How to Be Happy at Work: A Practical Guide to Career Satisfaction
It’s not easy to tell others how to be happy at work, especially people who feel as if they’re living in a career combat zone. I know the battleground well. For the past 20 years, I’ve been a
career counselor, psychotherapist, and corporate outplacement consultant. In that time, I’ve seen more casualties of the career wars than most people experience in a lifetime. I know what it takes to be happy with your work. But I also know there’s no simple formula to achieve career success and satisfaction. The workplace is chaotic.
If you’re like most people, you probably feel that you’re living a career nightmare: working harder to make a living with fewer available resources, more demands on your time, and lots of disincentives to achievement. Perhaps you fantasize about chucking the whole scene. Right about now, life on the golf course, ski slopes, or a sandy beach can look mighty appealing.
Maybe you just need a good, long vacation. You don’t want to drop out of the workforce altogether, but you’re hungering for a new adventure. You want more control over your time and your
destiny. Your rallying cry is More Freedom, Less Office Politics! To be truly happy with your work, you must forge a path that fits your needs and life goals. No one is going to hand you the perfect career on the proverbial “silver platter.” The issue, as psychiatrist Thomas Szasz tells us, is not whether or not you’ve found yourself; it’s whether or not you’ve taken the time to create yourself.
Freud once identified “work” and “love” as the two greatest sources of human happiness. For me, this book has been a true labor of love. If it helps you make fulfilling life and work changes, it will have done its job and I, too, will be well satisfied.
It’s All in Your Head: Thinking Your Way to Happiness.
Book Description
How we are taught to be unhappy, and the practical attitudes that allow us to reach fulfilment today –– whoever we are and wherever we are in life.
"I'm going to let you in on a secret: You've already got everything you need to be happy.
You don't need to land a new job or change your career. You don't need to find a mate or lose weight. You don't need to buy a car or move to the country. Being happy requires no change in your personal, work, or financial life. You can find happiness without going to a gym, church, or bank. You don't need anyone else's help to feel fun–filled..
Right now, you have within you all you need to find fulfilment and lead a happy, satisfying life. It doesn't matter how old you are or how much you earn. It doesn't matter if you're married or single, gay or straight. It doesn't matter where you live or how you look. It doesn't matter if you've just finished a marathon or you've been diagnosed with cancer. Happiness is within your grasp." (amazon.com)
Scientific American Mind, February/March 2007
Most people would say that finding love is a key to greater happiness, along with achievements like a bigger home, a better car, more money and fame. But research suggests none of these things is likely to increase bliss significantly. "Why It's So Hard to Be Happy," by psychologist Michael Wiederman, tells how ancient humans' perpetual search for a better life--historically, a survival advantage--can now leave us dissatisfied despite the comforts of today's world. One lesson is that "happy people tend to engage in activities that are challenging and absorbing"--such as reading articles in Scientific American Mind. Okay, I slipped in that last part. Happy now?
