Table Of ContentPRAISE FOR DO OVER
“Jon Acuff has redefined the entire category of career books. Do Over is so easy
and fun to read, you almost forget how much you’re learning. But the lessons he
shares—lessons picked up the hard way and told with honesty and heart—will
help anyone looking to keep moving forward in their career. This is career
guidance in hyperdrive.”
—Brian Koppelman, screenwriter/Filmmaker, Rounders, Ocean’s 13, and Solitary Man
“Warning: Only read this book if you are prepared to completely revolutionize
your career, your goals, your dreams, your plans, and basically your life. Jon
takes a topic that tends to terrify the average human (including me)—starting
over— and turns it into an exciting and life-changing adventure that makes even
a person not looking for a do-over want a do-over. If you’re stuck, frustrated in
your career, lost a job, or feel like you’re missing out on your dream while you
help someone else chase theirs . . . this is the book for you.”
—Mandy Hale, New York Times bestselling author of I’ve Never Been to Vegas, but My
Luggage Has and creator of @TheSingleWoman “This straightforward, hilarious, yet
intensely practical book is your guide to career success in the new century. Jon Acuff tells
you, from his hard-won experience, what you need to do to stay happily employed and
highly employable. Free from complicated matrices and useless jargon, you will love the
read almost as much as you love the advice.”
—Pamela Slim, author of Body of Work
“Do Over is one of those rare gems that is not only packed with practical, hard-
earned wisdom but is thoroughly enjoyable to read. Whether or not you are in a
time of transition, Jon Acuff shows you how to prepare today for whatever is
next.”
—Todd Henry, author of Die Empty
“You have the power to give yourself a fresh start. Jon Acuff shows you how.”
—Sophia Amoruso, author of #GIRLBOSS and founder and CEO of Nasty Gal
“Do Over was funny, insightful, and well written. Three reasons I resent Jon
Acuff.”
— Jim Gaffigan, author of Food: A Love Story
“Big dreams often start with big books. Do Over is one of them. The impact this
book is going to have on the careers and lives of people across the world is going
to be really fun to watch!”
—Andy Andrews, New York Times bestselling author of How Do You Kill 11 Million
People?, The Noticer, and The Traveler’s Gift
“Do Over is an energetic, user-friendly guide to navigating the jumps, bumps,
and ceilings that we all face in our careers.”
—Adam Grant, Wharton professor and New York Times bestselling author of Give and
Take
“Honest, funny, helpful, fresh—there’s a long list of words to describe the
wisdom you’ll find in Do Over. I dare you to read the first few pages of this
book. If you’re like me, you won’t be able to stop. I have ordered a copy for
every member of my team.”
—Michael Hyatt, New York Times bestselling author of Platform: Get Noticed in Busy
World
“As Abraham Lincoln once said, being forced into work you don’t love is like
paying to upgrade your cell phone to the latest model: No one should have to do
that! Fortunately, you don’t need to do at least one of these things anymore.
Take it from me and from Honest Abe: Jon’s book can get you unstuck.”
—Chris Guillebeau, New York Times bestselling author of The Happiness of Pursuit and
The $100 Start-up
“In this fresh and engaging book, Jon Acuff serves up heaping portions of sage
advice with a healthy side of self-deprecating humor. As an entrepreneur and
business owner, I found myself nodding, laughing, and getting my toes stepped
all over in a good way throughout these pages. Highly recommended for anyone
who hopes to break free from feeling stuck.”
—Crystal Paine, founder of MoneySavingMom.com and New York Times bestselling
author of Say Goodbye to Survival Mode
PORTFOLIO / PENGUIN
Published by the Penguin Group Penguin Group (USA) LLC
375 Hudson Street
New York, New York 10014
USA | Canada | UK | Ireland | Australia | New Zealand | India | South Africa | China penguin.com
A Penguin Random House Company First published by Portfolio / Penguin, a member of Penguin Group
(USA) LLC, 2015
Copyright © 2015 by Jonathan Acuff Penguin supports copyright. Copyright fuels creativity, encourages
diverse voices, promotes free speech, and creates a vibrant culture. Thank you for buying an authorized
edition of this book and for complying with copyright laws by not reproducing, scanning, or distributing
any part of it in any form without permission. You are supporting writers and allowing Penguin to continue
to publish books for every reader.
Illustrations by William C. Warren. Copyright © 2015 by Jonathan Acuff ISBN: 978-0-69818479-4
Version_1
For Jenny, of course.
Contents
Praise for Jon Acuff
Title Page
Copyright
Dedication
1 The Career Savings Account
2 Do This First
INVESTMENT 1
RELATIONSHIPS
3 You Don’t Know Who You Know
4 Give Your Foes What They Need Most
5 Casual Counts
6 Great Careers Take Great Advocates
7 Don’t Burn Many Bridges
8 Community Shines Brightest in the Darkness of a Career Bump
INVESTMENT 2
SKILLS
9 You Have More Skills Than You Think
10 Master the Invisible Skills
11 Never Become a Dinosaur
12 Win the Way You Won Before
13 Kick-Start Your New Skills with Something Fun
14 Skills Get Sharp Slowly and Dull Quickly
15 Grab the Right Kind of Hammer for Your Career Ceiling
INVESTMENT 3
CHARACTER
16 Plant an Orchard
17 Generosity Is a Game Changer
18 Empathy, No Longer Just for People Who Like to Cry with Friends
19 Be Present
20 Never Jump Without Character
INVESTMENT 4
HUSTLE
21 Grit Is a Choice, Not a Feeling
22 Hustle Has Seasons: Use Awareness to Recognize Them
23 Career Yoga
24 Always Use This to Multiply the Moment
25 Three Final Words You’ll Tell Me Someday Soon
Acknowledgments
Tell Me About Your Do Over!
Notes
1
The Career Savings Account
W
hen you’re a mailman, you shouldn’t ask people if you can use their
bathroom.
In hindsight, I probably didn’t need to learn that lesson via personal
experience. And yet, there I stood on the front steps with today’s mail and an
awkward request.
As a creative writer, I made for a pretty horrible mailman. I was disorganized,
fumbling and prone to get pepper spray in my own eyes. One day I switched my
morning route with my afternoon route, which meant people who usually got the
mail late got it early. A happy homeowner told me I was way better than that
other guy, unknowingly referring to me. I agreed, telling her, “He’s the worst.
Just a real jerk.”
My career arc would continue through places like “Apple Country,” a
convenience store that did not sell apples, and “Maurice the Pants Man,” no
Maurice but plenty of pants.
I’d spend sixteen years traveling through corporate America, writing
advertising for the Home Depot, branding for Bose and marketing for Staples. I
was laid off from one start-up, fired from another, ran my own into the ground
and then found and left my dream job. Along the way, I learned one lesson about
work.
You control more than you think.
Good job, bad job, dream job, no job, this is true.
It’s on us. Though we often prefer to blame others or the economy or a boss
who doesn’t “get us,” the reality is that a better job begins with building a better
you.
Work is not the enemy.
Work does not have to be a miserable bar-free prison we voluntarily serve
time in until the parole of retirement. On the contrary, work can be great.
Work can be wonderful.
If we rescue Monday. If we dare to reinvent it. If we refuse to get stuck.
This book isn’t about quitting a job. (I already wrote that one, it’s called
Quitter because I’m creative like that.)
This book isn’t about starting something. (I already wrote that one too; it’s
called Start.)
This book is about intentionally building a career using the four investments
every extraordinary career has in common.
The investments are so obvious you just might miss them. The balloon animal
guy certainly did with me that night in the field.
Lest you fear I spend the weirdest Craigslist-initiated weekends ever, let me
back up a second. I assure you I can explain my moonlit rendezvous with the
man in the rainbow suspenders.
I was waiting in line with my wife and kids at Family Fun Night at our local
elementary school. It was Friday night and next to the face-painting lady, the
balloon guy is whom you visit immediately at events like that.
While twisting and pulling at the colorful balloons, this craftsman of inflated
rubber looked down at me from the stool he was standing on.
“I love your books,” he said, recognizing me and smiling, but then some other
thought dimmed his otherwise bright eyes.
“Sorry about today,” he added in a more serious tone. “I wish you the best in
your future endeavors.”
The balloon animal guy was encouraging me because he believed I lost a lot.
And he was right, I did lose something. We always do when we leave old
places for new adventures.
That morning, I left my dream job.
In the process, I left behind products, money and the craziest opportunities I’d
ever had.
If you tallied the day, it might be my most loserish day of all time. Even
reading about what I left behind made me feel a little like I was going to scream
Phil Collins lyrics at the balloon animal guy: “Take a look at me now, oh there’s
Description:It took me sixteen years to write this book. That breaks down to a brisk twelve words per day. But it wasn’t the writing that took so long. . . . It was the working.I had to work at big companies and small companies. I had to get hired and fired several times. I had to find my dream job, then walk
