It takes a pretty good book to keep my interest until the last page. I’ve started countless books only to put them down after 50 or 100 pages. Fortunately, A Whole New Mind by Daniel Pink is not one of them. Daniel Pink is the author of Free Agent Nation (which I have not read) and (I think) used to write for Fast Company magazine.

I love this book because it explains the path that I’ve been traveling for the better part of 10 years–from strictly living in a left-brained analytical world as an engineer to using both the logical mind and the creative, intuitive right brain.

Pink makes a great argument for why the world is shifting emphasis to and rewarding use of the right-brain faculties–Asia, Abundance, and Automation. I won’t spoil the book for those who want to read it. Trust that it’s well-thought out and provocative if you haven’t considered this point of view before.

Pink provides three questions that you’ll want to consider to stay ahead of the curve in your work:

• Can someone overseas do it cheaper?
• Can a computer do it faster?
• Am I offering something that satisfies the nonmaterial, transcendant desire of
  an abundant age?

Then he goes on to outline "six senses" needed to thrive in the new Conceptual Age:

• Design
• Story
• Symphony
• Empathy
• Play
• Meaning

I’ve seen my growth mushroom with the integration of each of these elements into my own work and life–meaning and story are why and how I write, empathy and play are cornerstones of my coaching, design has meant everything in starting a business, and symphony is what I am continually using to monitor and assess my life.

This book is such a good roadmap for travelers in the new world that I may make it mandatory reading for all my clients.