Stop Chasing, Start Creating: A Timeless Fable on Mindset, Resilience, and Meaningful Work - Softcover

Jones-Fosu, Justin

Softcover

ISBN 13: 9798890572141

Publisher: Berrett-Koehler Publishers, 2026

Synopsis

Stop running toward someone else’s definition of success, and start intentionally shaping your own. This prequel to Aesop’s famous tortoise and hare fable shows exhausted professionals how to shift from chasing external validation to creating internal meaning and alignment.

Stop chasing visibility. Start creating meaning.

In today’s high-pressure workplace, professionals are depleted from constantly proving themselves to others—yet struggling to find genuine satisfaction in their work. What if the breakthrough isn’t working harder within the system but instead reimagining what success means to you?

Stop Chasing, Start Creating reveals the untold story of Tano the tortoise before his famous race with the hare. In this prequel to the beloved Aesop’s fable, we discover that Tano wasn’t always the steady, purposeful creature we know. He once chased visibility, approval, and validation just like the rest of us—until a moment of awakening changed everything.

Through Tano’s journey from external pressure to internal clarity, readers discover the crucial difference between chasing meaning and creating it. Grounded in motivation science, this framework shifts professionals from extrinsic motivation (external rewards, recognition, and belonging) to intrinsic motivation (purpose, contribution, and alignment).

Perfect for burned-out professionals in healthcare, education, nonprofit management, and other purpose-driven fields, this story-first approach offers the metaphor-rich reflection modern workers crave without feeling like another productivity manual.

About this title

About the Author

Justin Jones-Fosu is a philanthropist and CEO of Work.Meaningful., a firm focused on workplace engagement and meaningful work. He is the founder of the Work Meaningful Foundation, advancing education-driven impact in communities locally and globally. A global speaker and trainer, he delivers forty to fifty keynotes and workshops each year and is known for connecting with audiences in a down-to-earth, humorous, and deeply human way. He is the author of I Respectfully Disagree and Your WHY Matters, and the author of the Meaningful Work in America National Study.

Edition details

• Publisher: Berrett-Koehler Publishers
• Publication date: 2026
• Language: English
• ISBN 13: 9798890572141
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 160