Life Kerning E-Book

Justin Ahrens

• Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
• Kategorie: Fachliteratur
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 137

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2011

Beschreibung

Creative approaches for designing a more balanced life andcareer In the graphic design industry, kerning is the fine-tuning oradjustment of space between letterforms (type). In this book,author Justin Ahrens applies this concept to both the life andcareer of business professionals. There is a common misconceptionthat positive change in one's life only comes from a completesystem overhaul. Ahrens challenges this notion by inviting businessleaders and professionals to not only reassess the various spacesand goals of one's life, but to rethink our understanding ofbalance altogether. This book includes insights and observations from both thecreative and professional world. * Guides you in determining what you're passionate about, and howto keep those passions in the forefront of your life andcareer * How to create work that stands apart * How to cultivate and maintain a group of wise mentors * Develop critical decision-making skills Live a life that fuels your work, and work in a way that fuelsyour life. Life Kerning shows you how.

Leseprobe

Contents

Intro: Kerned Just for You

Chapter 1: You’re Not Perfect

Chapter 2: Get Naked

Taking It Off

Chapter 3: Create Space

Space for Two

Space for You

Thoughts on Space Creation

Yearly Check-Ins

Chapter 4: Be Antisocial

Here’s How to Start Your Antisocial Campaign

Chapter 5: The Power of the List

List Magic

Chapter 6: Play Nicely with Others

Giving It a Shot

Go for It

Chapter 7: Are You Just Bad at Making Good Decisions?

Creating More Good

Chapter 8: Create an Ecosystem

Being Eco-Friendly

Chapter 9: You Don’t Know until You Ask

Chapter 10: Be a Link in the Love Chain

Chapter 11: Do What You Love

Finding the Love

Chapter 12: Mirror Leadership

Occasional Looks in the Mirror

Chapter 13: Embrace Your Nerd

Nerd Alert

Chapter 14: Pay It Forward

Let’s Get Cracking

Chapter 15: Outlook Is Everything

Let’s Get Real

Chapter 16: Evolve

Chapter 17: Learn from the Wisdom of Others

Chapter 18: Right Turn Ahead

Reading the Signs

Chapter 19: Give Thanks

Now Is the Time

Chapter 20: Serve and Change

Chapter 21: You Can Be Great Anywhere

Chapter 22: Believe in Something Bigger than You

How to Look at Believing Bigger

Chapter 23: Take a Culture Dip

Chapter 24: The Power of a Name Hello

Chapter 25: Do Personal Projects

Chapter 26: Focus on Strengths

Chapter 27: Balance Is a State of Mind

Chapter 28: Don’t Burn a Bridge

Chapter 29: BTW . . . There Are No Rules

Index

Acknowledgments

About Rule29

About The Author

COPYRIGHT © 2012 BY JUSTIN AHRENS. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

PUBLISHED BY JOHN WILEY & SONS, INC., HOBOKEN, NEW JERSEY.

PUBLISHED SIMULTANEOUSLY IN CANADA.

BOOK CONCEPT AND DESIGN: RULE29 CREATIVE, INC www.rule29.com

BOOK ILLUSTRATION: JUSTIN AHRENS & KARA AYARAM OF RULE29

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, Inc., 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, [phone], fax [phone], or on the web at www.copyright.com. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, [phone], fax [phone], or online at http://www.wiley.com/go/permissions.

Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: While the publisher and author have used their best efforts in preparing this book, they make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book and specifically disclaim any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales representatives or written sales materials. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for your situation. You should consult with a professional where appropriate. Neither the publisher nor author shall be liable for any loss of profit or any other commercial damages, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential, or other damages.

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LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA:

AHRENS, JUSTIN, 1972–

LIFE KERNING : CREATIVE WAYS TO FINE TUNE YOUR PERSPECTIVE ON CAREER AND LIFE / JUSTIN AHRENS.—1ST ED.

P. CM.

ISBN 978-1-118-06782-6 (PBK.); ISBN 978-1-118-13907-3 (EBK); ISBN 978-1-118-13908-0 (EBK); ISBN 978-1-118-13909-7 (EBK)

1. CREATIVE ABILITY IN BUSINESS. 2. SELF-ACTUALIZATION (PSYCHOLOGY) 3. CREATIVE ABILITY. 4. CHANGE (PSYCHOLOGY) I. TITLE.

HD53.A384 2011

650.1—DC23

2011019566

RARELY DOES LIFE TURN OUT THE WAY YOU THINK IT WILL.

But that’s okay — especially if you are equipped and ready to roll with it. This book is for those of you who desire to spend energy on making your life and your career all that they can be. Of course, we all receive help with that and I want to thank mine. Thanks to the team at Rule29, and especially to Sarah, Mackenzie, Jackson, Quinn, and Ava for being my inspiration.

Are you ready? Let’s get to it.

INTRO

What is Life Kerning, you ask? In graphic design, kerning is the fine tuning or adjustment of the space between letterforms (type). The changes may be small, but they make a big difference. A designer can go in and finely tune the space within a headline or a placement of a title so that a presentation is more enjoyable and downright beautiful to the reader. Or a design can alter the aesthetic part of a presentation, to ensure the material has the desired effect visually, beautiful or not.

In our business careers, we tend to think sweeping or wholesale changes need to be made to enable us to more deeply appreciate our lives or our jobs. Yet it’s often the fine adjustments between the smaller details of our lives that we neglect or do not revisit often enough that tend to make the headlines of our lives seem uncomfortable, not as harmonious as they could be, or just hard to read.

This perspective applies to individuals in all careers, without question. From time to time, all of us need to assess our personal and work lives to see whether they are feeding each other or fighting each other. This book is about you and these circumstances that will happen. It’s about you the business owner, creative director, worker bee, cookie monster, creative problem solver, or just the person whose life is a little out of whack and needs a nice realignment. Regardless of how we got to this point in our lives, we’re hopefully all doing what we were designed to do. When we were growing up, we doodled on our Trapper Keepers or on lined paper during math class and dreamed about creating or being a part of something that would be recognized and admired worldwide. Perhaps you haven’t quite arrived there yet . . . or maybe you’ve made it, but “there” is not quite as fulfilling as you thought it would be. Perhaps you’ve even questioned whether pursuing that early dream was worth it. Was it really what you wanted? Did it even matter? My guess is that the answer to all those questions is yes, but that’s what we’ll explore in the pages ahead. I’m going to share some insights from my own experiences, along with some wonderful perspectives from others, and when we’re finished, I hope you’ll have gained some perspective on “balancing” the important things in your life or, at the very least, start looking at them differently.

Since nothing ever follows a direct path in life, this book is designed so you can, if you wish, peruse the table of contents and meander or explore the topics that are most important to you now. Or, if you’re like me and, in some activities, order gives you peace of mind, then sequentially explore these thoughts and let your anxiety subside. Either way, as you progress through this book, you will see that you are wonderfully in control of the direction, choices, and next steps—not only in how you prefer to read this book, but in how you respond and in which steps you take next. Don’t let routine, anxiety, expectations, or whatever excuse you may struggle with stop you from making adjustments; after all, you may be closer than you think to your life’s goals.

...after all, you may be closer than you think to your life’s goals.