I’m quitting my job to save the planet.

For over a year, awareness raising about conscious living has been my job. Trouble is, my awareness got so raised that it can’t be a job any more, it has to be my work. A job is what people do to live; it’s what you do when you have no option - economically. Work is what you do when you have no option - ethically and conscientiously; it’s for life, not just for christmas presents. I’m no longer sure the two can be merged and seemlessly integrated, as I’d previously hoped, and thought I was actually doing.

There’s something insidious about ‘job consciousness’; the distinguishing question being: “would you do it anyway, regardless?”. If it’s to “pay the bills”, it’s a job. And jobs don’t save the planet. Jobs are part of that time-buying conspiracy that helps us kid ourselves that we’ll do something we really want to do, or that needs to be done, when the bills have finally been paid, goals achieved and to-do lists checked.

And just as it’s immoral to apply tax before profit, it’s morally indefensible to delay the ethically inevitable. The work of the past year especially has convinced me that the planet needs saving NOw, not when I’ve sorted my lifestyle out, got rich or achieved a level of acceptable comfort.

The phrases that sum up my raison de fait (did I get that right?) are Inspirational Dissatisfaction (I found this in Rob Hopkin’s Transition Handbook, from Rob’s interview with Chris Johnstone) and Blessed Unrest (the title of Paul Hawken’s recent book on “How the Largest Movement in the World Came into Being and Why No One Saw It Coming).

Sure I’ve still got bills to pay. But that cart will now go behind the horse. It can’t be any other way.

Paul Hawken and Blessed Unrest

Rob Hopkins and Transition Culture

Free Transition MP3s

What I’ve been doing for the last 12 months

I was slow to discover The Idler (there’s an obvious joke in there, but I won’t stoop to it) and its founding influence Tom Hodgkinson. Sure, I’d heard of it and him, but it wasn’t until something stirred in my waters yesterday, that I felt an urgency to visit www.idler.co.uk. Once there, my eyes went straight to Tom’s book - How to Be Free. I immediately called Waterstone’s, Exeter, who said a copy had just come in and they’d put it by. Within minutes, I had it in my hands and I was/am still enthralled. In a word: vindicated.

Names and keywords like John Seymour, Satish Kumar*, Eric Gill, Schumacher, Ruskin, permaculture, mulching and cooperation as well as Tom’s obvious hatred of CCTV, banks and watches struck an immediate chord and re-arranged years of random references into a recognisable constellation of vision and hope. I’m even thinking of taking up the Ukele.

And this afternoon, Tom popped up again on a BBC Radio 4 show - Nowhere Fast? - quizzed by (Read on …)

Check this out: http://www.innocentdrinks.co.uk/…jan07_booklet.pdf

As soon as I saw Randy Gage had written this book, I had to get a copy. And believe me I wasn’t disappointed!

If you want to be free - in health, mind and wealth - “Why You’re Dumb, Sick, and Broke and How to Get Smart, Well, and Rich!” by Randy Gage is a great place to start - it’s inspiring. If you buy it and don’t like it - I’ll refund you your money!!

Enjoy!

Get it here: click

Amazon synopsis: This title adopts a no-holds-barred approach to overcoming negative beliefs to attain success.

This practical, yet inspirational book combines timeless principles of wealth-building and success with no-nonsense guidance on how to succeed in today’s complex, competitive world.

Brash, thought provoking, and always entertaining, Randy Gage explores all the issues that affect personal health, happiness, and prosperity. Holding nothing back, he takes on the educational system, organized religion, dysfunctional families, and a culture of victimhood and entitlement, revealing how all these forces conspire to keep most people dumb, sick, and broke.

Then, Gage reveals how to break the cycle with a powerful action plan that will help readers get smart, healthy, and rich. This insightful book offers solutions for eliminating negative beliefs and behaviors, and replacing them with positive thoughts and actions to br! eak the cycle of victimhood forever.

Readers will discover how to turn motivation into action, think like the rich, and understand the virtue of selfishness. The modern world conspires to keep us dumb, sick, and broke; Gage offers straight talk on how to escape mediocrity and seize greatness! Randy Gage (Miami Beach, FL) has been dubbed “the Millionaire Messiah,” because he believes it is a sin to be poor, and you are meant to be rich.

His own experience rising from a high school dropout to a multi-millionaire uniquely qualifies him to share this message of abundance.

Get your copy here: click