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    Quitting: Why I Left My Job to Live a Life of Freedom
    Quitting: Why I Left My Job to Live a Life of Freedom
    Quitting: Why I Left My Job to Live a Life of Freedom
    Ebook81 pages1 hour

    Quitting: Why I Left My Job to Live a Life of Freedom

    By Keith Boykin

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    About this ebook

    In a society which promises that great things come from hard work, Keith Boykin counters that great things come from quitting. Boykin writes that quitting “is for anyone” — quitting your job, your city, your relationship, and anything else that doesn’t serve you.

    At twenty-seven years old, Boykin left behind a lucrative law career to work for the Clinton administration in the White House. But when his skills were underutilized, he quit his prestigious post after two years. Boykin soon went on to write the New York Times best seller Beyond the Down Low: Sex, Lies, and Denial in Black America, an examination of race and sexual orientation in the Black community.

    Since then, Boykin has quit a string of jobs, careers, organizations, and residences in pursuit of the autonomy and purpose that he eventually achieved. To him, nothing is more important than personal freedom: not money, not the veneer of success, and certainly not goals that other people have for his life. Quitting means change. And change is the first step on the path to freedom.

    Cut to 2021, and Boykin is cheering on the 47 million Americans who left their jobs — for many a good reason — in what has become known as the Great Resignation. This new wave of “quitters” may not be quitting the White House, as Boykin did. Instead, it’s about quitting jobs that he considers to be eternal “preplanned treadmills” rather than valued ways of life.

    In this candid memoir, Keith Boykin takes you on a roller-coaster ride of successes and failures that ultimately leads to a meaningful existence beyond “the identity of your employment.” Quitting: Why I Left My Job to Live a Life of Freedom is the bold encouragement that will push you toward making changes to live life on your terms.

    Editor's Note

    Choose personal freedom…

    Boykin has quit unfulfilling jobs and let go of harmful mentalities long before these concepts became part of what's now referred to as the Great Resignation. And he wants you to know that it's okay if you, too, decide to call it quits on what doesn't suit you. This Scribd Original highlights Boykin's journey in moving away from high-profile, lucrative jobs to put his personal freedom first.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherEverand Originals
    Release dateOct 12, 2022
    ISBN9781094451107
    Author

    Keith Boykin

    Keith Boykin is a TV and film producer, national political commentator, New York Times best-selling author, and a former White House aide to President Bill Clinton. A graduate of Dartmouth College and Harvard Law School, Keith has taught at the Institute for Research in African-American Studies at Columbia University, City College of New York, and American University in Washington, D.C. He is a co-founder and first board president of the National Black Justice Coalition and a Lambda Literary Award-winning author of five books. Keith was a co-host of the BET talk show “My Two Cents,” starred on the Showtime reality television series “American Candidate,” worked as an associate producer of the film “Dirty Laundry,” and has appeared on numerous TV shows. Born in St. Louis, Keith has lived in 12 cities, visited 48 of the 50 United States, and traveled the world. He currently lives in Los Angeles.

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    Reviews for Quitting

    4/5

    23 ratings7 reviews

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    • 5/5
      Loved this! Quick read. Insightful and affirming for the road less traveled and choosing your own path.
    • 1/5
      Author spent the entirety of the first few chapters boasting and name dropping accomplishments that do not lend to the alleged goal of the book. More about self aggrandizement than providing a truly accessible path towards quitting (though marketed as ‘quitting for everyone’).
    • 5/5
      This book is so timely and accessible. Keith’s accounts of his dynamic life provides great encouragement to follow your dreams and loose the golden handcuffs that traditional work can be. It’s also so very well-written that I read it in 2 nights. Highly recommend if you’re considering a new pathway and joining “The Great Resignation.”
    • 5/5
      This book came to me right on time. I like that Keith Boykin doesn't sugar coat the experience of quitting. Far to many books on this subject give the impression the universe will automatically reward you for taking the step towards freedom. Sharing his life experiences you get a real world view that's both comforting and encouraging.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      I can definitely relate with his triumphant and continuing story in regards to work, changing course and knowing when to quit…something. I enjoyed it especially the later chapters and how it relates with many people and their situations today. Want to be happy, put yourself, not your position first. Good read.
    • 1/5
      Annoyingly self-promoting with no substance whatsoever!
      What did we get out of this, and what is "inspirational about it"!
      Don't waste your time listening to this nonsense..

      2 people found this helpful

    • 1/5
      Repetitive and trite. Life story was the only somewhat interesting part

    Book preview

    Quitting - Keith Boykin

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