Read an extract from Runnin’ Down a Dream by Bill Gurley

Feeling stuck at work? You’re not alone.

From quiet quitting to career regret, millions of people are questioning whether their job is really the right use of their time and talent. In Runnin’ Down a Dream, legendary investor Bill Gurley asks a deceptively simple question: What if work didn’t have to feel like work?

Drawing on original research and decades spent advising people at the top of their fields, Gurley offers a clear-eyed, practical framework for building a career that balances ambition, financial success and genuine joy.

It's a practical guide to choosing a career you’ll love - and avoiding a lifetime of regret.

Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life.
— Steve Jobs

Consider this: You will likely spend one- third of your life working. That’s at least eighty thousand hours. Wouldn’t you rather spend those hours doing something you love? Or are you comfortable just passing the time, swallowing a regret or two along the way?

Let’s be candid. If living a fulfilling life were easy, more people would do it. There is some luck involved. Monumental pivot points in a career arc— the kind that can launch people into their dream jobs—often feel like good fortune, especially looking back. Natural talent obviously plays a part, too. Many things have to go right.

But focusing on only those parts of a success story— the elements we do not have much control over— obscures the larger picture. What we don’t talk about nearly enough are the parts we can control.

What if I told you that there was a formula, a playbook you could follow that would greatly increase your odds of success?

That’s the purpose of this book.