Meaningful Work = Meaningful Life

Photo Courtesy: Amy Gizienski via Flickr

What is it that most working people want today?  Meaningful Work That Brings Personal Freedom.  In other words, the ability to have a job that not only brings income to cover all the bills (and some enjoyment too), but also provides a sense of purpose and fulfillment in the process.

Whatever the path you have chosen, whether through formal education or through the school of hard knocks, you probably did not intentionally set out to be in a career that promises to keep you trapped in a job you hate, suck the life out of you, and constantly reinforce feelings of hopelessness and meaninglessness.

The economic climate has affected everyone, intimidating all of us to live in fear and therefore, not really live how we want.  Many of us have believed the lie that the American Dream is just a great slogan from the past.  

When I stumbled on The $100 Startup: Reinvent the Way You Make a Living. Do What You Love, and Create a New Future, I couldn't help but feel excited.  The title alone gives the reader hope that this is not all there is, that not only can we think outside the box, but we can actually live out our entrepreneurial dreams in a tangible way.

Author Chris Guillebeau states his premise in this way:  

The vital career question of what is risky and what is safe has changed permanently.  The old choice was to work at a job or take a big risk going out on your own.  The new reality is that working at a job may be the far riskier choice.  Instead, take the safe road and go out on your own.

What if you could achieve your own life of freedom by bypassing everything you thought was a prerequisite?  Instead of borrowing money, you just start--right now--without a lot of money.  Instead of hiring employees, you begin a project by yourself, based on your personal combination of passion and skill.  Instead of going to business school (which doesn't actually train people to operate a small business), you save the $60,000 in tuition and learn as you go.

Remember, this book isn't about founding a big Internet startup, and it isn't about opening a traditional business by putting on a suit and begging for money at a bank.  Instead, it's the account of people who found a way to live their dreams and make a good living from something they cared deeply about.  What if their success could be replicated? 

Too many of us have become trapped in the idea that the only way to lead a life of fulfillment is to follow the path of "safety." We must learn to trust ourselves, to pursue that what we have always dreamed about.  

What is holding us back....REALLY? 

In case you missed it, check out How Smart People TACKLE FAILURE Head On!