Chapter 1

COUNTDOWN TO WORK I LOVE

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Who gave you your first job? What kind of job was it? How much money did you make?
From looking at your work life so far, what has been of the greatest value or worth?
If your job changes, does your purpose change?
Do you think your current job will exist five years from now?
What would be the key characteristics of an ideal job or career?
When you daydream, what do you see yourself doing?
What have been the happiest, most fulfilling moments in your life?
If nothing changed in your life in the next 5 years, would that be OK?

Chapter 2
COUNTDOWN TO WORK I LOVE
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Respond to the statement, All progress requires change, but not all change is progress.
What statement describes your career path so far?
How has a company change affected you? How did it make you feel?
Have you experienced any failure in your career? If so, what did it lead to?
What were your childhood goals and ambitions for life? Which ones have you been able to fulfill?
Who are 2 or 3 people you know who seem to have accomplished their dreams? What do you
remember about their accomplishments?
7. What do you imagine your retirement will be like?

Chapter 3
COUNTDOWN TO WORK I LOVE
1. In todays rapidly changing work environment, is it realistic to expect a job to provide more than just a
paycheck?
2. Have you ever had a sense of calling in your life? How did you hear that calling?
3. Does God call only a few people?
4. Is it reasonable to expect our work to be part of the fulfillment of our calling?
5. Do you currently have a job, a career, or a vocation?
6. What does success mean for you this year?
7. Are you where you thought youd be at this stage of life?
8. Do you go home at night with a sense of meaning, purpose, and accomplishment?
9. If you want different results next year, what will you change in what you are doing now?

Chapter 4
COUNTDOWN TO WORK I LOVE
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Are you a goal setter? Do you typically set goals at the first of the year? If not, why not?
How would you describe your current focus on work?
What hobbies do you have? What other skills and interests do you have?
How are you involved in your community?
What was your fathers or mothers attitude toward work and how has that affected you?

Chapter 5
COUNTDOWN TO WORK I LOVE
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In what kind of settings are you most comfortable?

How do you respond to management?
How would you manage people?
Are you better working with people, things, or ideas?
Are you more analytical, detailed, and logical, or are you one to see the big picture and respond with
emotion and enthusiasm?
Are you steady and predictable, or do you seek variety and new challenges?
Are you verbal and persuasive, or are you the caring, empathetic listener?
What strengths have others noticed in you?
What are 5 words or phrases that describe you?
In writing your epitaph, what would you want people to remember about you?

Chapter 6
COUNTDOWN TO WORK I LOVE
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Do you understand your areas of competence?

Do you feel trapped because of your current or past work experience?
Do you recognize how easily your abilities may transfer to a new industry or profession?
Can you see value in those things you may have done as a volunteer through your church or
community?
5. Are there skills or training you need to make you a candidate for the work you love?
6. Has God given you abilities that do not match your desires? If so, how can you reconcile those?

Chapter 7
COUNTDOWN TO WORK I LOVE
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Are some job markets more secure than others?

What are the best places to look for new opportunities in todays workplace?
What are the biggest mistakes youve made in the past in looking for new positions?
How do you feel about promoting yourself?
How do you know when to change jobs or careers?
How should we apply the principles found in Colossians 3:2324 as workers in this day and time?

Chapter 8
COUNTDOWN TO WORK I LOVE
1. Can you clearly and easily describe your strongest areas of competence?
2. Does knowing that interviewing means to see about each other make it more comfortable to ask for
information about the company and the position?
3. Are you aware of any personal habits or annoying filler words that may be part of your personal
presentation?
4. Is your level of enthusiasm contagious?
5. What are some unusual questions you know of that have been asked of you or others in an
interviewing situation? (You only have to pull out 3 socks to be guaranteed a match. And theres
really no accurate way to know how many barbers there are in Chicago. Its just one of those
questions designed to see how you approach a difficult task.)

Chapter 9
COUNTDOWN TO WORK I LOVE
1. Is negotiating on price uncomfortable for you? Describe 3 things for which you negotiated the
purchase price.
2. Have you negotiated your income in the past?
3. Do you realize that in changing companies you may be able to increase your income by 40 to 50
percent though that is unlikely to happen while moving up in one company?
4. What are the guidelines for how much is reasonable? What is fair? Is it always reasonable to ask for
more?
5. Read Matthew 20:115. How does this parable fit what youve learned?
6. What would you do if you tripled your current income? What could you offer that would merit that?

Chapter 10
COUNTDOWN TO WORK I LOVE
What do you think of the word entrepreneur?
Do you have what it takes to be on your own?
Are you an accidental entrepreneur?
What service or product could you promote?
What invention could you develop?
What are 3 or 4 ideas you have had over the years that you have on the back burner or have since seen
someone else develop?
7. Describe 3 or 4 times in your own work experience when you have been paid on results or on
completion of the job rather than just for putting in your time.
8. What would prevent you from doing something on your own?
9. Is it exciting or frightening to think about being your own boss?

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Chapter 11
COUNTDOWN TO WORK I LOVE
1. Who has launched a successful business after being fired at a previous job?
2. What unique skills do you have that may be the basis for a creative business (writing, drawing,
building, analyzing, singing, driving, thinking, etc.)?
3. Do you have any ideas that would fall into the peacemakers, storytellers, and healers category?
4. Can you think of an idea that would create SWISS dollars for you?
5. Do you ever give yourself time to sit for ideas?
6. Take delight in the LORD, and He will give you your hearts desires (Ps. 37:4). How does this apply
to being content in a job you hate?
7. How does your culture, environment, and experience perhaps limit your being able to see new
opportunities?

Chapter 12
COUNTDOWN TO WORK I LOVE
1. What action can you take in the next 48 hours to put you on the path for what you want to
accomplish?
2. What idea have you gotten while on the beach or mowing your yard that could be worth more than a
lifetime of hard work?
3. Are you a creation of circumstances or a creator of circumstances?
4. What seeds did you plant in your mind 5 years ago that brought you to where you are today?