Jon Acuff

A surprisingly funny and fresh self help guide that helps readers stop the pitfalls, bad thoughts, and monkey wrenches that hinder us from completing goals. It's a quick empowering read and it's a good reminder that even if we fail a goal on day two, we don't have to stop. We strive for perfection at the detriment of everything else. If we learn to accept that not all goals are perfect and we cut them in half or make it fun, we'll have far better success. My favorite chapter was on leaving show more your hiding places and ignoring noble obstacles because sometimes we are desperate to sabotage ourselves. That chapter really spoke to me. Overall I think this was a really helpful, fun, engaging book. Something I'll definitely refer back to! show less

Fear. We've all faced it. That feeling in the pit of your stomach telling you to stop what you're doing and return to safety. The heart-racing, nausea-inducing feeling that if you continue as you are, your entire world will collapse.

But there's a worse feeling. The feeling that life has passed you by. The feeling of dreams unfulfilled. Though following dreams can be scary, it's more frightening to not chase them. We need to punch fear in the face and START.

Jon Acuff's new book is going to show more help you do just that! In START, Acuff proposes names to the five stages of every dream (Learning, Editing, Mastering, Harvesting, Guiding), then walks you through each land and the pitfalls of each. Drawing from his observations and own experiences, Acuff will inspire you to destroy your fear and chase your dreams.

While I enjoyed his last book, Quitter, I loved this book even more. See, I'm in my 20s. Literally, not just in the Acuff "You're in your 20s anytime you start learning something new" sense. So I really don't have much to quit. I'm still learning what my dreams are and how to chase them. So while I liked Quitter and was inspired to go for my dreams, there wasn't much in it to apply to my life.

START is a different story. Anyone can start, no matter where you are in your life. This book helps you start with passion and purpose. Each chapter has a list of action steps in the back of the book to walk you through the stages, not just tell you about them. I devoured the book, and will be going through it again this week to journal through the action steps.

If you follow the steps in this book, you will live an Awesome life. And really, don't we all want to be Awesome? Who really wants to be just Average? Yes, Average is safer and more certain. But Awesome is exciting and fulfilling. It's the kind of life that makes you excited to wake up every morning and go to work. So if you're ready to flip the switch from Average to Awesome, check out START by Jon Acuff today. show less

Acuff is a genuinely funny guy. His humor is witty, though he doesn’t rely on his wit to get you to laugh out loud, instead his humor is in the Jerry Seinfeld vein: it’s funny because it’s true and no one else talks about it. Acuff has a depraved heart and like Don Miller he puts it on display, but instead of a memoir, he frames his story with irony, sarcasm, and cynicism that must resonate with anyone who has spent any time in conservative church during the past couple decades.

Acuff show more is best when he lets his candor drive and keeps the reader guessing as to whether or not he’s being critical or just calling them as he sees them. Although the book could have been edited a little tighter, as some essays fall way short of others, the book does ultimately work. There were a couple essays where I found myself tearing up and numerous where I literally laughed out loud.

Warning: I found I couldn’t read the book at work during lunch, because the potential for loud outbursts that would call attention to myself. Thought about trying to use Acuff’s advice for covering up public displays of sadness to stifle my laughter, but didn’t have the guts. show less

I appreciated how straightforward it was with how to finish your goals and avoid the lies of perfectionism. I also liked the idea to take the pressure off yourself by making the goal more easily attainable or by allowing yourself to be bad in other areas in your life.