Looking for Success on Your Own Terms? You Need This Book
Do you ever look around the office and think, “Are you kidding me? There seriously must be more to life than this.”
Do you?
I know I did. In fact, that’s why, after 10+ years in the corporate workforce, I became an entrepreneur. I needed to feel like I was contributing.
That feeling is also exactly what led me to the doorstep of one of the most compelling writers I’ve ever encountered, Ash Ambirge.
I actually rather stumbled upon Ash. I’d bumped into a blog post she’d written one night while stress googling. I don’t remember everything about that particular post, but I do know it was about pushing boundaries. Challenging the status quo. Becoming your own authority.
And this was not your typical rah rah puffery that litters the internet.
I could tell she was smart, genuine, and witty as hell.
I knew immediately I’d just stumbled upon someone worth paying attention to. I also decided we should be friends.
Because, isn’t that how the internet works?
As a fledgling blogger and entrepreneur myself, I pored over Ash's work. I commented on her posts. And, over time, I learned that she wasn't just smart; she was as authentic as they come. And, she was a downright warrior.
You see, Ash Ambirge grew up poor, in a trailer park in Scranton, PA. Her dad died when she was in her early teens, her mom -- who had a crippling anxiety disorder and could not work -- died when Ash was 21.
She realized fairly early on that she wasn't cut out for a vanilla life as a corporate cube dweller, but as an orphan with odds stacked so squarely against you, where do you end up?
After a string of dead-end jobs, Ash ended up in a Kmart parking lot, sleeping in her car, with $26 to her name.
Fortunately, this wasn’t the end of the story. In fact, it was the beginning. Vowing to overcome circumstance, Ash decided to take the ONE skill she knew she had on lock -- her writing skills and creativity -- and turn it into money.
From the backseat of that car, right there in the Kmart parking lot, Ash began her reinvention, earning her first $2,000 from her vehicle. She earned $103,000 that year and went on to earn her first million dollars with nothing more than a laptop and an idea.
Today, she's the founder of a multi-million-dollar business, a Webby award-winning blog -- aptly called The Middle Finger Project -- and has just (as in, today) became a published author of a Penguin Random House book by the same name.
Ash Ambirge is also someone I'm so proud to call My friend.
I took a risk and reached out to her, many moons ago. And, turns out, we WERE destined to be friends.
We’ve since met up in five countries -- talking business in Mexico, drinking watermelon juice and vodka in Belize (highly recommend), and driving the wrong way down one way streets in Costa Rica (OK, that was me.)
We won’t even talk about the time we assumed our cruise ship was about to sink, so decided we should wear life preservers FOR THE ENTIRE EVENING.
(But, here’s a picture.)
Why I bring this up.
Personally, I’ve learned so much from Ash Ambirge. I’ve learned tactical things like how to construct client services agreements with actual personality, and how to how to launch an e-book. And I’ve learned strategic things, like how to find your voice, and how to narrow your focus.
I’ve learned resilience and authenticity, marketing and branding.
But, more than anything, I bring this up to you because, out of everyone I know, I’d consider Ash Ambirge the absolute authority if you’re thinking, “I need to play a different game,” or “But, my background is too complicated,” or “I’m too afraid to carve out my own path,” or, “How is a girl from a trailer park in Scranton ever going to amount to something amazing?”
If you’re all set with your job or career, tired of playing small, or struggling to find some goshdarned purpose and meaning in your work, you need to get your hands on this book, The Middle Finger Project.
It’s bold. It’s engaging. It’s smart. And it’s for you.
The Middle Finger Project isn’t only an incredibly moving and entertaining read, it’s a book that offers up tangible ideas on how amazing your life could (CAN) be if you spend less time worrying about fitting into a mold that doesn’t suit you, and more time leveraging your true talents to build a career and life that you love.
And who among us doesn’t want ALL of that?
Want to win a copy?
You can buy the book at every major bookstore starting today. I’m also going to be giving away two copies on Friday, 2/14 (Awwww, it’ll be a Valentine’s Day present from me to you).
If you want in on this, comment below with your answer to this:
”I need this book because I want more _________________________ in my life.”
We’ll draw two names from the bunch and get this into your hands next week (maybe a wee bit longer if you’re outside of the U.S.)
