Book Summary - The Art of Work by Jeff Goins PDF

4/28/2020 Book Summary: The Art of Work by Jeff Goins
ARTICLES BOOK SUMMARIES BOOK NEWSLETTER
The Art of
Work by Jeff
Goins
Print | Kindle | Audiobook
The Book in
Three Sentences
1. According to Victor Frankl,
there are three things that
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give life meaning: a project,

a signi cant relationship
and a redemptive view of
su ering.
2. If we want true satisfaction
in life, we have to rise above
the pettiness of our own
desires and do what is
required of us.
3. Clarity comes with action.
The Five Big

Ideas
1. “A calling is what you have
when you look back at your
life and make sense of what
it’s been trying to teach you
all along.”
2. “Most people waste the best
years of their life waiting for
an adventure to come to
them instead of going out
and nding one.”
3. “Sometimes all it takes to
make a di cult decision is
an a rming voice telling
you what you know to be
true but still need to hear.”
4. “Regardless of natural
talent or the lack thereof,
every person has the ability

to improve themselves.”
5. “The basic idea of a
portfolio life is that instead
of thinking of your work as
a monolithic activity, what if
you chose to see it as the
complex group of interests,
passions, and activities it
is?”
The Art of Work

Summary
“Maybe we all have the
power to turn our lives into
signi cant stories if we start
to see our di culties as
opportunities.”
“[Victor Frankl] learned

there are three things that
give meaning to life: rst, a
project; second, a
signi cant relationship; and
third, a redemptive view of
su ering.”
“What we all want is to

know our time on earth has
meant something. We can
distract ourselves with

pleasure for only so long
before beginning to wonder
what the point is. This
means if we want true
satisfaction, we have to rise
above the pettiness of our
own desires and do what is
required of us. A calling
comes when we embrace
the pain, not avoid it.”
“In any great narrative,

there is a moment when a
character must decide to
become more than a
bystander.”
“Most people waste the best

years of their life waiting for
an adventure to come to
them instead of going out
and nding one.”
“And they learned, as you

might, an important lesson:
clarity comes with action.”
“A calling is what you have

when you look back at your
life and make sense of what
it’s been trying to teach you

all along.”
ARTICLES
“But aBOOK SUMMARIES
vocation is not like BOOK NEWSLETTER
that. It’s not something you

try; it’s someone you
become.”
“Every single thing that has

ever happened in your life
is preparing you for a
moment that is yet to come.
—UNKNOWN”
“Sometimes all it takes to

make a di cult decision is
an a rming voice telling
you what you know to be
true but still need to hear.”
“The worst way to get a

mentor is to go nd one.
The best way is to see the
one that’s already there.”
“Regardless of natural
talent or the lack thereof,
every person has the ability
to improve themselves.”
“Any great discovery,

especially that of your life’s
work, is never a single

moment. In fact, epiphany
is an evolutionary process;
it happens in stages.”
“First, you hear the call. It

may sound di erent to each
person, but it comes to us
all.”
“Humility is a prerequisite
for epiphany.”
“Second, you respond. Mere

words will not su ce—you
must act.”
“Third, you begin to

believe.”
“The path to your dream is

more about following a
direction than arriving at a
destination.”
“Every calling is marked by

a season of insigni cance, a
period when nothing seems
to make sense. This is a time
of wandering in the
wilderness, when you feel
alone and misunderstood.
To the outsider, such a time

looks like failure, as if you
are grasping at air or simply
wasting time. But the reality
is this is the most important
experience a person can
have if they make the most
of it.”
“The basic idea of a

portfolio life is that instead
of thinking of your work as
a monolithic activity, what if
you chose to see it as the
complex group of interests,
passions, and activities it
is?”
“And what if instead of

identifying with a job
description, you began to
see the whole mass of
things you do as one
portfolio of activity?”
“This idea was rst coined

by Charles Handy in his
book The Age of Unreason.
In the book, Handy lays out
ve di erent types of work
that make up your portfolio.
They are: fee work, salary

work, homework, study
work, and gift work.”
“Fee and salary work are the

only types of paid work and
are somewhat self-
explanatory: fee work
means trading hours for
dollars and a salary is a
xed income based on a job
description.”
“Homework is work that

you do at home, like
mowing the lawn or
spending time with your
family. Study work is any
intentional education that
contributes to any work you
do in the future, like
reading a book or taking a
vocational class. And gift
work is any volunteer
experience you might do,
including giving your time
to a local homeless shelter
or even taking someone out
to lunch to give them
helpful career advice.”
“Handy then encourages

what he calls “portfolio
people” to organize their
time not based on hours in
a week, but rather days in a
year. For example, if you
need to make $50,000 per
year and can gure out a
way to make $250 a day,
then you only need to work
200 days a year. The
remaining 165 days can be
spent on the rest of your
portfolio.”
“Life is not a support

system for your work; your
work is a support system for
your life.”
Other Books by
Jeff Goins
You Are a Writer (So Start
Acting Like One)
Buy The Book:

The Art of Work
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4/28/2020 Book Summary: The Art of Work by Jeff Goins

ARTICLES BOOK SUMMARIES BOOK NEWSLETTER

Print | Kindle | Audiobook

give life meaning: a project,

The Five Big

every person has the ability

The Art of Work

“[Victor Frankl] learned

“What we all want is to

distract ourselves with

“In any great narrative,

“Most people waste the best

“And they learned, as you

“A calling is what you have

it’s been trying to teach you

that. It’s not something you

“Every single thing that has

“Sometimes all it takes to

“The worst way to get a

“Any great discovery,

work, is never a single

“First, you hear the call. It

“Second, you respond. Mere

“Third, you begin to

“The path to your dream is

“Every calling is marked by

To the outsider, such a time

“The basic idea of a

“And what if instead of

“This idea was rst coined

They are: fee work, salary

“Fee and salary work are the

“Homework is work that

“Handy then encourages

“Life is not a support

Buy The Book:

ARTICLES BOOK SUMMARIES BOOK NEWSLETTER

Give Me One Week In

Your Best Email Address

ABOUT ARTICLES BOOK SUMMARIES READING LIST CONTACT

COPYRIGHT © 2020 SAM THOMAS DAVIES

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