reading Barbara Winter's excellent book. She starts from the very beginning -- the place where you have a "gee, do I have any alternatives" kind of feeling, and leads you gently through a series of informative chapters and exercises, to a vision of what is possible, really possible, for you. Her concept of Multiple Profit Centers, where the alternative to 9-5 is not "one big thing" but many small ones, is incredibly empowering. She compares it to the circus performer who keeps a lot of plates spinning . . .tending to one now and then another . . . and if a few crash, just go ahead and set another to spin. In other words -- if you really want to, if you feel called to, cut loose from the daily grind -- DO IT.
I'm going to . . . and I am deeply grateful to Ms Walters for helping me get the nerve.

Rating:
Summary: Yadda! Yadda! Yadda!
Review: Same old, Same old. Nothing new here. Every bit of information in this book can be found in every other book of the same topic.