Start: Punch Fear in the Face, Escape Average, and Do Work That Matters
Written and Narrated By: Jon Acuff
Length: 6 hrs and 4 mins
Tired of Average? Join Acuff on this humorous journey to Awesome
Jon Acuff wrote this book, Start, before his book Finish. I listened to Finish first, delighted to hear Acuff say that he discovered, through talking with many people, through his own life, that THAT was the book he should’ve “started” with, that people have no problem starting projects/journeys, it’s just that itty bitty problem of never ever EVER finishing a danged thing. So Huzzah, I thought: I listened to things in the proper order and was sure to develop myself most appropriately.
Uhm, no.
I totally needed to start with Start because, even tho’ Audiobook Accomplice had it’s first year anniversary, like, aaaaages ago, there’s still so much to do that I rather have that deer-in-headlights thing going on.
So imagine how delighted I was to begin this audiobook and discover that PLENTY of people look at the road ahead of them, the path up the mountain and think: Whoopsie! Toooo far, toooo much; there’s no way I can accomplish that (Cuz we all know that Misery LOVES Company!). And that Jon, you mind if I call him Jon? I feel we’re old friends. Jon has a multitude of his own stories to illustrate his points. If you’re looking for a Motivation and Inspiration book from someone who has walked the straight and narrow and thus knows how to “get there,” then go look for a different audiobook. Because Jon has ambled around, distracted by shiny objects left and right.
It’s hilarious, and his narration makes it seem like we’re all sitting around him, swilling a cup o’ Joe, listening to every horrifying mistake he’s ever made (And he continues to make them, so the guy is human, through and through).
What you’ll be hearing about are the stages to living an awesome life. It takes a lot of work and effort, so if you don’t want to do anything, go ahead, sit around and live an average life; nobody’s gonna argue with you if you want to play it safe in this world.
But if you want to feel awake and alive, go through the stages, skipping not a one. The first is the Learning stage, where we get to mess around with interests, with passions, all with the thought that there is no such thing as failure at this point: We’re putting in the hours, doing the reps, getting stronger. What follows are the Editing stage, Mastering, Harvesting (Which sounds like you’d be sitting back and taking it easy. But ask any farmer if Harvesting is easy), Guiding. Jon writes about each in-depth, and at the end of the book, each section comes with questions to ask yourself to help you navigate your way through to a life you’d love to live.
And what happens after Guiding, you ask? Where does it all end?
Well, there IS no End. We never stop living, we never stop growing, not if we’re doing it right. So the book ends right where it starts. This could be disheartening, especially as Jon narrates his own bouts with Fear after having successes along the way. Turns out that it’s easy to be a Mess-Up (I hear ya!), but it takes guts to live with standards (Amen…), and with others quite possibly having expectations for you to live up to.
I dunno. I love Jon Acuff; I think his fumbling and bumbling is quite inspiring. And you’ve gotta admit that, even if you’re not buying what he’s saying, he’s just so god awfully enthusiastic about what he says, how he lives, that his words have a certain weight to them. He’s quit so many things; he’s failed so often along the way, and he’s here with words of wisdom, having survived it all, thriving after thumbing his nose at it all.
I do have to admit, however…
If his wife EVER writes a book about being the How-Person to a Wow-Person? I’m THERE!!!
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