Book Synopsis: Quitter

Book: Quitter
Author: Jon Acuff
Format: Hardback, Kindle, Audible
Print Length: 256 pages
Publisher: Lampo Press
Publication Date: May 5, 2011
Review Date: June 14, 2016

I believe this is my first book review. Maybe it shouldn’t be a review, but rather a synopsis. Or a recommendation or not a recommendation. I honestly don’t know what it is; this entry had a mind of its own. It transformed into two posts.

The book in question, Quitter: Closing The Gap Between Your Day Job And Your Dream Job by Jon Acuff. A book that has been on my backlog shelf for years. I discovered him when Dave Ramsey started promoting other personalities/authors/speakers more and more.

What to expect? This is a career book. The main focus is getting to your transition of a day job to a dream job. My takeaway was a day job is your typical 8-5, sitting in a cubicle, and not enjoying it. Your dream job is something not 8-5. Jon’s dream was writing and speaking. So those are his reference points. Now, my dream job is not something unusual or outside of a typical 8-5. That being said, there are still amazingly great points and advice throughout the book. The way it is written is very conversational with lots of humor sprinkled throughout. The first page and a half had me laughing, yet confused.

Are you looking to make a move now or in the future? If so, I would say this book should be in your arsenal. It is an easy read and has lots of great items that I have implemented already. The rest of this review will be some items that I took away from it. Don’t use this as a substitute for the actual book, though.

The first chapter, Don’t Quit Your Day Job, is exactly what I needed at the moment. Having a job allows you to say ‘no’ while looking for your dream job; whereas, if you are unemployed you will say ‘yes’ to almost anything. It enables you to not have to settle. It gives you a negotiating advantage. The company has a need, you can fulfill that need and be successful; however, you still have a job, so you can negotiate what you need to leave your job. This also gives you a longer timeframe to search and plan. Now, that is what I took out of it because I would be going from one full-time job to another. Another part that stuck with me was healthier eating. He noticed that when he was diligent and had self-disciple in concerns with his diet, it flowed to other aspects of his life, like his day job performance, his budget, and his marriage. Everyone one of those areas can be improved in my life. No, my marriage isn’t in trouble, but nothing in any of our lives is ever perfect. I need to remember to still put in the proper amount of effort in my day job. First off, I am getting paid to do so. Secondly, remember, the diligent prosper. Henry Hartman: “Success always comes when preparation meets opportunity”.

Removing “I’m” from your “but”. What does that even mean? I’m a banker, but I want to be a project manager. Oh OK. This goes into figuring out your dream. Typically, you have already encountered it in the past, gotten a taste, but wasn’t ready for it. It probably was something small and insignificant at the time. More of a hinge moment (you’ll have to read the book for that one) rather than a lightning strike. He also had a set of questions to ask you, so you can narrow it down. Funny enough, I had done something similar in the past. Once I figured it out, I started my educational journey. I knew what I wanted to do when I grew up, project management. The bachelor’s degree was a means to an end. Yes, I gained knowledge and understanding, but realistically it was because if I wanted to advance my career I had to get this piece of paper to get my foot in the door. Looking back at my previous jobs I had the most fun doing process improvement and projects. With projects you had a goal, you worked to that goal while overcoming challenges, accomplish that goal, feel great, and do it again with a different goal. I felt like I was making a difference. The repetitive operational items were simply boring and not challenging enough, once I learned the role and was good at it.

What lies between a day job and a dream job? This speaks to our obstacles and risks. Not physical ones, or what others may put up, but the ones in our minds. The ones we constantly do, not enough time, do stupid things with money, indecisiveness, doubt, and others.

Falling in like with a job you don’t love. This chapter hit home with me. A lot of my success relies on me directing and convincing individuals to do something that would help them in the long run. At the moment, I am struggling with this with my customers. Due to that, I have begun to resent my job. I don’t look forward to going into work. Jon says we should draw parallels between our dream job and our current day job. What do you do now that would be a part of your dream job? What could you do differently now in order to prepare you for that dream? He also speaks on the effort you put in and actually working those 40 hours, even if you can get your job done in 32. Way to go for making things more efficient, but you still owe the company 8 hours. I am guilty of this at times. The role’s duties were so inefficient and complicated; it took three weeks every month to accomplish one task. Over the course of 18 months, not only did I do that task, but I worked towards bettering it. Now, it takes 3 days. What do I do with the rest of the month?

Wait on the main stage. The main point was to be patient and sometimes invisibility is your ally. Take time to craft your skill, practice, make mistakes, learn from them, and get better. Do all that in front of 30 people rather than 3,000.

There will be hustle. Put in the proper time and effort into your hustle. Measure success, but make sure it is related to the hustle, not the items that are out of your control.

Learn to Be Successful at Success. Make sure you don’t lose sight of what your definition of success is. Don’t be successful at something just short of your dream. Don’t say yes to the wrong opportunities.

All of that and more. Overall great book. Quitter: Closing The Gap Between Your Day Job And Your Dream Job by Jon Acuff. I wish you well on your journey to a fulfilling job.

Thank you for your time,