The Joy of Not Working: A Book for the Retired, Unemployed, and Overworked
This Squidoo Lens includes some of the most interesting reviews written and letters and e-mails that I have received about The Joy of Not Working.
NOTE: You can read more letters about The World's Second Best Retirement Book by Ernie Zelinski at: The Joy of Not Working Website
The Joy of Not Working Is Like the Bible in Some Ways
The World's Second Best Retirement Book
Like The Bible, The Joy of Not Working tells you everything you need to know to resolve your Life crisis, but doesn't exclude humor in its presentation. Check Chapter 7, "Lighting the Fire Rather than Being Warmed by It", pages 118-120, for a list of 200 activities for your consideration.
- Helga Roberts writing on AuthorsDen.com
Purchase The Joy of Not Working on BarnesandNoble.com with this direct link:
Purchase The Joy of Not Working on Amazon.com with this direct link:
An E-Mail about The Joy of Not Working from Zain Fazal of Kitchener, Ontario
This e-mail was sent to me on April 7, 2008 by Zain Fazal of Kitchener, Ontario:
- ----- Original Message -----
From: "Zain Fazal" <zainfazal3000@yahoo.ca>
To: <vip-books@telus.net>
Sent: Monday, April 07, 2008 8:29 PM
Subject: Your book the joy of not working
Dr. Mr Zelinski,
I had just completed reading your book The Joy of Not Working and I must say, I am very relieved to know they're people out there who think like you do. The work ethic is modern day North America has always bothered me. I have seen what workaholics has done to family, friends I came to the conclusion a long time ago that this can't be as good as it gets there has to be more to life then work.
Every job I had has made me miserable. (factory worker, donut fryer, warehouse worker,) once I found out I didn't like a job. I quit right away. Because of this I face ridicule from my family and friends who believe they are some sort of martyrs by working 10-12 hours a day or working on weekends it drives me crazy when people think like this.
After reading your book I am happy that I'm not the only one who thinks way! Your book is insightful, clever and witty, I. am going to be graduating from college with a diploma in Tourism and travel from Mohawk College. However in between looking for a job, I plan to do a bit of creative loafing of my own. I plan to learn to drive; learn to swim, among other things. Thank you for letting me know it's OK to not work hard and it's OK not to conform. (I especially love the chapter regarding GNP) I only wish you had included the reply to the one negative letter that was sent to you about The Joy of Not Working.
Best regards,
Zain Fazal
Kitchener, Ontario
Two International Bestselling Authors - Ernie Zelinski and Jack Canfield
This is a photo taken by a fan of both Ernie J. Zelinski, author of How to Retire Happy, Wild, and Free: Retirement Wisdom That You Won't Get from Your Financial Advisor and Jack Canfield, author of The Success Principles: How to Get from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be. The photo was taken at the Shaw Conference Centre in Edmonton, Alberta.
- Ernie Zelinski's Top-10 Specialties
- 1. International Best-Selling Author - His books Have Sold Over 550,000 Copies.
2. Early Retirement - He Semi-Retired When He Was 30 Years Old and Broke!
3. Solo-Entrepreneurship - "Secure Career" Is Not Part of His Vocabulary!
4. Self-Publishing - All of His Best-Sellers Including The Joy of Not Working (Over 225,000 Copies Sold) and How to Retire Happy, Wild, and Free (Over 90,000 Copies Sold) Had to Be Self-Published.
5. Book Promotion - Specializes in Using Free Creative E-books for Viral Marketing.
6. Foreign Book Rights Sales - He Has Negotiated 95 Book Deals in 25 Different Countries
7. Public Speaking - Only When He Feels Like It, Gets Paid to Fly Business Class, and Gets to Stay at the Ritz-Carlton!
8. Living the 80/20 Way - Working 3 or 4 Hours a Day and Still Earning a Great Living.
9. Outwitting Corporate Life and Wearing a "Corporate Employment Is So Last Year" T-shirt with Pride.
10. World Class Leisureologist - Leave the Relaxing to Him!
Check out:
Ernie Zelinski on You Publish
Ernie Zelinski on Ezine Articles
Ernie Zelinski on Real Success
Ernie Zelinski on Best Syndication
Native Hungarian Thinks The Joy of Not Working Can Help Her Country.
This e-mail was sent to me by Evelyn Perdi of Dallas, Texas, in 2008. (This person's name has been changed to same possible embarrassment.)- Dear Ernie,
I have found your book The Joy of Not Working accidentally a few months ago while I was browsing a local store in Austin, Texas.
Since then I have purchased 3 more copies. I have sent one to a friend, who quit her high paying corporate job a few years ago, but seems to have not been able to come to terms with her decision ever since. She called me after she finished the book and told me how amazed and grateful she was for the transformation in the way she views her decision now.
I sent the other book to a retired friend of mine, who I think is doing exactly what you are preaching, enjoying her retirement and leisure time to its full extent. She told me that she took your book to her book club and she and her friends enjoyed it very much.
About myself. I am 39 years old, a mother of two small toddlers, and I have been working for a company as an engineer for a few years now. I recently realized that I hate every minute of my working day. I do not enjoy engineering, the stress, the corporate life syle, the fact that I only get 2 weeks of vacation a year, just to name a few things. Every morning I go to work feeling worse than the previous
day ...
I am so miserable in my job that every night when I go to bed, I grab your book and read it some more, just to feel the hope.
The first stage of change I noticed in my life after reading your book, was that I started to fully appreciate and enjoy every moment that I got to spend away from my job. The evenings, the weekend.
I think I am ready for the second stage now. I have always wanted to do something different, I am more of an artist then an engineer anyway.
I have known for a long time that I wanted to write a book myself. Last night I was thinking about this more, and I looked at the publisher section in your book to see if there was a Hungarian version. I did
not see it listed. You may have already had it translated to Hungarian, I am not sure. If you have not, then I would be absolutely delighted and honored to translate it.
I am a native Hungarian, but I have been living in the USA for over 15 years now. I have been doing translation for US companies from English to Hungarian since 1996, but I have never done a book. I do have publisher friends in Hungary, who would be interested in publishing it.
After the communist regime ended in the 90's in Hungary, the country slowly started to recover and move on to become more and more of a capitalist state. Unfortunately many of the changes are in fact bad changes. People now feel that they need to work long hours, weekends, there is no such thing as work-life balance anymore. They are overworked and too tired to enjoy the small amount of leisure time they have.
I would love to see the impact your book could have on the people of my country!
Dear Ernie, please let me know if this is something I could help with, Your book is absolutely liberating! Thank you for writing it!
Sincerely,
Evelyn Perdi (a miserable engineer who dreams about writing)
The Joy of Not Working: A Book for the Retired, Unemployed, and Overworked by Ernie J. Zelinski
The Joy of Not Working is all about learning to live every part of your life - employment, unemployment, retirement, and leisure time alike - to the fullest. You too can join the thousands of converts and learn to thrive at both work and play. Illustrated by eye-opening exercises, thought-provoking diagrams, and lively cartoons and quotations, The Joy of Not Working will guide you to enjoy life like never before.
Top 10 Reasons to Buy The Joy of Not Working
1. You are more independent and more creative than most people.
2. You were born a lover of life and not a workaholic.
3. You don't want the cheese; you just want to get out of the trap.
4. You like books that are reader friendly with lots of cartoons, quotations, and exercises.
5. You like books that make you smile and challenge traditional ways of living and thinking.
6. You agree with the words of Bertrand Russell: "To be able to fill leisure intelligently is the best product of civilization."
7. You are receptive to the concept that we can achieve more if we relax, enjoy life more, forget about what the majority in society thinks is important, and focus on the things that really matter.
8. Your parents and co-workers will not approve of your adopting this book as your lifestyle Bible.
9. You know a good deal when you see one - if a book has been published in 17 languages in 20 different countries and has sold over 225,000 copies, it must have great value.
10. You know something important that the hard workers of this world don't know: the secret to a happy and fulfilling life is to work smart and not hard.
Purchase The Joy of Not Working on Amazon.com with this direct link:
An E-mail about Real Success Without a Real Job and The Joy of Not Working
----- Original Message -----
From: Raul Gonzales
To: vip-books@telus.net
Sent: Sunday, October 22, 2006 11:37 PM
Subject: Joy of Not Working and Real Success without a Real Job
- Dear Mr. Zelinski,
I just want to thank you so much for the insight these 2 books (The Joy of Not Working and Real Success Without a Real Job) have given me. I read them both in the last 2 weeks. I happened upon Real Success Without a Real Job at Barnes and Nobel one day and purchased it and could not put it down, and with all the references to The Joy of Not Working I ordered that one on Amazon and promptly read that one very quickly as well!
I know I am enjoying and getting allot out of a book when I can read them so quickly I too was laid off at a Mortgage company in March of 2005 after working there for a second stint 5 years straight, I also worked there pre college for 3 years in the early 90's! I am 37 years old, still single but looking for the girl of my dreams, but also in a quandary of what to do to make a living, but have the leaserly lifestyle!
Soon after being laid off I also determined in my mind not to find a job again, but try various businesses, I had some real estate I was renting out, but was only covering my carry cost monthly but did have some 401K money I cashed in and a layoff package I cashed in, I enrolled in a stock trading course which in hindsight was way too expensive 20K all on the MasterCard.. and will finish the last class this week in Chicago (The Trading Pit) but nevertheless, trading for the last year and a half has now left me without any more cash flow, I have one more position I am hoping will return some income. Much more on this year and a half period later.
The position I am in now, is that I am selling my primary residence in Cedar park Texas on Nov 1st to an Australian couple who were the only offer on the house, I will gain about 12500.00 in proceeds of which I will pay my folks back about 3000.00,,,, I have the (dreaded) interview for a job on Tuesday morning before I fly out to Chicago for a firm that places people in Accounting jobs (40) hours / week type positions. However I do not look forward to get back to the corporate world! I have started a blog to get into the habit of writing to someday produce an ebook or books like yours to self publish. http://tradersjunction.blogspot.com/
I guess the questions I have are (HELP), I don't want to get into accounting field anymore....? I am over 120,000.00 in credit card that I cannot service any longer and am considering CH 7. I really hate to do this.
Also, was considering taking some of the proceeds of the sale of my house and buy a used 35 mm camera and start a business of some sort. (landscapes) framed and market on ebay or to corporations. I have no experience but love to drive out to the Texas hill country and explore the areas!
I just seemed to have struck a rock and a hard place of generating income,,, My trading has come to a halt but know that I want to try again one day when the funds are available.
I know this is long, but hope to begin some kind of dialog and advise or mentorship you may offer?
Thanks once again for the great books! I read every line, front to back!!!
Yours truly,
Raul Gonzales
Cedar Park, Texas (near Austin)
raulgonzales@hotmail.com
Reader from Santa Cruz, California
Shelly Skye of Santa Cruz, CA, sent me this e-mail on June 26, 2008:- Dear Ernie,
Well I've been reading your books now for over three years, starting with The Joy of Not Working and ending with How to Retire Happy, Wild, and Free. I must say that your books have been a relief to me in as much as I have always felt somewhat guilty over my dislike of employment.
It is nice to know others feel the same way, eh? My saga begins with my first jobs after college, beginning in the mid-1970's. I did this and that for a couple of years then got a full time position with a state university working 40 hours a week, 50 weeks a year. It was a relief to have some steady money coming in as well as the benefits that come with such a position. However, within a couple of years I was beyond bored and itching to get out of there.
I did manage to hang in till I was almost vested (five years) but finally quit, cashed in my retirement and traveled around the US and Canada for the better part of six months. This was a wonderful time and quite a revelation to me. When I returned home I knew I needed to find a way to get a job that paid enough to allow me to work part time. I never wanted to have another fulltime, 40 hour a week, 50
week a year job again.
I made that commitment to myself in 1985 and have never looked back. I went to graduate school with the idea I would get my Masters degree and find work at the college level within the Student Services area
in order to be able to have summer vacations and only work part time each week. For the last 20 years I have worked 20-25 hours a week for eight months a year. I am by no means rich but I have been able
to manage fine and even save money over these last few years. I am lucky to have found my true niche and have enjoyed my "career" but I am getting bored again. However I still have three years to go before
I can retire with enough money to live on (due to being part time all these years) each month and I am finding it hard to live with that. How can I give up such a cushy position when it is relatively easy to do and pays so well? Especially when I know that if I can hang in there I will never have to work again if I don't choose to do so. For someone who doesn't like to work this is a particularly seductive hook!
You know what I really want to do? I want to be a long distance backpacker. There's no money in it but one couldn't find a more healthy way to be retired. Hiking 15 to 25 miles a day for 6 months a year doesn't sound like the thing most people would like to do but for me it sounds like the dream of a life. Since I'm currently 56 it seems wisest to retire now rather than at 59 if my goal is to hike all the long trails there are to hike, but there you are%u2026I'm stuck in the 'will there be enough money' question.
I don't expect you to answer the question for me. But if you can use my experience to help other folks figure out how to work less feel free. Make more money per hour so you can work less. That's what worked for me. In the meantime I will try to figure out how to solve my dilemma of retiring not one second later than I have to. If you have any thoughts
on this I would be forever grateful. And keepwriting those books! They are an inspiration to many of us out here in the wide world.
Sincerely,
Shelly Skye
Santa Cruz, CA
6/26/08
Even The U.S. State Dept Likes The Joy of Not Working
This short review of The Joy of Not Working comes from the United States Department of State.
- "A delightful indictment of workaholism and ways to counteract it. The author views unemployment as a true test of who one really is."
- U.S. Department of State Book Reviews
Career Change and Retirement Resources
Visit one of Ernie Zelinski's Blogs:
Why You Should Retire Early
Seeing More to Retirement than First Meets the Eye
The Get-a-Life Tree (once called The Retirement Tree) and Retirement Activities for the Get-a-Life Tree included in both How to Retire Happy, Wild, and Free and The Joy of Not Working should help you see more to retirement than first meets the eye.Duval C. Sherman of Los Angeles, California wrote to me after reading The Joy of Not Working. As you can see from his letter, he found the Retirement Activities for the Get-a-Life Tree (there were only 200 retirement activities in that list) useful for his retirement planning.
- Dear Ernie,
I recently finished reading your fine book, The Joy of Not Working, and I am surprised that it has not sold over 1 million copies.
I retired from my very stressful job as a Bus Operator in Los Angeles, Calif. on October 29, 1997 at the ripe "old age" of 46. My former co-workers favorite refrains were, "What will you do," and so on and so forth. That is when it dawned on me that these people had no life away from the job. How sad!
Now that I am no longer stressed out, and have had enough time to clear my mind, I feel much happier and healthier. Your Activities for Your Leisure Tree has been very helpful. I saw things on there that I may have never thought of. For the time being, I have chosen about 70 of them that I think should keep me pretty busy for quite some time, with more to be added later. In fact, Ernie, as I write this I am in the middle of trying one of the retirement activities now, writing my autobiography.
I have ordered two more copies of your book to send to two cousins of mine. One has been a teacher for 31 years and is debating whether or not she should retire. I am hoping that your book, and my continued
urging, kind of pushes her along in that direction so she will have the time to pursue some of the other things that she has told me she is interested in. My other cousin is an obstetrician with her own clinic who shows absolutely no sign of slowing down. I am just hoping that she will take a little time to "smell the flowers" and find the time to read your fine book.
Whenever you are able to take a little time away from your "leisure," would you please be kind enough to send me a reply. Thanks.
Sincerely,
Duval C. Sherman
A Short Review on The Innovation Network
This comes from Good Morning Thinkers Blog at: Applying the Innovator's Solution
- I have just started reading a book, "The Joy of Not Working," by Ernie Zelinski. Many good creativity concepts on finding other activities rather than working to occupy your time. Highly recommend after only reading two chapters.
** From Tom Watkins:
A Reader Who Liked Financial Independence on Less that $6000 Chapter
----- Original Message -----
From: Steve Yu
To: Ernie Zelinski
Sent: Wednesday, August 30, 2006 12:26 PM
From: Steve Yu
To: Ernie Zelinski
Sent: Wednesday, August 30, 2006 12:26 PM
- Hi Ernie,
Thank you for your letter of August 21, 2006, and your book, The Lazy Person's Guide to Happiness.
My wife, Katie, was really surprised that you had personally responded to my letter. Actually, I was too. That letter was the first letter I had ever written to an author.
After reading The Joy of Not Working several times, my favorite chapter is Financial Independence in Less Than $6,000. I agree with your thoughts and ideas as to the definition/interpretation of money, and the role it plays in our lives. In this capitalistic society, we are bombarded with advertising and media that success means to make (or have) as much money as possible. Recently, I have realized that all we need is enough money to satisfy our basic needs and a few life pleasures. Speaking from a personal experience, trying to accumulate more money than you need leads to more stress, unhappiness and ulcer.
Lastly, it would be my pleasure for you to place my letter (or any parts thereof) on your website or in your books.
Take care,
Steve H. Yu
The World's Best Retirement Book after How to Retire Happy, Wild, and Free
The Art of Retirement by George Fulmore - August 9, 2008
This is a breif excerpt written by retirement seminar presenter George Fulmore who lives in the San Francisco Bay area- The Art of Retirement: The art of imagining a last column By George Fulmore
Correspondent
Article Launched: 08/09/2008 12:11:15 AM PDT
If this were my last "Art of Retirement" column, I'd try to repeat some of the best advice I've given over the years, such as:
- The best book on retirement: My vote is still for "The Joy of Not Working: A Book for the Retired, Unemployed, and Overworked," by Ernie J. Zelinski (Ten Speed Press, $16.95). It's filled with positive advice and practical suggestions about life after work. I recommend it.
A Letter from Someone in Colorado
I received the following e-mail from Tracy Maxwell in Aurora, Colorado in April 2008:Re: The Joy of Not Working
Ernie,
Thank you so much for your great book. I plan to check out the others now that I have finally finished this one. Almost a year ago, I left my job of eight years with a start-up company for which I was one of the first employees hired. By the time I left, I had been running the place for two years, and taken on a great deal of stress in the process. A cancer diagnosis at age 36 was just the wake-up call I needed to find a new life path.
I took the summer off, camped with friends, guided four whitewater canoe trips (I have been doing this weekend warrior job for five years now), took a five-day sea kayaking trip around the San Juan Islands, visited friends and family around the country, went to Alaska with four friends to celebrate my cancerversary, and took five weeks to drive up the Pacific Coast Highway. It was at a weekend retreat at a wonderful place called the Esalen Institute in Big Sur, California, that I came across your book about 8 month ago.
After my summer off, I started a non-profit which I have been running for just over six months. I work from home, feel a real passion for what I am doing, am managing to pay the bills on about half what I was making last year, and my life is much happier in many ways. There are many adjustments to working from home - I miss being around people as I am a big-time extrovert - so trying to do more to spend time with friends.
About two years ago, I got rid of my tv, and for the past almost year, I have pledged myself to not buy anything new (anything I need I can get used or borrow), and I'm happy to report that the quality of my life has not suffered from either of these decisions. In fact, just the opposite. I still watch some tv online or on DVD on my laptop - but watch only what I want, when I want, and much better quality programs.
I am one of those people who has always wanted to write a book, and I have always been an avid writer. For a year now, I have been writing a monthly online column about the experience of dealing with cancer as a single person (www.divinecaroline.com and search on my full name if you are interested - the column is called A Single Cell). It has been hugely fulfilling for me, and seems to be impacting others as well. I recently started two blogs as well. Even though I am writing for free at this point, I hope to find a way to make a living at writing sometime in the near future.
Even though I was already on my path when I discovered your book, it has offered me great encouragement that it is indeed a valid path, and I have recommended it to many other people. Thanks for the inspiration and the good advice. I wish you the best.
P.S. I am going to blog about The Joy of Not Working and this philosophy of life soon.
Tracy Maxwell
Executive Director
HazingPrevention.Org
PO Box 440470
Aurora, CO 80044-0470
303-325-7831
maxwell@hazingprevention.org
http://www.hazingprevention.org
Purchase The Joy of Not Working on Amazon.com with this direct link:
Retirement Planning without the Help of Healthcare
Robert Wilks from Austin, TX sent me an e-mail regarding living without a real job without healthcare on August 1, 2008.- Hi Ernie:
I'm reading The Joy of Not Working and am getting inspired with ideas of ending my 13-year career in financial services (which I hate) and moving into part-time, meaningful, or creative work.
However, we in the U.S. have one obstacle which you don't have in Canada. Private health insurance is prohibitively expensive here. Most people have to get it through their employer, and that means being forever tied to a full-time job. Any ideas?
Thanks,
Robert Wilks
Austin, TX
This was my answer to Robert which is also can be used for addressing the issue of retirement planning without the help of healthcare:
- Hi Robert:
First, thanks for your interest in my book The Joy of Not Working.
You, in fact, are not the first person to bring up the issue of how expensive healthcare is in the U.S.
I agree that it is a big problem.
Actually, it's becoming a problem in Canada as well. Even though we have public healthcare, a lot of people are being forced into using private facilities if they can afford it. One of my uncles wound up in acute care in a hospital and the hospital has been trying to get him out even though he is too sick to leave and there is no one available to take care of him. These types of cases are going to become more and more common in Canada. A lot of people here don't even have a family doctor anymore. The problem in Canada is the aging population and a shortage of doctors and nurses (some of which have been trained in Canada with our tax dollars and leave Canada to work in the U.S. for much more money.)
So, the only way around this is to take a big risk and try to make a lot of money so one can afford private healthcare. That is my intention but it is more likely for me to have money set aside for an emergency because I don't get trapped by buying material possessions and services that are simply wants and not needs - and over 50 percent of things that people - even low income individuals - buy are wants and not needs.
I have attached a special E-book version (in PDF format) of my recent book Real Success Without a Real Job made especially for you with excerpts from Chapter 1 and Chapter 3.
Go to the bottom of Page 85 and you can read what I say about the healthcare issue.
As I indicate, I have the same problem with disability insurance which a lot of corporate workers get from their employer. I never purchased disability insurance because I couldn't afford it particularly when I was making $15,000 a year. Even though I was totally broke just a few years ago, I now have enough money set aside so that I could live comfortably for at least 10 years even if I didn't take a cent of income during those 10 years.
Anyway, I really don't have much more of an answer.
Interestingly, a good friend of mine, who I went to school with for many years, has lived in the U.S. (Delaware) for many years and is visiting back home for two weeks. Interestingly, he was telling me just the other day how he was against public healthcare in the U.S. because it would be abused. (I don't agree with him because there are abuses by both the providers and the users in a private system.)
You say you are in the financial services industry. How about doing me a favor and sending the other two attached E-books to all your friends and colleagues, including the E-book with over half of How to Retire Happy, Wild, and Free
Incidentally, one of the cool things that is happening with How to Retire Happy, Wild, and Free is that even financial organizations are buying the book (despite the subtitle). Nettworth Financial of Atlanta, Georgia, recently purchased 1,200 copies for its sales reps and clients. Another prominent U.S. financial organization has ordered 1,700 copies with its company name on the cover to test with its baby boomer clients and will be purchasing 10,000 to 50,000 copies for its clients if the test proves positive. This organization has asked me not to disclose their name until they have completed their marketing test.
Take care.
So long for now,
Ernie Zelinski
Author of the Bestseller How to Retire Happy, Wild, and Free
(Over 95,000 copies sold and published in 7 foreign languages)
Featured at The Retirement Planning Wisdom Blog
and the International Bestseller The Joy of Not Working
(Over 225,000 copies sold and published in 17 languages)
Featured at The Joy of Not Working Website
Book Review - H R A C P e r s p e c t i v e - 2004
Review completed by: Louise M. Boucher
Do you love your life? Do you have work-life balance? Do you wake up every morning excited about your day? Are you doing what you want with your life? If you answered no to any of these questions, you should really consider reading The Joy of Not Working: A Book for the Retired, Unemployed, and Overworked by Ernie J. Zelinski.
If you answered yes to any of the above questions, I still recommend that you read this book.
I was at a friend's 50th birthday party when I first came across this book. At the time, I was in one of those places where you reflect upon life and wonder if this is all that there is. As a kid you have all these hopes, dreams and glamorous expectations of where you will be as an adult. Then, as an adult, you take a look around and say, "yah . . . so this is it, eh?" It was finally time for my friend Bob to open his birthday gifts. As a group of us gathered in the kitchen, Bob opened each card and Retirement Gift with great appreciation, as he always does. Besides finding Etch N Sketch quite fascinating, my heart skipped a beat when I spotted the next gift titled The Joy of Not Working.
Let me just warn you ahead of time. The author is far from a traditionalist. Living in Edmonton, Alberta, Ernie Zelinski works two to four hours per day and does not like to work at all in any month that doesn't have an "r" in it.
There is also an entire chapter dedicated to financial independence on less than twenty dollars a day and how money plays a role in society and how we let it affect us. When he does slave like the rest of us, Ernie, an educated engineer by trade, works as a consultant and as a professional speaker in the field of applying creativity to business and leisure.
Having said that,I do not think you would be disappointed picking this book up. I think it is a fantastic read. In his easy to read and down to earth writing style, Ernie Zelinski guides the reader to be reflective of one's life and how to get the most out of it by providing eye opening exercises and thought-provoking lists and diagrams. It's not about being an unemployed mooch, but about being the best that you can be even if you are employed, between jobs, overworked or retired. He tells you the way to find the lifelong happiness that you really want and shows you how to slow down and really live the moments in your life. He deals with working too much, not developing your own interests and the difficulty of identifying with your work. Ernie shares with us how leisure is so important in our lives and how it prepares us for Retirement.
Despite being an odd mix between amateur psychology and self-help, this book has certainly inspired me and has shown what I have been missing in my life. I now know the prescription to lifelong Happiness. Can you say the same?
Any Loser or Fool Can Criticize and Most Do
A writer's life can draw criticism from the losers of this world.
I received this e-mail the other day:
This was my reply:
I received this e-mail the other day:
- To whom it may concern:
Let add to the chorus of one who criticized your book [The Joy of Not Working]. I don't take offense at your drift - I make less than $10,000 and am "retired" at 33 - but I have to say, you sensibility is for the idiotic. Not only are your critiques and suggestions hypocritical - I can't imagine how you justify working so hard at not working. Working hard never killed anyone, and to contribute to the common good, for love of country and love of humanity and brotherhood of man is definitely a positive concept - such as Blake's concern echoes.
Feel free to print this - I think you're full of it. And send me a check if you use my letter, I could use the spare change, I didn't have enough to pay for your work - not mine. Creative Commons is a great licensing tool - that's the first one that comes to mind. Use the net, promote peace, and hard work, not idle inspirational talk. Canada deserves better, eh?
Thanks, Ernie.
Dean
This was my reply:
Dean:
I receive at least 100 positive comments about my books for every negative one like yours. (Below my name I have included an e-mail that I just received yesterday from Richard Thibeault, Pointe Claire, Quebec).
I can see why you make less than $10,000 a year.
Quite frankly, people like you think you are so smart - but you are really quite stupid. You go around criticizing others but never accomplish anything major in your own lives.
As Mark Twain said, "Any fool can criticize and most do."
I am very good and successful at what I do and other successful and intelligent people like Richard Thibeault recognize this - but fools like you don't.
In November I will be making a keynote speech to 2,500 executives of the National Turkish Congress on Quality at their 17 annual convention in Istanbul. The cost to the organization is between $15,000 and $20,000 to have me speak for an hour. See the link below:
http://morganjamespublishing.ning.com/events/event/show?id=1975222:Event:10503
Would a prestigious organization like this ever consider a loser like you to speak to them? Of course not. Last time I checked, I didn't see you anywhere on the program.
One thing is certain: If I had the same belief system as you and the limited thinking ability that you have, I could never have been as successful as I have been - making over $100,000 a year for the last 5 years by only working 3 to 4 hours a day, selling over 550,000 of my books, and receiving thousands of positive e-mails and letters about my books. Incidentally, The Joy of Not Working has made me over $625,000 in pretax profits.
As Jack Canfield says, "Results don't lie."
But excuses lie. False beliefs lie. And critics like you lie big time.
I must thank you for one thing: Your e-mail to me and my response to you will make a great entry on several of my blogs for thousands of others to read.
Ernie Zelinski
Author of the Bestseller How to Retire Happy, Wild, and Free
(Over 95,000 copies sold and published in 7 foreign languages)
and the International Bestseller The Joy of Not Working
(Over 225,000 copies sold and published in 17 languages)
A Letter about The Joy of Not Working from "Our Lady of Leisure" in Philadelphia, PA
This letter was written by Rashida Holmes of Philadelphia, PA.
- Dear Ernie:
Since quitting my 9-5 two years ago, I practically wake up every morning squealing with delight. My friends don't what to make of all my giddiness
and glee. They jokingly tell me I'm too happy and therefore it's time for me to get a job. Just this morning I asked a friend on the phone what time it was and she said, "It's time for you to get a job
O'CLOCK.!"
The actually love it and live vicariously through me. They feed me often to keep the dream alive. They revere me as Our Lady of Leisure. I love it. Thanks for validating [through The Joy of Not Working] what can sometimes be an unpopular life choice. Now the money I saved at the beginning of my sabbatical is all but gone so I'm writing you
to remind myself to hang in there. I've tasted freedom now and I can never go back!
Sincerely Rashida
Calgary Reader Who Blamed Me for His Early Retirement at 45
W.H. Teppler from Calgary sent me this e-mail in <teppler@telus.net> February, 2008.
Wolfgang purchased extra copies of the following books from me at the same time:
- Ernie:
Let me add my deep thanks for your wonderful books.
It's all your fault, as a result of reading the 'Joy of Not Woking', that I retired at age 45 (10 years ago).
I have never looked back and continue to read it at least once a year as a good reminder to me of why I did retire early.
My wife joined me in early retirement 3 years ago. The only problem we have is questions from our friends asking if we are bored yet and when are we going to go back to work. I tell them that I am truly enjoying life and that with my travel, hiking skiing, photography, golf, volunteering and other projects I barely have time to do the things I love.
I have never had the pleasure of hearing you speak (presentation)!
Do you ever doing any presentations in Calgary that I (and a few friends) might be able to attend?
Cheers
Wolfgang
403-225-2131
Wolfgang purchased extra copies of the following books from me at the same time:
- How to Retire Happy, Wild, and Free $12.42
- The Joy of Not Working (German Edition) $17.42 (for a friend in Europe)
- Real Success Without a Real Job $16.02
- The Lazy Person's Guide to Happiness $7.95
- 101 Really Important Things You Already Know, But Keep Forgetting $11.70
A Note from Kuwait about The Joy of Not Working
Sulaiman Alhasawi from Kuwait sent me this e-mail on October 7, 2004.
- Hi Mr. Zelinski:
I'm from Kuwait.
Your book reflects the real life in Kuwait and I think everywhere.
I have enjoyed reading The Joy of Not Working. It's a great book.
I'm considering retirement after 3 or 5 years.
BTW im 31 married and have a daughter.
Good Luck
Thanks
Sulaiman Alhasawi
Letter about The Joy of Not Working by Wayne M. of Williamsport, PA, in August 2008
I received this letter about The Joy of Not Working from Wayne M. (he did not give his last name like most letter writers) of Williamsport, PA, in August 2008.
- Dear Ernie:
I just finished reading the revised edition of The Joy of Not Working and it has really helped me to "slow down" and appreciate the simpler things in life.
The Get-a-Life Tree has also helped me out a lot because I now always have ideas of what to do with all of my spare time. I have been unemployed for awhile. I used to get bored and depressed because that's the way that society wants unemployed people to be, but I now have a renewed purpose - to enjoy life!
I just wanted to thank you for this wonderful book before I return it to the library. Maybe sometime I will buy The Joy of Not Working so I can have it handy all the time.
Thanks again for being there for all of us.
Sincerely,
Wayne M.
Interview Given by Ernie Zelinski about The Joy of Not Working
1 - Tell us a little bit about yourself. (i.e. where you were born, where you grew up, etc.)
- I was born in Athabasca, Alberta, Canada and was raised on a farm around Grassland, Alberta until I was 14 and then finished high school in Lac La Biche. I didn't know what career path to choose, but I was very good at mathematics, trigonometry, and physics. So, on the advice of my teachers, I stupidly enrolled in engineering at the University of Alberta in 1966. In my second year of Engineering I missed over 85 percent of my classes and still ended up with the 7th highest grades out of 250 engineers. Even so, it took 7 years for me to complete a 4-year program because I quit twice and stayed out a year. You can read more about this in an article called The Joy of (Not) Engineering.
After working for Edmonton Power for five and a half years, I was fired for taking two months of unauthorized vacation. My firing was, in fact, the best thing that ever happened to me because I hated being an engineer. (Just as important, I hated corporate life.) As Hal Lancaster once said, "Getting fired is nature's way to telling you that you had the wrong job in the first place." I am proud to say that I have not had a real job for 28 years.
2 - For those who have not read the book, how would you describe the central idea in the The Joy of Not Working??
- The Joy of Not Working is all about learning to live every part of your life - employment, unemployment, retirement, and leisure time alike - to the fullest. If you have a job, the book is about how to thrive at work by being more leisurely. If you are unemployed, the book will help you be happier than most people who have jobs, simply because happiness is a matter of choice, whether you have a job or not. If you are retired, The Joy of Not Working will help you find just as much purpose - even more - as you had in your career life.
3 - Some people have read the book and are left with the impression that you are encouraging people to be lazy and unproductive. What do you say to that?
- On the contrary. I am encouraging people to have a better balance between work and play, which will make them more productive. Take me, for example. I work only 4 or 5 hours a day and earn an income twice that of most people who work 8 hours a day. This makes me 4 times as productive as the average person.
4 - If one was to follow your advice and start leading a life of leisure, wouldn't it be quite difficult to maintain the same standard of living?
- First, the important question that arises is "Does one really have to live at the same standard of living?" Studies show that Americans were happiest during the 1950s. Today Americans have houses two to three times as large as in the 1950s, eat a lot more (look at all the fat people in the US), and consume two to three times as much. Yet they are not as happy. The point is that standard of living does not contribute to happiness. I have a friend who is 62 and lives on $434 a month. He actually saves some money certain months. The important point is that he is happier than 95 percent of people in society.
Second, if you become more leisurely, you may just end up making more money, and increasing your standard of living if you want to. That has happened to many people. Tim Ferris (whose book I recommend later) used to work 12 hours a day and earn $40,000 a year. Now he works 4 hours a week and earns $40,000 a month. Similarly, several people I know work hard 8 to 10 hours a day and earn $50,000 to $60,000 a year. I leisurely work only 4 hours a day and have an pretax income of about $125,000 a year. This is about working smart and not hard - but most people are too hard-headed to grasp this concept and actually follow it.
5 - What do you think is the biggest factor that stops people from changing their lifestyle?
- Most people are too programmed by society and society's values. They don't want to risk and be different. As a matter of fact, they are so plugged into mainstream thinking, they don't realize how programmed they are. This even applies to the highest of educated people such as doctors, lawyers, dentists, and university professors.
6 - Now that you are living a life of leisure, how are you spending your time?
- I usually sleep in until 11 AM or noon. My first priority is going for a rigorous run or bike ride. (This normally takes about one and a half hours of my time. After I get out of my house, and arrive at one of my favorite coffee bars, I spend about 4 hours a day working. Another 2 hours is spent talking to people in coffee bars. The evening is left open and I can do a variety of things including visiting people, reading, or meeting someone for a drink in a bar. I normally get to sleep around 3 AM after reading the newspaper and having a snack.
7 - Name a book that you think everyone should read, and why.
- The 4-Hour Workweek by Tim Ferris. This book is written for ordinary people who want to accomplish extraordinary things with minimal time involved. Some of the most important principles in this book are:
- The Lazy Person's Guide to Success: How to Get What You Want Without Killing Yourself for It
- Real Success Without a Real Job: The Career Book for People Too Smart to Work in Corporations
- How to Retire Happy, Wild, and Free: Retirement Wisdom That You Won't Get from Your Financial Advisor
- The Lazy Person's Guide to Happiness
- 101 Really Important Things You Already Know, But Keep Forgetting
- 1. Get unrealistic.
2. Practice the art of nonfinishing.
3. Cultivate selective ignorance.
4. Do NOT multi-task.
5. Outsource as much of your life as you can.
6. Being busy is a form of laziness - lazy thinking and indiscriminate action.
7. Forget about time management.
Here are four of several favorite quotes from The 4-Hour Workweek
1. If you are insecure, guess what? The rest of the world is, too. Do not overestimate the competition and underestimate yourself. You are better than you think.
2. The blind quest for cash is a fool's errand.
3. Ninety-nine percent of people in the world are convinced they are incapable of achieving great things, so they aim for the mediocre. The level of competition is thus fiercest for "realistic" goals, paradoxically making them the most time-consuming and energy consuming.
4. The fishing is best where the fewest go, and the collective insecurity of the world makes it easy for people to hit home runs while everyone is aiming for base hits.
8 - Do you have any plans for a follow up to the Joy of Not Working?
- I have already written and published 3 follow-up books related to The Joy of Not Working which are:
For the record, How to Retire Happy, Wild, and Free was rejected by 35 publishers - even by my own publisher Ten Speed Press that publishes The Joy of Not Working - and had to be self-published.
With an order that I received last week from Allstate Financial for 3,700 copies, How to Retire Happy, Wild, and Free has now sold over 100,000 copies.
I have also sold rights to nine foreign publishers. The cool thing is that I have now realized a tidy pretax profit of $350,000 on this self-published book - much, much more in earnings than I would have received from a major publisher.
For anyone interested, I provide over half - mainly the top half - of How to Retire Happy, Wild, and Free as a free E-book download on the Creative Free E-Books Webpage at the Real Success Resource Center ( http://www.real-success.ca/free_ebooks.html ) as well as on The Retirement Quotes Cafe.
NOTE: I have also written these books:
Another Letter from a Woman in Japan
I have received several letters from people in Japan who have read the Japanese edition of The Joy of Not Working - the cover of the Japanese edition is on the right.Here is one of them from Ayumi Nakabayashi in Osaka, Japan written in the first half of 2008:
Dear Ernie:
I have just read you The Joy of Not Working and I'm writing to thank you.
I'm a single working mother with twin daughters. What this means is I'm a poor miserable woman in Japanese society, so I am always worried about money for the future more than necessary and never enjoying my present life.
This book gave me a different view of my life, which I should pay attention to. I don't earn much money but enough to live, and have free time to enjoy. I feel excited about thinking how to spend my free time now. I'm making an "Idea Tree" [Get-a-Life Tree] after writing this letter. To read The Joy of Not Working in English is on the top of the list! I have forgotten that I have a lot of things I want to do.
This book gave me a chance to think over the relationship with boring people, too.
I'm sorry I don't have enough words to explain how I feel now in English, but I really appreciate you.
Sincerely,
Ayumi Nakabayashi
Foreigns Edition of The Joy of Not Working
Here are the covers of some of the Foreign Editions of The Joy of Not Working:
- French Edition
- Spanish Edition
- Japanese Edition
- Czech Edition
- Greek Edition
- German Edition
- Turkish Edition
- French Edition - Canada
- Dutch Edition
- Korean Edition
- Italian Edition
- Chinese Edition - Traditional Characters
- Chinese Edition - Simplified Characters
- Portuguese Edition
- Polish Edition
Last Two Questions to Interview
9 - What advice do you have for someone who will be cutting back on work and investing the money they have now?
- Contrary to popular belief, you can actually cut back on work and earn more money. Again, work smart and not hard.
When it comes to the secret of handling money, there are two principles: The first one is: Spend less than you earn. If this won't work for you, then the second principle is definitely for you: Earn more than you spend.
A lot more North Americans could retire early and have a comfortable retirement if they followed my principles. As I tell my friends who claim they have money problems, "You don't have a money problem. You have a serious thinking problem." Unfortunately, most people in North America end up believing that they "need" all the things that they buy. Fact is, most of the things people buy are "wants'. Regardless of who you are, your needs have always been provided. Plain and simple, if they weren't, you would be dead! So stop fooling yourself that you need all those material goods to be happy and you will have no problem saving.
I semi-retired when I was 35 and had a net worth of minus $30,000. Even though I have worked less than half of my adult life and have never made a penny in house appreciation (simply because I rented for all these years), I can retire comfortably.
I recommend this well-titled book for which I have adapted a short review from two other reviews:
You're Broke Because You Want to Be: How to Stop Getting By and Start Getting Ahead, by Larry Winget.
The author is a no nonsense guy and a master of tough love. This book will tear down every excuse you can think of and show you that it's your choices that are making you broke. Warning: The author is harsh. So if you get upset about that, maybe you should pass on this one, continue to blame your problems on someone else, and end up broke in retirement.
To be sure, there's no sweet talk in Winget's advice, who summarizes money management to these points: Get off your duff and start doing the hard work necessary to make financial success happen. His advice includes: Give up cable TV. Get a cheaper car. Move to a more-affordable home. Live on what you earn.
10 - Can you tell us who you will be voting for in November, and why?
- I will not be voting in November because I am Canadian. If I could vote in the American election, I would vote for the Democrats even though I am more of a conservative than a socialist. To me, the Republicans have absolutely no integrity. They talk about fiscal responsibility but are running unheard of deficits after taking power from the Democrats who under Bill Clinton were running surpluses.
The situation is no different in Canada. Again, to me, the Conservatives have no integrity in regards to fiscal responsibility. The Liberals were much more fiscally responsible when they were in power than the Conservatives are now. So on October 14th, if I vote, instead of voting Liberal, I will actually vote for the New Democrats (a socialist party!) simply because the New Democrat candidate in my riding has a chance of beating out the Conservative candidate.
Indonesian Edition of The Joy of Not Working
- Indonesian Edition of The Joy of Not Working
An E-mail about The Joy of Not Working from Stacey L. Scott - September 19, 2008
----- Original Message -----
From: Stacey L. Scott
To: vip-books@telus.net
Sent: Friday, September 19, 2008 8:11 AM
Subject: For Ernie Zelinski - THANK YOU!!!
Do you love your life? Do you have work-life balance? Do you wake up every morning excited about your day? Are you doing what you want with your life? If you answered no to any of these questions, you should really consider reading The Joy of Not Working: A Book for the Retired, Unemployed, and Overworked by Ernie J. Zelinski.
If you answered yes to any of the above questions, I still recommend that you read this book.
From: Stacey L. Scott
To: vip-books@telus.net
Sent: Friday, September 19, 2008 8:11 AM
Subject: For Ernie Zelinski - THANK YOU!!!
- Dear Ernie,
I just started reading The Joy of Not Working: A Book for the Retired, Unemployed, and Overworked yesterday.
I'm on page 57 (the letter from Les.)
I took this morning off from work because I needed some "mental time" away from work and a romantic relationship has ended after a year of off-again on-again torture.
I'm giving my notice at work when I go in today. I've been saying that for over a year and a half - and dreaming about it every day. Today is the day.
I know in my being that the Universe will provide more holistic abundance to me then I could have ever received from staying at my job and being untrue to myself.
I am a healer (holistic wellness coach), writer and overall catalyst for change and evolution. I can now joyously live that life fully.
NOTE: I'm going to add "world traveler" to my bio!! J
Thank you for your book and your courage to think outside of the box. It has truly inspired me.
Do you love your life? Do you have work-life balance? Do you wake up every morning excited about your day? Are you doing what you want with your life? If you answered no to any of these questions, you should really consider reading The Joy of Not Working: A Book for the Retired, Unemployed, and Overworked by Ernie J. Zelinski.
If you answered yes to any of the above questions, I still recommend that you read this book.
Just Finished Reading The Joy of Not Working
Following is the most recent e-mail that I received about The Joy of Not Working: A Book for the Retired, Unemployed, and Overworked that was sent to me by Eric Clarke of British Columbia.- ----- Original Message -----
From: Eric Clarke
To: vip-books (at) telus.net
Sent: Thursday, October 23, 2008 3:58 PM
Subject: To ErnieZelinski - Thank you!
Dear Ernie,
I have just finished reading the The Joy of Not Working. What a truly
enjoyable and thought provoking book. As a recent retiree you have helped me to remember what is most important in life and generously shared your personal experiences, thoughts and some tools to help me reconnect with those things.
I am looking forward [to retirement ]with excitement and anticipation as I begin this journey and hope that at the end I find I have grown into a fully
developed and happy child.
Thank you.
Eric Clarke
Email - chimiera (at) shaw.ca
Tele: 573-5982
