Be a Free Range Human: Escape the 9-5, Create a Life You Love and Still Pay the Bills

My default reaction to self-help, improve-your-life/job/marriage/happiness-in-5-steps, kind of books is to roll my eyes and walk away. I read them only if a trusted friend endorses them, and then, only in private, or with a huge paper bag over my head if in public. This one came highly recommended by a dear friend and within a few pages I was hooked. Cantwell does several things very well:-Her conversational tone is encouraging, relatable and motivating.-She shares her own journey in a way that makes you want to read more, hear more and start your own adventure living differently.-Practical, introspective exercises with a clear beginning and goal accompany her anecdotes (Yes, the kind of reflective, pen to paper activities that make you think-- noooooo, not a silly brainstorming exercise-- for about 30 seconds. Then, before you know it, that resistance lifts and little and big insights start to emerge.)-She includes case studies of other people, who you can actually track down online, who have made their free range way in life.If you are looking for pragmatic advice on how to really figure out what you want to do besides your current job, how to actually test the waters with ideas before bailing, and what you can do (today) to cultivate serious enthusiasm and courage for making a change, get a hold of this read.

This is a terrific book which has helped me finally start acting on the plans I've had for years to stop being resigned to working in cubicle-land and start crafting my own work based on my natural strengths and what I love doing. Cantwell addresses both the emotional and the practical aspects of going Free Range, and her enthusiasm for the subject, combined with her own success and that of the people in her case studies, make for inspirational reading.I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to leave the rat race but don't know where to start, or who are afraid that it's just not practical. Cantwell makes a powerful case for it being practical and life-affirming. If you do it right. Doing it right isn't that hard, but some of the steps are non-obvious and go against conventional wisdom. The thing is, conventional wisdom is based on decades past, and there many new opportunities which did not exist before.

Having read some books in this arena, some grow hyper-focused on numbers, specifics of business planning, or other important details. The greater issue is that those books are often so focused on the process and numbers that one can easily lose sight of the purpose. This book does a decent job of finding an appropriate balance for a novice reader in this field. The resources described are appropriate and the messaging is key to this book. If you want to start, begin. It's part motivation, toolkit, and fairly well written.

I bought this book and several others in a fit of desperation, feeling like I was going nowhere in life and had no idea what I wanted to do. Free-Range Human was not only the best of the books I bought, it has achieved a level of esteem in my eyes second only to the Bible.It truly changed my life. I was already running a small tutoring practice and Marianne gave me the courage to expand it online and pursue, not a career but a life. A life where my family comes first and I don't have to give up holidays. A life where I'm not waist deep in student debt for a job I may never get and might not even like when I do. A life where I can go get a pedicure in the middle of the day just because I feel like it.That may not be the life you envision and that's ok! The whole point of this book is that you can have the life YOU want and it is totally possible. I went from having a few local tutoring students to running an online private school where my kids graduate with their own businesses (courtesy of FRH, of course) or on their way to associates degrees.Of course the fear sets in sometimes and I start rummaging around in researching different careers, but I'm always aghast at the loss of freedom and potential every job presents. It leaves me with renewed enthusiasm to work harder and expand my school.So read with caution: no job can substitute the life you can create. You'll never go back.

This book has finally gotten me off my fat ass and moving. It was all the information I was hoping it would be. At 66 I'm not done living quite yet. Need a boost, a heads up, a word to the wise? This book is it!! I've already begun building my portfolio of experiences into realistic and workable alternatives to the disgusting prospect of retiring poor in America. If passion is all you're lacking, you'll get a healthy dose of it in this book along with the information you need to put your plan into action. Or, you could just sit there and wait for something to happen in your life (you'll just get older and poorer). I'm going to take Marianne's advice, thank you very much. See you on the beach.

This book is dangerous... in the best sense of the word. If your life and career have been built upon conventional wisdom, reading this book may subject your life to major upheaval.But if you relish rejecting the status quo - as I do - then this book is for you.Case in point: as a business owner, I escaped the "Career Cage" almost 20 years ago. But in the years that followed, I built a Career Cage for dozens of employees and in a way, I caged myself. This book was a godsend as I took my business through a major transition. The process, insights and empowering advice in this book helped inspire me to get back to what matters most: freedom and fulfillment."More and more people are discovering that life no longer has to be a choice between 'trapped and well-off' versus 'free and broke.'""You're not building a business, you're creating a life."Refreshing, candid, inspiring and practical. I highly recommend this book.

So much wonderful guidance packed into one book. Brimming with wise advice, encouragement and practical steps. Do yourself a favour and read this.

There is a lot of excercises in this book to determine your dream lifestyle and then come up with ideas and combinations of ideas that can be your ticket out of a career-cage. There are also a lot of online add ons in the book like PDFs, audio, and video files.From day one, I started doing the excercises in the book and came up with my dream lifestyle and several ideas and combinations of ideas that will get me there. The book is laid out in a way that makes attaining your dream actionable and doable.I've already broke free from my job as a medical laboratory technologist but I needed a more refined idea(s) so I can do what I love and get paid doing it. After one week and only about 30 pages into the book I'd already come up with an idea, encountered a problem that requires solving in the field that I plan on creating a new career in, sent off design plans to a designer to create a prototype, and much more for $0.00. Ok, I lied. All this was done for the cost of the book.Everyday I am taking steps towards realizing my dream lifestyle by taking tiny steps. This book makes it clear that the process can take months or maybe a year or more to do so.This is not a how to get rich quick or make six-figures blogging kinda book. This is a book that walks you through dreaming BIG, coming up with ideas to do what you love, and taking the steps towards your dream so you can escape the career trap.I've done it, continue to do it, and I am determined to live the life I want, when, where, and how I want all on my terms!Get this book. You won't be disappointed. Do the damn exercises!

Awesome book - I like how Marianne doesn't just layout common business advice, but rather puts you in touch with finding what you REALLY want to do, and gives real, practical action steps to start making it happen. Not intimidating at all, but rather fun and easy to read while simultaneously being very practical and actions to start putting to to use immediately, to get your own unique "free range" business started. Marianne knows her stuff.Highly recommended whether you're already in the freelance/freerange journey like I am, or just in the beginning stage thinking of ideas.

Be a Free Range Human: Escape the 9 to 5, Create a Life You Love and Still Pay the Bills, livre très intéressant.

Dieses Machwerk über Entrepreneurship im Großen und dem Drang seiner Passion zu folgen im Kleinen enthält eine gewaltige Reihe an Denkanstößen und auch konkreten, hilfreichen Tipps (Ich liebe die gebotenen Links zu Seiten wie Fiverr.com usw die mir vor dem Buch einfach vollkommen unbekannt waren).Wer - wie ich - schon seinen Teil an ähnlichen Büchern gelesen hat, wird erkennen dass dieses auf dem Prinzip besteht seiner Passion zu folgen und diese zu einem einträglichen Geschäftsmodell zu formen. Allerdings kann man die gebotenen Prinzipien auch für sich nehmen, hier beschreibt Cantwell allerlei, vom Handel mit Informationen (ebooks), Service (Consulting), bis hin zum Handeln mit regulären Gütern (der klassische Webshop) so ziemlich alles.Eingebettet in einen - wie ich finde - grandiosen Sprachstil (Gerade heraus, aber immer witzig) kann ich dieses Buch auch den Leuten empfehlen für die die 4 Stunden Woche, Lean Startup, etc zu den Standardwerken empfehlen.