Life's Work: Part 1

I have been reading, A Life at Work: The Joy of Discovering What You Were Born to Do, by Thomas Moore.

Here are some passages to consider:

"The failure to find the right job or to enjoy the one you have creates a special kind of depression." p. 1

"Late in the game they may discover that they chose the wrong path or refused an opportunity that would have given them less money but more happiness." p. 7

"People get moralistic about work. They tell you that you should make good money, use your talents, get more education, have objectives and goals, and stick to a plan. By these standards, most creative people throughout history appear misguided. They have lived their lives by serendipity, inspiration, and experiment." p. 7

"There is a zombie quality to many a workplace, and that 'living dead' atmosphere betokens a loss of soul. Many people are suffering from the soullessness of their work." p. 9

"But even in the darkest situations the human spirit flutters, sings, and sometimes soars. Something in us keeps us focused on a brighter day and a better situation." p. 10

"Difficulty at work can stem from many different sources, one of them the mere fact that you are unsuited for the job. Or it may mean that you have lessons to learn and need to stay and be present for them. You have to read your dissatisfaction and your problems at work to find their meaning and take them as signs." p. 14

"If you have a reason for being, you don't feel entirely aimless." p. 17

"For many people security is a heavy weight around them that won't let them consider a serious change in direction." p. 20

"Many people have found their life work by making unexpected shifts in the work they do." p. 21

"A calling is a very deep sense that your very being is implicated in what you do. You feel that you fit into the scheme of things when you do this particular work. You have a sense of purpose and completion in the work. It defines you and gives you an essential tranquillity." p. 24

"The work that provides such a deep reward may change over time, and you may go through several periods in your life defined by a different work." p. 24

"A strong call to a career or particular work is a precious thing. It gives shape to your entire life and helps your relationships by quelling the search for an identity that is always implicated in the quest for a life work." p. 25

"He is willing without any hesitation to be part of life. That commitment to vitality is allied to the commitment to a calling. Both take you to a place you may never have known, but once there, you know it is what you have been looking for all the while." p. 26

"Your choice of work flows from who you are--from your interests, tastes, hopes, and values. As you work, you feel that you are doing something consonant with your nature. You aren't working against yourself, not contradicting the person you are." p. 28

"Step out of the frenzied pursuit of the right job, look around at the whole of your life, and connect with the source of your vitality." p. 28

"The soul is what makes you a unique person, a human being with deep feelings and the capacity for strong relationships." p. 29

"You have a soul if you are breathing and show some signs of life. But you also need to breathe in a less literal way, taking life in and breathing it out: winning and losing, being happy and being sad, beginning a project and ending it, entering relationships and leaving them. This is the bittersweet rhythm of an engaged life, and it is a sign that you have a soul." p. 30

"Loving your work doesn't mean liking every minute or being passionate about everything you do. Love can be a quiet hum in the background, a basic feeling that the work you're doing has value, fits you, and matches a desire to accomplish something." p. 32

"Without soul, work may feel empty. You have to force yourself to do it and you readily find distractions for relief. In your imagination you may think of many other jobs you could do--you are physically present at the job but mentally and emotionally you're far away. In your frustration you may become angry at your employer, your workmates, or the job itself." p. 33

"...a radical challenge to live boldly from the heart and create a different and better society. If you wake up to your soul, you may have to stand apart from the crowd and dare to be unique." p. 36

"The spirit can be shackled and crushed by the weight of forces that give you money to live on but no opportunity to make progress with your ambitions and ideals. This crushing of the spirit is another form of depression related to work, and it is commonplace." p. 38

"People can be motivated and even excited about their work if their souls are free to connect and the spirits liberated to explore their potential. When they are not so fortunate, they may suffer in either direction: from neglect of the soul or the suppression of the spirit." p. 41

"A life work is as much an emotional accomplishment as a concrete achievement." p. 42

"We know our past as no one else does." p. 42