Start.: Punch Fear in the Face, Escape Average, and Do Work That Matters

Do you need beauty, glamour, and fame to be awesome? Heck no! All you need are a pair or eyeballs to read to Jon Acuff's newest book,"Start:Punch Fear in the Face. Escape Average. Do Work that Matters." If the title alone doesn't grab you, then you must be in a clinically-induced coma. START is a motivational book (that is also incredibly hilarious!) that encourages the reader to live with purpose and intentionality. Phrases such as, "The starting line is the only line you completely control," and "You have to be brutally realistic about your present circumstances and wildly unrealistic about your future circumstances," provide plenty of food for thought. The encouragement is great, but was is really valuable about START is that it is also practical. Jon lays out the steps that anyone chasing a dream or trying to live with purpose needs to go through: learning, editing, mastering, harvesting and guiding. Paring those steps with the advantages of a social media/tech era and hustle provide an opportunity for anyone who needs to reinvent themselves or beat down fears that hold them back. But beyond the steps, the greatest advice the book gives is in the title itself: just start. Just starting will drown out the voices of fear that kills dreams before they can flourish. It's also personal. Jon shares from his own experience how to avoid pitfalls like arrogance, entitlement, and self-absorption when chasing your dream. Unlike other books that layout a formulaic approach to success, START empowers the reader to change their own direction by simply starting. It's up to the reader to stay on the road to average or to get on the path to awesome. A definite "Must Read" for anyone (old, young, man, woman) who wants to live with purpose!

I had never heard of Jon Acuff until he was featured as keynote speaker at a conference I was attending. Loved his talk, so grabbed his book at the event. Read it on the way home and became a mini fan of his message (as an entrepreneur I had already been a "quitter" so I wasn't ready to quit) but big fan of his writing style. Started reading his blog "Stuff Christians like". Fun, funny, honest musings. Then this book came out and I was anxious to get my hands on it. What a treat. His unique conversational, honest and downright humorous writing style had me laughing out loud several times along the way. That doesn't happen often with books. His message was laid out in a unique way and was very insightful, understandable and profound. I am anxious for my son (17) to read it. As he is struggling with decisions about his future I think this will be a great guide to, practical ways to sort that out. If you actually read this Jon....big thanks for your insight, caring and mostly your great sense of humor.

Jon Acuff’s casual writing style makes START a fun and energizing read! I had the opportunity to hear him speak at a convention earlier this year, and he writes exactly as he speaks. I own the hardcover of this book, but I listened to it on audio which he narrates himself. Jon is down-to-earth and relatable, his enthusiasm is catching! “You don’t need to go back in time to be awesome; you just have to start right now. Regretting that you didn’t start earlier is a great distraction from moving on your dream today, and the reality is that today is earlier than tomorrow.” Throughout the book, Jon navigates you down the road to Awesome. First, you start in the land of Learning. Then you move on to Editing, Harvesting, and finally Guiding. He describes each land (or phase) well, and revisits them to provide tools on how to face them. Each time you start a new goal, this is the path you take. I really enjoyed listening the audiobook, but I’m glad to have a physical copy because at the end there’s a section called “What Now? Action Always Beats Intention” that lists practical steps you can take to break down your impossibly big dreams into attainable goals, down to a simple place to start. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants more than mediocracy in their life. To anyone that is being held back from their dreams because of fear, or because they are overwhelmed by where to begin! “Regardless of your age or station in life, it all comes down to one simple truth: you just have to start.”

The book in a good condition. Very interesting, happy to have it in my library.

I read a lot - I'm a business coach and I enjoy learning what others in sport and business have to say. I read mostly books about business. And by *read*, I mean I listen via audio book. After listening to the first three chapters, I loved it so much I bought the hard cover. Jon Acuff's book "START" was refreshing. Yes, it's about starting to live life with passion and do work that brings you joy. That said, Jon doesn't just promote magical results without doing the work... the hard work... the work the matters most, often begins every day at 4am - a note, my day starts at 4:50am ;-). Whether you - the potential future reader - are thinking about going into business or you've already been at it for a while, Jon's book is relevant. Jon breaks things down into a few simple steps - Learn, Edit, Master, Harvest and Guiding. I found it interesting that in some parts of my life (I'm 45) I'm living in the phase of guiding... where as other areas of my live, it's very evident that I'm still learning and editing... other ares, I'm in mastery. There was a lot of clarity that came from listening/reading to this book. Secondly, truth. No where in the book does Jon BS you into thinking success will be easy or simple. "Focus on 10 parts mastery, and 1 part promotion... not the other way around. Better yet, focus on 100 parts mastery and 1 part promotion." Jon calls out the reader by calling out himself, describing times in his life when he began living with an entitled attitude. I realized I had done the same. Very humbling to read. Lastly, I have never listened to an audio book like the way Jon narrates it. If you've ever listen to Simon Sinek, Seth Godin, John Maxwell, Malcolm Gladwell... the don't really bring a large scale of emotion to their narrating... which really doesn't bother me, it's just my observation. Simon Sinek puts a little more life into his audiobook than most... but Jon Acuff... I had a lot of laughs throughout the book. It was as if he recorded the book in front of a live audience, as if I were in the audience. Very cool effect. Is this a serious book about business and the journey of mastery? Yes, absolutely. However, because Jon doesn't take himself so seriously, he speaks with humility and genuine care for the reader, I fear others will pass on the book. It's not "Jack Welch" enough. It's not "Jim Collins" enough. What I appreciate about Jon is he clearly understands and remembers "Rule Number 6" - never heard rule number 6? Google it. Remember rule number six: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-HG6X6fpBM Reader... remember that in order to live a life of awesome, you have to purposely live and do work beyond average. Not everyone is prepared to do that... are you?

I had high expectations for this book after reading the reviews. I happily bought it, because I procrastinate so much about everything. I was hoping for some encouragement to start a project, but the author's obsession with humor turns it into a dull read. No substance. He jumps from one story to another, from one illustration to another, without giving any concrete lessons. Very disappointing. Don't waste your money.

Start is a book about beginning a new chapter in your life. it's got a great kick in the pants vibe and a hilarious writing style. Although I haven't read quitter yet I've used Start to start something in my life. It gave me the courage to step out and try something new. I've just started Do Over his next book and the both are comparable while Start feels more hopeful for the future, Do Over is written with a more seasoned hand. I love them both but would start with Start as it has the motivation to push the entrepreneurial spirit.

Sorry Jon, This book really did not do it for me. Just a bunch of rambling and personal stories. It awoke a little awesome, but there are much better choices out there then this book. I kind of feel ripped off by Dave Ramsey. The only reason I got this book was because I always heard him talking about it on his pod cast. This book will not help you Start, but you can read all about Jon's life.... Yawn.....