There will come a time when you must decide to lead the lifesomeone else has chosen for you…or the life you want. According to legend, when a young boy asked the great Renaissanceartist Michelangelo why he was working so hard hitting the block ofmarble that would eventually become his greatest sculpture, David,the artist replied, “Young man, there is an angel inside this rock,and I am setting him free.” In The Angel Inside, the renownedconsultant and career coach Chris Widener uses Michelangelo’s wordsto explore the hidden potential that exists within us all. In this unforgettable tale, Tom Cook, a disillusioned Americanbusinessman, has traveled to Italy looking for direction in hislife. In Florence, the last city on his tour, Tom meets amysterious old man who opens his eyes to the art and life ofMichelangelo and reveals what the artist’s work can teach him—andall of us—about the power of following your passion. Among the lessons that Tom learns over the course of the ne

Bill Bradley was a three-time basketball all-American atPrinceton, Olympic gold medalist, Rhodes scholar, member of the NewYork Knicks from 1967 to 1977 and two-time NBA champion; he waselected to the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1982. He served as UnitedStates senator from New Jersey from 1979 to 1997. Since leaving theSenate, he has been affiliated with Stanford University, theUniversity of Maryland, and Notre Dame. Bradley is the author ofLife on the Run, The Fair Tax, and Time Present, Time Past. BillBradley, U.S. Senator from New Jersey from 1979 to 1997 and amember of two championship New York Knicks teams, returns to thescene of his first career, and his first great passion, basketball.Things have changed since his championship days — the shorts arelonger and the salaries higher — but what separates winners andlosers remains very much the same: No collection of players, nomatter how good, can win unless they form a team. And no team cansucceed unless it shares common values, among them courage

A hands-on, interactive guide to managing your monday andbuilding your financial future Many of the worksheets in this book are available online and can besaved, printed, and recalculated at any time. Go to:WSJ.com/BookTools Understanding your money, and getting it to work for you, is moreimportant today than it ever was, because you alone are responsiblefor every aspect of your financial life, from managing yourday-to-day living expenses to planning a college savings fund and,ultimately, retirement. The sooner you start taking control of yourfinancial life the better, and there’s no greater authority onfinancial matters than The Wall Street Journal . Thisworkbook takes the mystery out of personal finance and addressesevery topic you’ll need to master, from building a solid financialbase to growing your financial assets. Worksheets, charts, andstep-by-step instructions throughout help you do the math and workthrough the basics, making it quick and easy to organize your cashand eventually build wealth.

Your Map for a Brave New Real-Estate World The days of real-estate mania—when you really couldn’t go wrongwith buying a home, then selling it in a few years for a lot morethan you paid for it—are over. Inflated prices and the “subprime”mortgage crisis have finally burst the bubble. Now, more than ever,it’s important for current and prospective home buyers tounderstand just what they’re getting into when they take thatplunge—and to think smarter when it comes to making the most oftheir biggest asset. The Wall Street Journal. Complete Home Owner’s Guidebook showsreaders how to become savvy home buyers—and eventually owners—notonly in this new, uncertain era but in any market: ? Understand the benefits and pitfalls of owning versusrenting ? Make sense of the housing market—ask the important questions,factor in the unforeseen costs, and explode the big myths of homeownership ? Take advantage of current opportunities if you’re a first-timehome buyer

To succeed in today’s ever-accelerating world, speed is the nameof the game. Forget “slow and steady wins the race.” The key togetting ahead is not fighting or hiding from speed, but embracingspeed and using its power to your advantage. As Vince Poscentedemonstrates in this rewarding and, yes, fast-paced book, speed hasa unique ability to enrich your life. He empowers you to takecontrol of your time, your tasks, your priorities, and yourtalents, and start making life everything you want it to be. Twentynew tips–exclusive to this paperback edition–show you how to:?recognize the difference between repetitive chores and passionatepursuits, and assign the appropriate amount of time and energy toeach? mentally shatter the outdated idea that work, home, andleisure should be completely separate, and create a new,purpose-driven model of organizing your time? discover how tocontrol interruptions, including how and when to accept them–bylearning when to multitask and when to focusSpeed provides amazingbene

"This is a provocative, persuasive and important book. Eventhose who passionately disagree with its conclusions will come awayenriched and enlightened from the process of confronting itsarguments." —Michael Medved, Nationally Syndicated Talk Radio Host andColumnist, USA Today “In the 21st century 'stay-at-home mom' is neither a complimentnor an epithet, but the latest chapter in the ongoing stories ofwomen, marriage, and careers in America. Megan Basham's fascinatingstudy of women in the oldest and most challenging workplace ofall–the home--is the owner's manual for women and men who look uponmarriage as a genuine partnership, and the key to success.” —Philip Terzian, Literary Editor, The Weekly Standard “Megan Basham offers wise and eloquent counsel for those willingto ignore popular opinion as they pursue family happiness.” —Marvin Olasky, editor-in-chief, World “Meghan Barsham’s book tells us three timely truths you will no

We live in an exciting and rapidly changing time—every day itseems new inventions and innovations that change our way of lifearrive on the scene. But while our day-to-day lives have becomeeasier, the larger picture is now more complicated. Businesses arealso faced with this quandary. Change is occurring in the economicsphere as quickly and often as it is in our individual lives, andthe new global economy is presenting even more challenges tocompanies that must operate in an often unfamiliar worldwide arena.As a result, the modern business world is in dire need of acomplete overhaul if companies are to adapt to an environment thatis far different from the one in which they initially achievedsuccess. Enter Reinhard Mohn, the innovative entrepreneur who builtBertelsmann into a global powerhouse. Drawing on his more thanfifty years of experience in the private sector, Mohn explains howentrepreneurial leaders have a unique ability to lead businessesinto the future by adapting to new socioeconomic realities. He

At age seven, Cameron Johnson sold tomatoes door-to-door fromhis family’s farm. Pete Amico quit his job on his first day becausehe didn’t feel like taking orders from his boss.Greg Herro built asuccessful business selling diamonds made from the carbon extractedfrom ashes. If any of these people remind you of yourself, you justmight have the kind of personality to take the small business worldby storm. In 8 Patterns of Highly Effective Entrepreneurs, BrentBowers reveals the eight patterns that highly successfulentrepreneurs share—and what we can learn from them. In coveringsmall business for decades at the Wall Street Journal and the NewYork Times, Bowers has chronicled the rise and fall of hundreds ofstart-ups. In this book, he draws on extensive interviews andresearch, as well as on the experiences and expertise of businessconsultants, venture capitalists, academia, and the entrepreneursthemselves, to describe the key characteristics shared by dozens ofsuccessful small-business owners and their

Nick Friedman and Omar Soliman started themultimillion-dollar franchise College Hunks Hauling Junk when theywere just twenty two, and they’ve been having the time of theirlives ever since. What’s their secret? That's just it--there isn't one. There's no fancy software orcomplicated business schemes. No outside investors or quirky marketniche. They just followed 10 common-sense commandments to buildinga straightforward, fun, and successful business that does a simplejob well. Anyone can understand it, and anyone can doit.

From the profit-minded managers who make up the brain trust atThe Atlanta Consulting Group comes a simple new method hailed as arevolutionary management practice: learning to care.

The remarkable story of how a teenager rescued from Castro’sCuba rose to become a United States senator The swift and improbable rise of Mel Martinez to the top echelonof America’s government began not with a political race but with aburst of gunfire. In April 1958, an eleven-year-old Martinezhuddled on his bedroom floor while Cuban soldiers opened fire oninsurgents outside his family’s home in the town of Sagua laGrande. If political unrest made daily life disturbing and at timesfrightening, Fidel Castro’s Communist Revolution nine months laterwas nothing short of devastating. When armed militiamen shoutedviolent threats at Martinez for wearing a medallion as a sign ofhis Catholic faith, his parents made a heartrending decision: theirson would have to escape the Castro regime–alone. A Sense of Belonging is the riveting account of innocence lost,exile sustained by religious faith, and an immigrant’sdetermination to overcome the barriers of language and culture inhis adopte

This is a book for people like us, and we all know who weare. We make our own hours, keep our own profits, chart our own way.We have things like gigs, contracts, clients, andassignments. All of us are working toward our dreams: doingour own work, on our own time, on our own terms. We have no realboss, no corporate nameplate, no cubicle of our very own.Unfortunately, we also have no 401(k)s and no one matching them, nobenefits package, and no one collecting our taxes until April15th. It’s time to take stock of where you are and where you want tobe. Ask yourself: Who is planning for your retirement? Who coversyour expenses when clients flake out and checks are late? Who issetting money aside for your taxes? Who is responsible for yourhealth insurance? Take a good look in the mirror: You are. The Money Book for Freelancers, Part-Timers, and theSelf-Employed describes a completely new, comprehensive system forearning, spending, saving, and surviving as an independent worker.From

Required reading for all present and future leaders, thisclassic is for those who have to "get the job done"--military ornot.

In The Heart of Business Liz Mohn describes her experiences asa woman and an entrepreneur at Bertelsmann, Europe’s largest mediacorporation, in a powerful call to action for organizations ofevery size and purpose to adapt to the evolving criteria of successin the twenty-first century. With the new millennium being shapedby the forces of internationalization and globalization, Mohn asksan important question: Will humane values take their rightful andnecessary place as a vital factor in the equations that measureachievement and prosperity in the world we will hand over to ourchildren and grandchildren? Making a plea for a new paradigm of business and personalachievement that combines material rewards with those of friendshipand social consciousness, Mohn writes passionately and eloquentlyabout her beliefs as a woman, a philanthropist, and a corporateleader. At their heart is a deep concern about frightening trendsin our society: the loss of direction, the increase in bothselfishness and lonelines

Over the course of a forty-year career in the worlds oflaw, sports, business, and politics, Ron Shapiro has worked withand advised an incredible variety of people. What he’s found isthat the secret ingredient for getting into the winner’s circle issimply the discipline of methodical preparation: that old-school,step-by-step way of having all your ducks in a row, whether you arean executive getting ready to do a deal or make a speech; a pitcherstudying the traits of opposing hitters and keeping a meticulousnotebook of their strengths and weaknesses; an international tradenegotiator who knows all about the issues and the people on theother side before sitting down at the table; or a surgeon whorehearses like a classical musician. Deep down, you know you should do it. But how often do you wingit and fly by the seat of your pants because “Gosh, I don’t havetime . . . I’ve done this before . . . I know what I’m doing”? Itis obvious that you have to get ready for whatever game you’replaying

Is Your Job Making You “Stupid”? Adam Smith, author of The Wealth of Nations , once wrote that aperson who spends his life performing the same repetitive tasks“generally becomes as stupid and ignorant as it is possible for ahuman creature to become.” Wow! Now that’s not a pretty picture.Unfortunately, much of our work today consists of those boring,repetitive tasks. But maybe you’re one of the many who have gotten caught up inthinking work is just something you do to support your weekends.Work is that necessary evil, a means to an end, or just a cursefrom God. You probably take your role of providing for yourself andthose depending on you seriously. But you don’t expect to enjoyyour work—you just do what has to be done. Only now you’re seeing that even loyalty and dependability bringno guarantees. Lately you’ve seen coworkers who have been let goafter years of faithful service. Perhaps your entire industryhasbeen shaken by outsourcing or changing technology. Mayb

Wouldn’t it be great if you could be audaciously ambitious andhappy at the same time? You can, and you will. We women aren’t advancing in our careers the way we should. We’renot making the money we deserve or getting the fulfillment wedesire. And this time it’s not men who are holding us back. Thistime we’re doing it to ourselves, because ambition—for us—is stilla dirty word. Debra Condren has coached thousands of women at every level—fromthose just starting out to the most powerful female executives inthe United States—and each one possesses the same fear: if she goesafter her dream, she’ll be seen as selfish, bitchy, a bad wife, orbad mother. But it’s exactly this fear of ambition that has forcedwomen to leave the best part of themselves—their dreams, theirgreat talents—by the roadside, rendering them less able to be thewhole people they should be in every area of their lives. Condren has a new message and mission: to remind women

AcommemorativeeditionofthelandmarkbookfromPatrickLencioniWhenitwaspublishedtenyearsago,TheFiveTemptationsofaCEOwaslikenootherbusinessbookthatcamebefore.Highlysought–aftermanagementconsultantPatrickLencionideftlytoldthetaleofayoungCEOwho,facinghisfirstannualboardreview,knowsheisfailing,butdoesn′tknowwhy.Refreshinglyoriginalandutterlycompelling,thisrazor–sharpnoveletteplusself–assessment(writtentobereadinonesitting)servesasatimelessandpotentreminderthatsuccessasaleadercancomedowntopracticingafewsimplebehaviors–behaviorsthatarepainfullydifficultforeachofustomaster.Anyexecutivecanlearnhowtorecognizethemistakesthatleaderscanmakeandhowtoavoidthem.ThelessonsofTheFiveTemptationsofaCEO,areasrelevanttodayasever,andthisspecialanniversaryeditioncelebratestenyearsofinspirationandenlightenmentwithabrandnewintroductionandreflectionsfromLencionionthenewchallengesinbusinessandleadershipthathaveoccurredinthepasttenyears.

In How’d You Score That Gig? , career expert AlexandraLevit profiles more than sixty of the coolest careers on theplanet–all rated in a national survey by twenty- andthirtysomethings for twenty- and thirtysomethings. To find the jobsthat are calling your name, take Levit’s short quiz and discoveryour “passion profile.” You may be: ? an Adventurer: You’re spontaneous, free-spirited, and youalways ready for change = foreign services officer, oceanographer,news correspondent ? a Creator: You’re always looking for a way to express yourself= video game designer, book author, landscape architect ? a Data Head: You have an uncanny knack for gathering andorganizing information = computational linguist, meteorologist,urban planner ? an Entrepreneur: You have business savvy and don’t want to bechained to a desk = blogger, boutique owner, inventor ? an Investigator: You excel in science, logic, and learning =futurist, classic-car restorer, field archaeologist ?

EXPLORING AND EXPLODING OUR NOTIONS OF WORK Joanne B. Ciulla, a noted scholar in Leadership and Ethics,examines why so many people today have let their jobs take overtheir lives. Technology was supposed to free us from work, butinstead we work longer hours-often tethered to the office at homeby cell phones and e-mail. People still look to work forself-fulfillment, community, and identity, but these things may beincreasingly difficult to find in today's workplace. Gone is thesocial contract where employees and employers shared a sense ofmutual loyalty, yet many of us still sacrifice personal time forjobs that we could lose at the drop of a stock price. Tracing theevolution of the meaning of work from Aesop to Dilbert, andcritically examining the past 100 years of management practices,Ciulla asks questions that we often willfully ignore at our ownperil. *When you are on your deathbed, will you wish you had spent moretime at the office? *Why do we define ourselves by our jobs rather than

In this masterpiece of narrative history, acclaimed authorHoward Blum evokes the original "crime of the century" and anaftermath even more dramatic than the crime itself–a seminalepisode in America’s history that would spark national debate anddraw into its orbit master sleuth William J. Burns, crusadinglawyer Clarence Darrow, and industry-shaping filmmaker D. W.Griffith. "Hugely engaging . . . has tremendous verve . . . AmericanLightning throws valuable new light on an episode that seems, forus today, particularly pertinent. Terrorism happened here." –LosAngeles Times "A fast-moving, skillfully constructed account . . . Blum’s styleis cinematic." –Chicago Sun-Times "Compelling . . . a tense detective story." –Seattle Times "A thumping-good drumroll of narrative history . . . thecross-country manhunt reads like a great mystery novel . . . Blumblows the dust off a page of America’s own incendiary past andbrings it to pulsating life." –Dallas Morning News

If you're dissatisfied in your current position, fantasizeabout doing something else with your life, or have justunceremoniously been given a pink slip, take heart. It's never toolate to start fresh and forge ahead on a fulfilling new careerpath. Alexandra Levit, career columnist for The Wall StreetJournal, has interviewed dozens of individuals who havesuccessfully switched careers—many of them more than once—andprovides practical, empowering, and action-oriented steps forfiguring out your next move with clarity and confidence. Organizedby the seven major motivations that lead people to seek careerchanges—family, independence, learning, money, passion, setback,and talent—New Job, New You shows you how to ? research careers that best reflect your new direction ? stand out in this competitive job market ? market yourself to a particular (most ideal) position ? create a financial plan to maintain income during yourtransition ? use the power of networking to put you ex