Barbara Winter - Books for the Joyfully Jobless

Travel Guides

Where there were once few guidebooks for the Joyfully Jobless life, there are now numerous books on all aspects of entrepreneurship. Look for things that are inspirational as well as informational. An entrepreneur needs both.

This month, consider ...

Writing to Change the World
by Mary Pipher

Cynics may recoil at the title of Mary Pipher’s latest book, Writing to Change the World, but skeptics aren’t who she’s targeting. What this wonderfully sane and eloquent therapist from Nebraska has given us is a unique handbook for giving voice to our social conscience.

Pipher shares her own timid steps toward becoming a writer and shows us why words can be a powerful tool for connecting, for inspiring and for calling others to action. Pipher says she realized how writing can make a difference when she read The Diary of Anne Frank when she was twelve years old. She spends considerable time talking about doing the writing that only you can do and makes a convincing case that each of us possesses unique experiences, stories and insights that are ours to share. Her ideas about What We Alone Can Say are worth the price of the book.

Part Two of Writing to Change the World focuses on the writing process, but, here, too, it’s not just another how-to writing book. I found the chapter on Point of View particularly useful, and was equally fascinated by her chapter on The Psychology of Change. Applying skills from her therapy background to writing sets this book apart—and gives would-be writers a tool they won’t find elsewhere.

In the final section of the book, Pipher explores various mediums for sharing your message including speaking and blogging. Besides all the excellent information and advice, Pipher loads each chapter with quotes and stories that illuminate her points. Card-carrying conservatives may not like this book since Pipher’s liberal view of the world is loud and clear. On the other hand, change agents will find a wealth of encouragement and practical advice to help get their messages broadcast widely.

Here's a short list of some other book favorites:

Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman's Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia by Elizabeth Gilbert is about taking the time to learn how to live the richest possible life.

The Creative License: Giving Yourself Permission to Be the Artist You Truly Are by Danny Gregory is a handbook for reviving dormant creative spirits.

Brag: The Art of Tooting Your Own Horn without Blowing It by Peggy Klaus teaches you how to talk about yourself effectively, yet gracefully.

The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles by Steven Pressfield will help you identify—and overcome—the resistance that is holding you back.

DAMN! Why Didn't I Write That? by Marc McCutcheon makes the case for nonfiction book writing as the perfect homebased business.

Write It Down, Make It Happen by Henriette Anne Klauser is the best book I've read on setting and achieving goals.

The Right Words at the Right Time by Marlo Thomas features the stories of well-known people who write about key turning points in their lives.

Walking in This World by Julia Cameron is another program for exercising your creativity on a daily basis.

How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci by Michael Gelb might just be the best kickstart for the creative spirit ever written.

The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell is a fascinating exploration of how an idea goes from obscurity to visibility.

Growing a Business by Paul Hawken is a terrific book about creating a business that's an extension of the things you care about.

The Hungry Spirit by Charles Handy is another wise title from this management guru who is a favorite of mine. In this book he looks at the spiritual side of work and shows why it matters.

Traveling Mercies by Anne Lamott—or anything by Anne Lamott. Just because she makes me laugh and think at the same time.

The Work We Were Born to Do by Nick Williams guides the reader through the process of finding right livelihood while challenging old assumptions about the role of work in our lives.

There is no better tool than a book. It can pry open the locks of poverty and hopelessness and make dreams that take hold.

~ Marian Wright Edelman

Because Self-Employment ROCKS!