Jon Acuff is the author of Stuff Christians Like (blog and book), as well as his new book Quitter. (Of which, I am giving away 50 copies. Read below.) He’s also a member of the Dave Ramsey team. He lives with his wife and two daughters in Nashville, Tennessee,. I have the privilege of speaking with Jon from time to time at our Total Money Makeover LIVE events. Recently I told Jon that my readers would love for me to interview him. He responded with, “And you are?” I then gave him a side hug, which is like his kryptonite, and he agreed to do the interview. At the end of the interview you can find out how to win Jon’s new book Quitter.
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CLo: What inspired you to write your new book Quitter?
JA: A few years ago I started writing a blog that I loved doing. It ended up getting turned into a book, and I was eventually asked to speak at conferences. I was having a blast, but doing those things represented only a sliver of my week. I had a day job in an IT department. And I started to feel stuck between the tension of a day job and a dream job.
At first I thought I was the only one, until I started to talk to people and realized we’re becoming the “I’m, but” generation. Whenever I ask someone what they do, they tell me, “I’m a teacher, but I want to be an artist.” Or, “I’m a CPA, but I want to start my own business.” I wrote the book to help anyone who has ever bumped into something they loved doing, something they felt created to do and did not know how to do that with more of their life.
CLo: Why the title?
JA: At one point I had eight jobs in eight years. I was a quitter and fewer of us are staying at jobs for very long. I wanted to speak to our desire to quit and how to do it in a way that ensures success for your dream job.
CLo: Why don’t more people pursue their dreams?
JA: Fear is a big reason. We’re afraid to fail and afraid that unless it’s perfect, we can’t start. Perfectionism prevents a lot of people from dreaming.
CLo: You say in the book, “At the heart of a dream is change.” Tell me about that.
JA: No one has a dream and says, “If this dream works, if I’m successful, the status quo in life will forever be maintained and protected.” Dreams are always about doing something different or better or new. And that scares a lot of people because we tend to not like change.
CLo: What feedback have you received that has meant the most?
JA: I got an email from a couple in Portland, Oregon. They’ve got a big, bold dream and are coming all the way across the country to really lean into it by attending the Quitter Conference we’re having in Nashville on July 30th. To see them that excited about their dream is encouraging to me.
CLo: Can your book help leaders?
JA: Without a doubt. Dreamers are a dime a dozen. Doers are rare. People who actually execute and work hard on their dreams are rare. And to do that, you have to be a leader. To be successful at a dream always takes a degree of leadership.
CLo: Hanging out with you is always like Friday night at a comedy house. What was dinner like growing up in your household?
JA: It was like Def Jam Comedy night. If you didn’t have great material, you left the table in tears. Comedy and laughter were currency in my house. I loved it!
CLo: Wednesday posts on SCL ALWAYS reach deep inside of me and force me to reflect on how much God loves me. Where does all of that depth come from?
JA: I don’t consider myself a very deep person. It’s a work in progress, but if there is any it comes from the bruises and scars I’ve acquired in life and listening to how God loves me through those moments.
I am giving away 50 copies of Quitter to my readers. To get one, you must do the following:
- Leave a comment as to why you need a copy of the book. Be creative.
- Tweet a link to this post by using this link: http://wp.me/p13qUZ-RD . You can write your own tweet, or you can use, “Win a free copy of Jon Acuff’s new book Quitter on @CLoCurto’s blog – http://wp.me/p13qUZ-RD ” If you don’t have a Twitter account, you can use Facebook.
- I will pick 50 on or before July 10th.
That’s all you need to do. Let me know if you enjoyed the interview.
