“Body of Work: Finding the Thread That Ties Your Story Together” describes a New World of Work, one in which the “stable career” of yesteryear is no longer the norm. Instead, we see an increasing trend towards blending a combination of working for others, building your own business, working freelance, and even volunteer work.
While this may be scary news for traditional Specialists, it’s an exciting time for us Multi-Passionates – for the first time since the Renaissance, having a varied and eclectic resume is no longer quite so unusual!
Of course, making sense of that varied and eclectic resume is still important. Whether you’re trying to get a job working for someone else, or build a business based on your passions, presenting the story of your experience in a way that others can connect to is crucial.
In her latest book, Pam shows you just how to do that.
DECEPTIVELY SIMPLE
I read through Body of Work in a single sitting. It was an easy read, well written with a comfortable flow, and only took a few hours to get through.
Fair warning though, I’m a fast reader.
However, as I was reading I found myself folding down the corners on multiple pages, and taking notes on a number of sections I wanted to revisit.
The first read was inspirational, but I knew that I’d want to go back and play with some of the exercises in order to get the full benefit.
INSPIRATIONAL
The book abounds with stories of people who have successfully connected their passions, experience, values, and skills to create a cohesive story of their Work, which goes far beyond “what they do” for a living.
From stories of her father, a photographer who helped reclaim an abandoned school and give it new life as a community center, to the story of the shy management consultant who became a Grammy Award winning musician (that would be Pam’s fan-girl crush, John Legend), Pam shows how people from all walks of life, facing all sorts of challenges, have created their own incredibly rich bodies of work.
As a Multi-Passionate, my favorite story was that of David Batstone. A professor of Sustainable Business and longtime human rights activist, David combined his unique background to found a nonprofit called Not For Sale. Pam quotes the following smartness from David in her book:
“For twenty-five years, I had a very bifurcated or tripolar existence. I had academic skills; I was an investor, working for a bank; I was a journalist; and I had human rights impulses to help the poor. My worlds were very separate. Until Not For Sale, I lived a siloed existence,” he said. “When we have so many divergent interests, people often think we are unfocused, therefore ineffective. They buy into the ‘specialty mode’ ethos, where you are only valued if you have deep expertise in one area. I never saw my multiple interests as a problem. I saw the threads in my story. It was a natural, logical quilt. Not For Sale was the first time I could bring all of my worlds together – university professor, journalist, investor, and human rights activist.”
I particularly love David’s description of his multiple interests as a “quilt” – pieced together from odd-seeming bits, they come together to form a beautiful whole.
PRACTICAL
Pam has done an excellent job of presenting readers with tools for developing a cohesive story from their various interests and endeavors.
As Multi-Passionates, I know that one of our greatest challenges is sharing the Things we love to do in a way that makes sense to others. Chapter 2 – Define Your Roots – and Chapter 3 – Name Your Ingredients – will guide you in doing just that.
Even more importantly, Chapter 8 – Your Definition of Success – will help you look ahead so that you can begin to make conscious choices about where you want your story to take you.
And while you’re working on getting there, Pam has you covered in further chapters on facing fears and uncertainty, getting help, and most importantly of all – doing the work!
(*Originally published as a book review on my website)
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