The Money Is the Gravy: Finding the Career That Nourishes You

By John T. Clark

Book Overview

John Clark -- formerly a discontented lawyer, today a happy writer, speaker, and consultant -- says work and joy should go hand in hand. In this uplifting, inspiring, and often very funny book, he shows you how. Advocating small incremental changes, Clark takes you along the path to happiness, step-by-step. From avoiding the "how I've wasted my life (and it's too late)" trap and the "perfect job" illusion, you can move steadily forward to the life of your dreams...without jeopardizing your ability to pay your bills. Like every human being on Earth, you too have a calling. With laughs and insights courtesy of Dilbert, Doonesbury, and Calvin and Hobbes cartoons, John Clark fires you up to find it. His road map is simple -- look for the "three circles of work": skill that calls on your innate abilities, enjoyment to give you days of constant leisure, and meaning, a why to live for. The perfect guide, Clark has been where you are right now and traveled to where you want to be. John Clark's realistic approach will turn your life around slowly but surely, degree by degree. Using an explorer's mind-set that relishes the journey as much as the destination, it fortifies your courage to run away from angst and regret toward bliss and accomplishment. What about the money? You'll get a refreshing lesson in spotting the difference between Enough and More than Enough. And Clark's two-handed boost over the barriers of fear, disapproval, and family expectations will send you toward your goal of being true to yourself first...and discovering that THE MONEY IS THE GRAVY of a rich and rewarding life. Book jacket.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0446529184
• ISBN13: 9780446529181
• Release Date: March 2003
• Publisher: Business Plus
• Length: 209 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.3" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

Most important piece of reading I have done concerning my career!

If you are an INFP, on the Myers Briggs personality preference inventory, I hope you read this book. I found much of myself in this book and was able to fill in the missing pieces to many of the reasons that I am not satisfied with my career. I have started on a new career path of my own. Thanks to this book I have more understanding and courage to make a change in my life at 42 years old.

Wonderful & thougth-provoking

I am reading this book for the second time in a month. I just can't say enough good things about it. I am invigorated by the ideas within it and am going to put the main concepts into action to make sure that my next job will match my innate ablities, is enjoyable and provides meaning. I'm ordering 3 copies to hand out to friends and family members.

You don't have to be trapped.

I'm not a self-help kind of a person, but this book has helped inspire me to pursue a meaningful career that is based on what makes my soul feel good, not just my bank account. This book has practical information on making a positive change that is so important now, as people are remaining in careers that bring them absolutely no gratification or inner peace, but a nice paycheck. This book helped me realize that at 40, I want the last half of my working years to be fruitful on a personal note, not just financially. If you enjoy what you're doing, the money will follow, or the lack of it won't be an issue. This book has helped me begin the process.

The Missing Rosetta Stone---A must read!

I greatly enjoyed the book The Money is the Gravy. I have struggled with the question of career versus self-actualization for more than twenty years. For most of that time I have been in the real estate business. I became proficient in my business yet never found joy in it. Sometimes I felt like I had been working on a 5,000-piece jigsaw puzzle without the box lid that has the picture of the finished puzzle-The Money is the Gravy was the box lid with the picture on top of it. The picture of the puzzle was on page 68. X marks the spot where skill, meaning, and enjoyment converge. I have finally accepted there will be little joy as long as I am in an ill-fitting occupation. You will enjoy Clarks "voice" and the way he uses subtle humor, cartoons, pull quotes and many historical references. This is a style I enjoy reading. I highly recommend this book. Don't wait twenty years to figure it out like I did. Books about making money are plentiful--this one tells you how to be happy and make money.

If you're trapped in a career, read this book!

I've been saying for years that I would rather be doing something else. But here I am, still a lawyer. I haven't actually made any changes because something has always held me back. I've read some career change books. They've either overwhelmed me with their length or turned me off with simplistic new age messages. The other problem is that most careers books seem to be written by ex-theologians or life coaches who have had little experience of the business world."The Money Is The Gravy" is unlike any of these. John Clark is from the business world. I get the feeling he has experienced what I'm going through. He unites ideas drawn from many different fields, and gets across very profound themes, often using humour, cartoons, etc. So this is a career change book, but a lot more too. It's a whole approach to life. Basically what the book has done is give me an intellectually credible framework for moving forward and making changes in my career. Plus the book has engaged me at an emotional and spiritual level.My guess is that this book is destined to become a classic among professionals who don't like their careers much. There is wisdom and inspiration on every page. If you're like me, you'll read it in one sitting, then want to read it again, slowly.