Friday Favorites: Free Range Humans!
For the past two weeks, I’ve been immersed in Marianne Cantwell’s book Be a Free Range Human: Escape the 9-5, Create a Life You Love and Still Pay the Bills.
I’ve read quite a few of the “Discover Your Passion, Follow Your Dream, and Live a Life You Love”-type books over the years, but most of them left me flat. They encourage you to dream big, offer exercises to help you figure out your strengths and passions, but fall short when it comes time to develop and implement the plan to take you from where you are now to where you need to be.
THIS BOOK IS DIFFERENT!
Cantwell dares us to dream the dream, but follows through with the concrete strategies to make those dreams a reality. As a life coach and former Career Cage Human herself, she draws on her own experiences, as well of those of her clients, to guide us all down the not-so-scary path to earning a living on our own terms. She offers dozens of case studies in order to help us come up with our own ideas, test them, and put them into action.
“Employment is risky,” she cautions. Real job security comes from being in control of your own time and income, not from being at the mercy of a single employer. Her Free Range lifestyle seeks the less-risky middle road between employment and entrepreneurialism.
Cantwell’s unique coaching strategy emphasizes:
- Differentiating your product or service by playing to your own unique individual strengths, experiences, and knowledge.
- Getting started, QUICKLY, and for little-to-no money.
- Optimizing your limited resources for maximum impact in development, marketing, etc.
- Working wherever, whenever, and however YOU choose.
Once you read the book and adopt the Free Range Human mindset, you’ll never be willing to settle for a regular job again!
~~PEACE~~
Downshifter's Journal 
I’ve not read any of, how you put it, ” Discover Your Passion, Follow Your Dream, and Live a Life You Love” -type books.
I wondered if this book in particular at least helps with that regard in addition to everything else is has to offer?
It’s just I’m stuck for ideas coming from the very analytical IT (computer programming) world
Hi Joe. Yes, the book does deliver in that regard as well! The content is basically divided into 4 parts. Part 1 explains the whole “free-range human” concept. Part 2 is all about deciding what you really want, and how to (in Cantwell’s words) “Dream big, discover your strengths and find out what to do when you want to do everything. Figure out what you really want.” Parts 3 and 4 get more into developing your ideas and actually (gasp!) making money. I hope this helps you plan your escape! If you decide to read the book, I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Hi Linda,
Many thanks for taking the time to reply. It was very helpful.
Sure, when I read the book I’ll get back with my thoughts.