Books
Finding Your Path Tales of Right Livelihood
by Jim Natichioni
*Finding Your Path will be available in early 2008. Please join the
mailing list to the right to be notified when
it is available for purchase.
Summary
Today there are more opportunities
than ever before to follow a path that holds purpose
and relevancy. With the burgeoning green business
movement, the healthy growth of an increasingly
sustainable economy and the vast treasure of people
giving of themselves and their resources the climate
is ripe for the proliferation of ‘right
livelihood’. Baby boomers with a vision
for the future and young people asking prospective
employers about social responsibility are the
new trendsetters for the new age where the field
of action is the workplace. The book is a primer
in life-work 101. In it I summarize the practical
and financial, the intellectual and emotional,
the creative and the spiritual do’s and
don’ts of one’s life work. Finding
your path considers both seeking and not-seeking,
more about going with the flow than forcing an
outcome. This is an eclectic journey full of interesting
tales about friends from all walks of life, enigmatic
historical figures and fictional characters all
who are on the path. There are many guides and
guideposts here to help you on your journey and
a hundred inspiring stories about how people found
their path and what motivated them: from the most
humble elder to the richest entrepreneur; from
the bravest woman to a man who was afraid of his
own shadow; from hippies and Taoists and non-conformists
to the blue collar work ethic. The story is told
from my perspective as one who has dedicated his
life to discovering my own right livelihood.
Chapter outlines
For more detailed chapter
summaries, read our White
Papers here on the Resource page.
Finding Your Path
Follow Your Myth And Your Bliss
Know Who You Are and Make the Most Of It
A Worthy Path is Filled with Passion and Obstacles
The Transition into Right Livelihood
The Makeup of an Entrepreneur
Choosing Motives that Serve Your Purpose
Sales and Marketing Strategies
Lessons in Attracting Clients
People Skills and Prosperity
The Counter Culture and Following Your Dreams
Authors Perspectives on Money, Fulfillment, Simplicity
The Nature Of Success and Failure in Business and in Life
Intelligence and the Team Concept
Emotional Maturity and Recapturing the passion of Youth
The Power Of Intuition and Wisdom
Art, Music, and Courage
Working On The Fringes Of The System
(1) Finding
Your Path: Finding the right map; Jesus
and the path of service, Using self-expression
as your guide, Myrtle Fillmore and following your
faith, Martin Luther King, Jr. and asking guiding
questions. Your deeper values as signposts; Paul
Hawken the health food pioneer, For the love of
sustainable products, Career model; Balance the
feminine values with the masculine. The (spiritual
and practical) symmetry of right livelihood: ;
Gramp’s work gives meaning to his life,
The ancestor of Zen who sold his wares at market,
Karma yoga, Grow rich with peace of mind. Guideposts
to finding your path; The breeders favorite reading
subject, Look for the middle path, Steps that
can help with the process. Back
to Top
(2) Follow Your Myth And Your Bliss: Following your
bliss; The power of place, Oren and the bluff:
connecting to who we are, Don’t be reluctant
to follow your bliss, Identify your passion. The
American myth; Mother culture’s story, Legends
and cowboys and Indians, The urban cowboy, Marty
and the Navajo tribe, Rites of passage. The past
and inner helpers as guides; Saint Francis the
prodigal son, Christina’s childhood reveals
her touchstone, A colorful family background,
Mystical mentors, Personal milestones reveal the
path. Back to Top
(3) Know Who You Are and Make the Most Of It:
The significance of a humble profession; The electrician,
the priest and the politician, Identify what type
of person you are, Dunlap and his lawn mower,
Identify your element, The venerable coach from
Framingham. Bring clarity and simplicity into
your life; Travelers lost in a forest, The ordinariness
of a Zen tea ceremony, The idea of owning a retreat
center, Repeating the rags to riches cycle, Willoughby:
a train trip back to the good old days, The farmer
and the diamonds. Destiny; Following the course
of stars, The flawless Book of Changes, Milarepa
finds his purpose through his trials. Back
to Top
(4) A Worthy Path is Filled with Passion and Obstacles:
Success follows those who cultivate self-esteem;
Doing what you love as a key to success, Having
a vision and getting your priorities in order,
Bridgett’s magnetism and volition propel
her career. Inner conflicts; Channeling abuse
constructively, You deserve your good do not resist
it, Introspection can help un-mask your conflicts.
Appropriate action; Doing what you love and heightened
awareness, Akido is love in action, Enjoy the
strawberries don’t worry about the tigers,
Acting appropriately in crisis situations, Water
does not insist on control yet accomplishes its
goal. The way of the warrior is to choose a path
with heart; Acquisitiveness and a long journey
with no goal, Teaching the way is a humble affair
and not self serving, Even the humblest among
us can make a difference. Back
to Top
(5) The Transition into Right Livelihood: Advocacy
takes risks and sacrifices; He sacrificed his
large inheritance to benefit animals, She faced
violent threats for blowing the whistle, They
braved monetary losses, their credibility and
free speech, The postman risked his health for
workers rights. Happiness is knowing you are headed
in the right direction; Being negative is heading
the wrong way, The ragpicker: your weakness may
be your strength, If it is laborious you may not
stick it out. Do what you have to do to pursue
your right work; Staying too long in a path that
has lost its meaning, Undergoing the rigors of
training to continue their tradition, He quit
his position at the top to start at the bottom,
Janet takes a job as a janitor to further her
music ministry, Doing what it takes to make enough
money to chase your dream. Back
to Top
(6) The Makeup of an Entrepreneur: The unpredictable
nature of the rich; Money doesn’t grow on
trees, The riverboat gambler and the money river,
The rich are no different, The genius and foresight
behind the first personal computer, Necessary
trade skills, The changing image of an entrepreneur.
Different approaches to being an entrepreneur;
The daydreamer who lacks imagination, The tofu
factory and investing prudently, How to earn money
without a job, Long hairs and one person operations.
Originality and finding your niche; The truth
is you are one of a kind, yoga and modifying an
ancient original, Dworkis finds his niche after
contracting MS. Self-dependent rugged individualists;
Martha Stewart; jack-of-all-trades, Entrepreneurs
from the state of Maine, Tom’s of Maine
and the first natural products, From selling beeswax
in the back of a pickup to Burt’s Bees,
LL Bean and pioneering the mail order catalogue,
Living the good life off of a self-sufficient
homestead. Back to Top
(7) Choosing Motives that Serve Your Purpose: The
motivation of an amateur: Seeking approval and
popularity leads to conformity, Instead of seeking
improvement follow your appetites, Forget doing
the safe thing and go out and dance. Self-motivation
and external factors; The kid from Framingham
needs prodding, Teaching with a kind heart and
without admonition, Idyllic is nice but challenges
are better, The big why behind success and failure,
The scribe who ‘preferred not to’
work. Great women with strong purpose; Inspired
by her sensitivity to the underprivileged, Feminists
provoked and galvanized by gender bias, Touched
by humanitarian interests, The unmitigated defiance
of Annie Besant. The work itself, fear and principles
as motivators; The fear of being fired, A strong
enough incentive powers incredible feats, What
motivates most is the work itself, A similar goal
but vastly different paths. Back
to Top
(8) Sales and Marketing Strategies: The do’s
and don’ts of selling: The mock interview
that forecasts your sales aptitude, The wherewithal
to look at the big picture, The ability to close,
To embrace lead generation as an ongoing project,
The seven or so secrets to sensational selling
success, It is easier to change careers than too
change who you are. Starting small and growing
through prospecting and marketing; The art of
marketing to yourself, Branding and promoting
an image, Start in your hometown and spiral out,
The anatomy of the greatest salesman. My experience
with marketing small businesses; The coca cola
promotion and the gas station, The business and
pleasure of painting, where upside meets downside,
Our unique selling proposition. Keep working in
the right direction and don’t complain;
If you can’t beat them outwork them, Keep
your energy moving, Complaining will get you nowhere.
Back to Top
(9) Lessons in Attracting Clients: The willingness
to manage your database; Unwillingness to ‘sell’
your business leads to stagnation, Managing your
client database is your business, Taking small
steps to continue the cycle. Getting clients to
do what they don’t want to do; It feels
like a wrestling match, It takes savvy, psychology
and treats to motivate a Maltese, The feel the
pain workshop. Cold calling is the advantage of
top producers; Give yourself and your prospect
a reason to call, The double talk technique of
attraction, The personal approach and going for
the no. Showing up is half the battle; Ross Perot
and ‘can I finish,’ The lighthouse
brigade and holding your ground, Hide and seek,
My wife motivates herself to get out of the car.
Customer service as your primary marketing tool;
The Japanese express their sincere gratitude,
Toyota gives consumers what they want, Establishing
credibility earns trust, You can’t fake
sincerity. Back to Top
(10) People Skills and Prosperity: How to influence
people; Communication skills and body language,
Clarity of values sends a congruent message, Dale
Carnegie and being considerate. Prosperity consciousness
and manifestation; They want prosperity but wonder
if they should seek it, Is the love of money a
bad thing?, Putting the law of manifestation into
practice, The power of positive thinking, Make
no distinctions about money. The polarity of abundance
and scarcity; Beware of negative pictures held
in your mind, Spiritual economics: Aligning with
the ever-present substance, Overcoming your insecurities
by changing your ‘internal’ representations,
Don’t buy into scarcity consciousness, American
visionaries and the philosophy of plenty. Back
to Top
(11) The Counter Culture and Following Your Dreams:
The 60’s path of anti-capitalism and non-conformity;
The amateur hippie, Following rebels with a cause.
The progenitors of hippiedom; Jack Kerouac’s
On The Road personifies the nomadic lifestyle,
Living in nature with the nature boys, Light Conversationalists;
The first counter-culturists. Greg Chelius: From
hippie to executive; All we are saying, Stay focused
during your college days, Twin sister Jewells
and climbing the sales ladder, There is always
a price to pay, The Trust for Public Land. Following
your dreams; From hippie crasher to small business
person of the year, Lifelong dream turns into
nightmare, Black Elk fails to fulfill his vision
like a warrior, The dream of a ski utopia, Working
with the bank robber, the counterfeiter, and the
gunslinger, Mister Moz realizes his dream at the
lumber yard. Back to Top
(12) Authors Perspectives on Money, Fulfillment, Simplicity:
Too much of money, things and status can be harmful;
Our insatiable appetites and is more better?,
Retaining our standard of living but at what cost?,
Fulfillment is the point where enough meets too
much. Trading your life energy for money; Informed
choices to guide your earning and spending habits,
Work as our identity, Earning the highest pay
commensurate with your values. Four authors and
their adventures on the path toward simplicity;
Bach struggles with finances and finding a career,
Adventures and passions bridge the gap to success,
Tolstoy abandons the life of wealth to live amongst
the peasants, Thoreau’s experiment in simple
living on the fringes, Blofield shuns monetary
reward to wander and record the way of the orient.
The transition of this writer from one end of
the good life to the other; Parking the truck
and enjoying the bike ride, My journey to find
me in a new place is circuitous, ‘Still
runnin’ against the wind.’ Back
to Top
(13) The Nature Of Success and Failure in Business and
in Life: Organizing and operating a successful
business; My friend the real estate tycoon and
the value of a business plan, Don’t sacrifice
long-term goals for short-term gains, Push, push,
push the envelope, Sharing the wealth and the
employer/employee relationship. Operating from
the principal of intentional action without force;
The Gourd immortal and accomplishing your goal
without strain, The secret to finding your path.
Assume that you can do anything you set your mind
to; The ‘can do’ spirit, Creating
wealth by changing your assumptions, Overcoming
all odds to lead a productive life, Endure and
do not be afraid to fail, Presentiment and a mighty
big heart in a mighty small girl. Mark Hansen,
America’s business motivator; From going
broke to sitting on top of he world, Multiplr
sources of income, The book that inspires: Chicken
Soup for the Soul, The do’s and don’ts
of the real estate profession; Include an exit
plan in your original strategy, The inability
to choose a path with heart causes challenges,
The trailer queen: Throw away the stereotypes
and go sell yourself; If all else fails, don’t
worry be happy; Nobody wants to do business with
a sad sack, My happy Mexican friends put work
in perspective, Fighting failure and depression
to become great at his job. Back
to Top
(14) Intelligence and the Team Concept: Intelligence skills
and making good business decisions; The expert
can read minds and personalities, Don’t
underrate the importance of smarts in the workplace.
The source and inspiration of intelligence; Is
life a natural process or the result of infinite
intelligence?, Luther Burbank and the platypus
kone, Science is able to detect laws but not the
framer, The universe looks more like a great thought
than a great machine. The makeup and downfall
of genius; A genius knows what they want to do
and assumes they can do it, Tesla did his theoretical
work inside the laboratory of his own mind, Even
with genius, industriousness and timing you still
may fail, Thinking deliberately and writing research
papers he discovers the universe. Getting the
most out of our brain power; or not; The dark
side of the moon; taking control of our mind or
losing it, Complacency and indecision have no
place in the creative process, Know what you want,
decide it must happen and act on the decision.
My SAT scores and doing what it takes to be smart,
Positive environment and attitude can help you
achieve excellence, An invention squashed due
to lack of boldness, Summa cum laude becomes a
vagabond. The team concept is indispensable; The
sense of a goose to work in unison, The gritty
bike racer who at first falls short of greatness,
His coaches, support system and his team come
to the rescue. Back to Top
(15) Emotional Maturity and Recapturing the passion of Youth:
Emotional intelligence as the premier factor for
success; Rocky fights his fierce temper to become
a champion, What distinguishes the superior person
is unpretentiousness, Turning volatile situations
into win/win deals, Expressing emotions under
stress gets you to the top level, The king of
comedy is the king of equanimity. Anger management
as the first step to progressing on the path;
Don’t allow anger and negativity to sabotage
your relationships and work, Controlling your
mind is essential to material success, The correlation
between stress, anger, emotional maturity and
struggle. The storm of discontent and conflicts
with nature; Our relationship with nature is one
of practical business, Violent storms reflect
the conflicts that rage within our psyche’s.
Don’t indulge your predilections or base
neurosis’; You add suffering to the world
when you take offense, Don’t harbor ill
will or use harsh words; let it go, An instant
of anger can erase a life’s worth of merit.
Guiding emotions and behavior to work for you,
not against you; Transmuting anger into power,
Developing a tolerant attitude toward external
sources leads to success, Anger can be used as
a map to show you the way. Bad habits can be harmful
to your health and your career; Give your resolution
enough time to ripen into a habit, A blocked expression
of the desire to contribute leads to breakdown,
The good habits of caring and usefulness are a
boon to society. The complimentary values of maturity
and youth; Put away childish things and become
a man, Energy and experience and the passion of
youth are still in demand, Merriment never grows
old; even in retirement. Back to
Top
(16) The Power Of Intuition and Wisdom: Transcending
this reality by invoking your intuitive powers;
Heeding your intuition as a prime cause for making
good decisions, yoga and paying attention to the
details, Paradox and humor can be powerful elixirs.
Induced states of euphoria help us find where
we are needed; How ordinary moments and epiphanies
gave shape to my path, Meditation as the best
way to discover and fulfill our purpose, You may
travel many paths but never step foot on the way,
Kindness can change the worlds reality and ours.
A separate reality and how it can show us the
way; I escape the mysterious portal, ‘Seeing’
happens when we sneak between the cracks of the
two worlds, Learning commitment and resiliency
from an extraordinary cat. Finding your soul mate
and your path can be similar journeys; Picturing
your desires and watching them manifest, Stay
open and receptive to your good and don’t
expect perfection, Once you find your path (or
your mate) don’t take it for granted. Dreams
show us the future and the light; Weaving dreams
that reveal answers, Mental telepathy with her
soul mate to the rescue. Wisdom as the greatest
asset: Confucius meets Lao-tzu; Lao-tzu uses all
of his metaphysical gifts to write the great book.
He married, them became a soldier, the Keeper
of the Archives and the face of Taoism, He teaches
the teacher lessons in humility. Back
to Top
(17) Art, Music, and Courage: The Tao Of Art, The
Way Of The Artist, Synchronicity, The Italian
Horse, Leonardo DaVinci, Curiosity, Demonstration
and Perception, Music, Van The Man Morrison, Mystical
Songs, John Lennon, Uncle Mario And Jack Kennedy,
Imagine, Mahatma Gandhi A Man Of Courage, Mastering
The Human Condition, Hockey And First Courage,
Bubbas Courageous Cat, Captain Mike Wakola, Sea
Captain Paul Watson, The Tibetan Dalai Lama. Back
to Top
(18) Working On The Fringes Of The System: Living
Intentionally for a Commonality of Purpose: Empowering
the artisan vs. centralized industry; The honest
work of humble hands, A settlement that is ecologically
and economically sustainable, A cooperative with
god and the elemental worlds, The farm industries
are thriving and purposeful. When the system conspires
to screw up the people and the environment; How
3 businessmen manipulated the destiny and ecology
of our country, The ruling administrations stifle
renewable resources. Real estate development in
a nutshell; Compare a starry desert night with
an urban landscape, The birth of the suburbs precedes
the dearth of sustainable communities, European
communities as models to pattern after, An ‘amalgam
of boomtown, worlds fair, highway robbery’
and ecological disaster. The value of the magnificent
tree; The deck is stacked against old growth and
rain forest trees, The Menominee Indians sustainable
tree harvests. Restoring the economic system so
it works for us and the environment; The recent
proliferation of green businesses, The grass roots
campaign that helped turn the tide, It takes a
leap of faith to make a difference. Back
to Top
Thank you for your interest!
Your Path Guide,
Jim Natichioni
Your Path Guide,
Jim Natichioni