How to Be Happy at Work

How to be happy at work

Two approaches to choosing your career path

Example;

• you are successful at work if you become an expert in your field
• You can achieve success by working hard

How do you take notes?

• Cornell note taking system

•  Make notes and at the end, try to write a summary of max. 50 words.

•  After you wrote your notes, write on the left the questions

If you write your notes with your notes, you have a better understanding of the concept.

Two models

• Have origins in USA
• Both based on belief that everyone should aim to do enjoyable, meaningful work

Theory 1: THE PASSION MODEL

Example: Book:

What colour is your parachute?                     Richard Bolles 1970

Wishcraft: how to get what you really want   Barbara She 1979

Do what you love, the money will follow        Marsha Sinetar 1987

• Trust your heart and soul, not your head
• You can both have well paid career and fulfilling work life
• Work is way to grow and develop

Origin?

1920s - 1950s

• Rise of salesman
• Importance of personality
• Dale Carnegie 1936   How to win friends and influence people
• Sell yourself

1960s - 1970s

• Emphasis on psychology and spirituality
• reaction against corporate life
• Distrust of big organisations
• Find yourself

1980s - 1990s

• New opportunities and attitudes

(Everyone could try to get rich. Lots of new opportunities. Margeret thacher wanted freedom)

• Rise of hypnotherapy and neuro-linguistic programming (NLP)

Steve job: Poster boy for passion

2005: Stanford university speech

Consequence of this model:

Positive:

People want to:

• invest in themselves
• develop natural talents
• develop entrepreneurial spirit
• become more autonomous and self-reliant

Negative:

people may:

• stop enjoying passion once it becomes work
• become impatient with time required to master a job and gain autonomy => frustration
• only consider a limited range of glamorous careers

Model 2: Build your talent

Theory; ‘Working right’ is better than finding the ‘right work’.

= do the job as well as you can instead of finding your dream job

Cal Newport & his inspiration

• Inspired by comedian Steve Martin, who said ‘be so good they can’t ignore you’

Rule 1: Don’t follow your passion

• Steve Jobs did not follow his passion: He studied History, Philosophy
• Passion-based success is rare
• Passion is dangerous

Rule 2:

• The power of career capital
• Thinking like a craftsman

Rule 3:

• Refuse a promotion
• To be happy you need to control your career
• Traditional success may not be your success
• Only try to get more control when you have more career capital

Rule 4:

• Think small, act big
• Get more experience - then you’ll find your mission
• Push yourself
• Find your mission and it will lead you

Consequences:

Positive:

• Happiness can come from any job
• Don’t need to be 100% sure of your passion
• Focusing on skills makes you practical, useful,…

Negative:

• You could get better at a job you hate
• Not every job allows you to build career capital
• It is hard to be a craftsman if you don’t enjoy your job

Are these ideas new?

NO

• Traditional ideas of craftsman always emphasise practice over passion

HOW TO BE HAPPY AT WORK

• Find out how your heroes really achieved success

• Look for volunteer work or internships => Try before you buy
• Doni’t be afraid to try work that looks ‘odd’ or ‘low status’