About inspiration and courage

“I just finished reading your wonderfully inspiring book The Career Guide for Creative and Unconventional People. I am sure that many of your readers had the same reaction I had once I read the initial chapter: “Aha, I’m not the only one who can’t fit in the normal world of work!”

“After reading your book I decided to find out more about screenwriting, poetry and journalism. Since then I have written two short screenplays, had poems published and got two scoops on my journalism course!  . . . But the most important thing is that writing has been so rewarding for me. I feel freed up, and have met amazing new people, with whom I have so much in common. I am like a kid in a sweet shop (candy store). I can honestly say it has changed my life. It didn’t even occur to me to write before, but the advantage of starting when you are 41 is that you have much more experience to write about. . . .Thank you for your book—it has given me so much inspiration.”

“I just finished reading your book. It was well-written, interesting, easy to read and informative. I found it so inspirational—I have so many ideas which I’m researching at the moment. I’m as unsure as to where I’ll end up as I was before, but I now have more courage to dream and then to make it happen.”

“Thank you for writing your book; it has changed my life. I graduated from university in England a few months ago, and I was looking for work as an administrator or suchlike for a charity. After months of trying I finally landed a big interview in London—but on the train home, somebody somewhere flicked a switch, and I realized that if I went to work in an office I would die. The next day, I went to my local library, picked up your book, and had an epiphany (sounds melodramatic, but it’s true!) I was so excited I went straight home and bought it from Amazon. Over the last two weeks, I’ve found work as a singing teacher, I’ve started volunteering for a community arts organization, and I’ve been thinking about a career picking music for films and TV shows. I always longed to do this stuff, deep down, but I lacked courage. “Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage”, however, and right now I feel pretty courageous.”

“I have noticed, my passion inside speaks much louder now after reading your book.”

“I would like to say how much I have enjoyed reading your book and how much I have got out of it. I first bought it about three years ago, and was so excited by finding careers that I was interested in that I rushed off to enroll for courses in screenwriting and poetry—without reading the rest of the book! . . . Thank you for your book—it has given me so much inspiration.”

“Your book helped me so much in realizing that unless I face my fears and stop running away from my natural, inborn gift, which is music, I may never find real fulfillment in life, per­sonally or materially. Maybe that is why, much of my life, I have felt like I was drifting and never felt good about talking to friends and family about my work. I feel like I’m coming alive again. I am very motivated now. Thank you very much for the part you played in this.”