Start

Punch Fear in the Face, Escape Average, and Do Work That Matters

By: Jon Acuff

Narrated by: Jon Acuff

Length: 6 hrs and 4 mins

Publisher's Summary

Wall Street Journal best-selling author Jon Acuff reveals the steps to getting unstuck and back onto the path of being awesome.

Over the last 100 years, the road to success for most everyone has been divided into predictable stages. But three things have changed the path to success:

• Boomers are realizing that a lot of the things they were promised aren't going to materialize, and they have started second and third careers.
• Technology has given access to an unprecedented number of people who are building online empires and changing their lives in ways that would have been impossible years ago.
• The days of "success first, significance later" have ended.

While none of the stages can be skipped, they can be shortened and accelerated. There are only two paths in life: average and awesome. The average path is easy because all you have to do is nothing. The awesome path is more challenging, because things like fear only bother you when you do work that matters. The good news is Start gives listeners practical, actionable insights to be more awesome, more often.

©2013 Lampo Licensing, LLC (P)2013 Lampo Licensing, LLC

START made me STOP listening fast

What disappointed you about Start?

Listening to an audiobook is one of the easiest ways a person can attain information, yet this audiobook somehow managed to make it feel like a chore.I really hoped to hear some useful ways to turn my work and experience into something greater than myself, i.e. "Do work that matters." Unfortunately START was so suffocated by pointless lackluster stories and name dropping that I completely lost track of why I purchased it in the first place (So you were on the news... Am I supposed to care? And what does that have to do with the purpose of this book again?).More importantly, Acuff as the narrator is the worst! His delivery reminds me of that cliche friend we all have, the one who thinks he's absolutely hilarious, reciting movie quotes and poor impressions, and we all just nod and put up with it because we've been friends since childhood. If I wanted a poorly written comedy, I would have purchased something by Tyler Perry. If I wanted adventure stories of an entrepreneur, I would have purchased Richard Branson's memoir. Stripped of all the filler, this book would be a pamphlet long, maybe a few paragraphs, or even just a quote that read, "Do you want to live an average life, or an awesome one?"For a book that claimed to "Punch Fear in the Face!" START delivered like a weak jab that missed the mark.

Has Start turned you off from other books in this genre?

Turned me off from this genre? No. START's poor performance just made me more wary of my selections in the future. I will ABSOLUTELY listen to a sample reading before purchasing another book of this kind. If I had listened to a sample of START before purchasing, I'd still have $13.95 in my pocket.

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

I appreciate Acuff's energy, but there's an unearned sense of overconfidence in his voice. If the material or substance was there to back it up, I'd be all for his delivery, I'd even give the tales of his "awesome life" a chance. Instead, I felt like I was listening to a D-list comedian trying to woo an empty night club. Maybe add some canned laughter or crickets in the background? You can use that zinger in your next book Jon.

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

There were a few nuggets of actual useful material in the book, but really only stemmed from one basic concept: do you want to live an awesome life or average? Unfortunately anything redeeming was buried so deep under a thick gloss of pointless nostalgia and name dropping that I'd lose interest and tune out. I can't tell you how many times Acuff would be submerged in another story about how "awesome" his life is, and I'd think, "What the hell is he talking about? What does this have to do with anything? That really doesn't sound that awesome to me at all." I'm sure Acuff is the coolest/smartest guy he knows. Unfortunately his material isn't.

full of self serving stories. had to return it

Would you try another book from Jon Acuff and/or Jon Acuff?

Not until he grows up a little and has some meaningful experiences to share

Would you recommend Start to your friends? Why or why not?

no

What about Jon Acuff’s performance did you like?

He is full of youthful energy. He does share tried and true advice, that is a good refresher. Nothing really earth shattering.

Any additional comments?

I don't usually write reviews, but this book appears to largely be a personal EGO trip for the author. It is full of self aggrandizing stories of handing out his latest book on a plane, to shopping for makeup before he goes on national TV. There is little depth here... I did appreciate his youthful "I can do anything" energy as he recited old advice I have already garnered from other tried and true authors.

The overall ratings tell the Truth!

Would you consider the audio edition of Start to be better than the print version?

John Acuff's personality and lighthearted approach brings the process of reinventing yourself into view much better than the print version.

What did you like best about this story?

The path to starting anew is not rocket science and the "One-Star" people are looking for the easy path that doesn't exist. The practical aspects of how to grow and develop are just that; practical. It isn't some voodoo like message of just believe and your dreams will come. They won't unless you get up and start taking action to improve your life and achieve your dreams. I went down the road to awesome once and it was awesome, at 47 I needed someone to say it is ok to start again. The difference is that at 22 most people are protected by their family and loved ones to start. In your 40s, most people feel that they should have figured it out. Start gives you the understanding that you can start again and you don't have to really go back to 22, you already have the knowledge and experience that the last 47 years have told you about where awesome is in your life, you just have to live it.

What did you learn from Start that you would use in your daily life?

To stop listening to the voices in my head. The fears and lies they tell do hold you back. Get them out into the open and you do see the absurdity of them.

The second things is that most of the answers you are looking for are right there in front of you, but you can't step back far enough to see them. Don't complicate the process, you don't have to 'start with the end carved in stone'. Start with your life today and move toward what you truly enjoy doing, everything will just start to fall into place.

It works if you have 10,000 hours

Would you try another book from Jon Acuff and/or Jon Acuff?

I don't think so.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

Sounded like a punk kid, and nobody wants to take advice from a punk kid.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Very disappointing in that the author states clearly that you can make your dreams come true - maybe - if you only devote 20 hours a week to it for 10 years. He is also very boastful about his accomplishments, which to me is a turn-off. There is nothing but common sense advice in here and again, you should start young, because it is no easy road to achieving your dreams.

Fun & Funny! Great quick listen, Worth it!

Would you consider the audio edition of Start to be better than the print version?

Yes! It is read by the author Jon Acuff and he is absolutely fun and relatable! I enjoyed every minute I listened to him.

What other book might you compare Start to and why?

I just finished The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg and it was the perfect follow up to that audiobook. They are similar in the sense that you are in control of your own domain, but I learned from Habit why I choose what I choose, and I learned from Start, how to choose what I want to choose. So they compliment each other. Both are a life process and neither is a quick fix to anything. Loved both!

Have you listened to any of Jon Acuff’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No, but I will now.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Not really, the entire book was worth the listen!

Any additional comments?

I heard about this book from the EntreLeadership Podcast and am glad I did!

Same old history..

The book was not for me, I read a lot of books with the same idea. It gets a time when you are full of this kind of stuff.

If you need some push to start get it, otherwise forget it.

LOL on the One Star Reviews

What made the experience of listening to Start the most enjoyable?

Great Stories. I like the part about growing a crazy beard and collecting cats.

What does Jon Acuff bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Awesome professional speaker, great reader by default.

What’s an idea from the book that you will remember?

Great concepts throughout. Critics Math was helpful. I also enjoyed the honesty transparency with things like the story about his honeymoon and wanting to make life long friends LOL. Reminds me to be careful with ideas and expectations.

I also found great insights in understanding ideas / emotions that come along with success that can throw one off track, and even how one can actually sabatoge their own success because of supressed fear. Rang true for me and I'm thankful for what I learned from this book.

Very cleverly written!

I loved this book! I listened to it 3 times & learned something new everytime! It's clean language.

Most Accessible Self-Development Book I've Read

If you could sum up Start in three words, what would they be?

Motivational, Fun, Accessible

What does Jon Acuff bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Jon Acuff is an AMAZING speaker and this is one of the best audiobook narrations I've ever heard. I imagine the book is great in print as well, but the way Jon tells stories is very engaging. Nothing about his speaking voice is dull.

Any additional comments?

I've read dozens of self-development books and this one is definitely at the top of the list (my other fav's would be How to Win Friends and Influence Others and Unstuff Your Life). There was not a single dull moment in this book, and even though it is directed at any age group, I feel like it is especially accessible and inspiring for younger people (20s, 30s). I wish I had read this book years ago! (if it had existed... which it didn't)

Motivation! Guidance! Awesome!

Jon's voice in my ear was like a guardian angel whispering truth about fear through honesty! Jon's wisdom took me through the 5 lands of Awesome and got me off the couch of average!! Say yes and click the "buy now button" ... He was wise to be the voice of his own book, not someone else just reading without the passion necessary to make this book come alive!

Woah slow down!!

Authors are not always the best people to narrate their own books. Fact. Here is a case in point. Maybe the paperback's really good, I don't know. But the audiobook is so rushed that it's almost impossible to get anything from it. The author / narrator starts off by telling you how each section is supposed to have action points and questions for you to go through to put his pearls of wisdom into practice. But he felt that it ruined the "flow" of his narration, so he's left all that stuff to the end. Listen to the whole thing first, then take action.

In doing so he's totally missed the point of how people use this kind of book. He whizzes through the book at such a pace, without pausing, that you can't actually take it all in anyway. Then if/when you do stick it out all the way to the end, he does the exact same thing with the action points and questions. Problem is that they're not put into context, so when he says something profound like "write a paragraph describing your secret self" you're thinking... "wait... what exactly is my secret self again?". Except if you're anything like me you really can't bring yourself to go back hunting through the audio to find out.

Add to that the super-helpful advice to "punch fear in the face". Well that's all very well but seriously, deeply ingrained personal fears about oneself do not, in practice, simply bugger off because you metaphorically punched them! I suspect that many people who click the "buy" button for this book will be left thinking "well how the heck do I do that?". Listen to Stephen Covey, Brian Tracey et al. Different ball park altogether.

I had high hopes for this book but it fell way short of the mark. I might even ask for my money back. Sorry & all that but very disappointing.

Gripping...couldnt put down

open your mind to your endless possibilities and explore your potential awesome. life changing

Good content

Good content with very little ‘fluff’.
Main negative would be at the end in the ’to do’ section it was very rushed.

Love it

Very motivational, inspiring and challenging at the same time. Just as good as 'Quitter' which I am listening to at the moment. Full of practical wisdom.

great read

struck in a rut? going round in circles? Get Start and you will get started.