What we do to make a living, and that which truly ignites us from the inside out are often different and disparate things. The exploration of how to move these closer together, or at least find some kind of peace at work, has become a popular topic in a time when "what you do" tends to be interpreted as "who you are." A number of books have been written of late to guide the wandering through this exploration.
1. What Should I Do with My Life?
Po Bronson travels the United States interviewing people who have struggled and emerged with creative answers to this ubiquitous question.
2. What Color Is Your Parachute?
The job-hunters bible. Re-worked, Re-edited, and often re-written on an annual basis, this book had helped more people do what they love than perhaps any other.3. People Who Sweat: Ordinary People, Extraordinary Pursuits
Robin Chotzinoff goes on the road to explore the athletic pursuits of ordinary people. These range from traveling Christian weightlifters to geriatric surfers.4. Labor Days : An Anthology of Fiction About Work
Some of the finest writers of fiction write about "showing up, clocking in, and working it."5. Working Fire: The Making of an Accidental Fireman
An Ivy League grad responding to a help-wanted ad, Zac Unger didn't feel like much of a firefighter at first. Working Fire is the story of how he came to feel at home among this close-knit tribe.6. Second Acts : Creating the Life You Really Want, Building the Career You...
After spending decades on Wall Street, Stephen Pollan became ill and was forced to re-create his professional life. Now he's working as an author and life coach, helping others to follow their dreams and stage their lives' "second act."7. People with Dirty Hands: The Passion for Gardening
Robin Chotzinoff travels the United States in a bizarre jourey to meet an eclectic group of people who all have one thing in common: the need to garden.8. Rich Dad, Poor Dad
Personal finance author and lecturer, Robert Kiyosaki, uses his two very different influences, his two fathers, to explain his investment philosophy.9. Work: A Story of Experience by Louisa May Alcott
Louisa May Alcott explores both her own personal conflicts as a woman, as well as those experienced by her contemporaries in the unemancipated 19th century. Social justice and women's work are the central themes of this novel.10. Zen and the Art of Making a Living
An innovative guide to finding meaningful work.