Guest Author - Simona Nielsen

For 4 years I was stuck in a bad job and what really surprised me was that I didn’t realize it, before I’d been there for 2 years. A job is your identity. The first thing people ask is ‘So what do you do (for a living)?’ Then it’s great to be able to say ‘I’m a…..’ or ‘I work at…’ I suppose that’s why I didn’t think much about why I had this job. Is it for the money? Well…yeah! Is it a job where I can develop? NO! After the first two years I started daydreaming. I wished I sat at my computer and wrote. I wished I could be at home and away from people who always expected me to be satisfied with what I did. Then I started asking myself ‘What do YOU want?’ I knew I didn’t want to be in this job no longer. I wanted to follow my dream. But it still had to take me two more years before I asked the manager to fire me.

I followed my dream and what I do today, I really love! I can’t get enough of my job. I work 60 hours a week from my home and I just LOVE it! I’ve never felt this way about a job before. Writing is my first love (when it comes to jobs!) – being a publisher, my second. When I started on this people said ‘that sounds interesting…but can you live on it?’ That’s the point in life for many people. It doesn’t matter whether you love/like your job or not – just make sure you make money. That just didn’t work for me.

S. Louise Underdahl tells us the back story of the idea to her book: ‘I was first introduced to the concept of transcendent work by my family. My father, an aeronautical engineer, never lost his enthusiasm for working at McDonnell Douglas. My mother took pride in creating a beautiful and orderly home. My grandparents espoused a simple creed: "To rise each day and do one's work is God's greatest blessing." Personal experience underscores the value and rewards of work. But, not all work is equal. Only transcendent work lifts the spirit and gives meaning to the vicissitudes and vagaries of life. This is, indeed, the soul of work.’

S. Louise Underdahl did feel a little sad – but never depressed - when writing this book: ‘I am saddened when people settle for the wrong career or don't invest time in self-evaluation to identify their optimal vocation. But not depressed . . . because it is NEVER too late to change. Hope springs eternal.

You spend almost half your life on your job. Make sure it’s the right one, or you’ll never feel happiness. This is what author S. Louise Underdahl, Ph.D., is trying to tell us in her book The Soul of Work. Reading this book made me realize I did the right thing. If you’re not happy with what you do, seek inspiration in this book. It’s worth it!