A Life at Work: The Joy of Discovering What You Were Born to Do

by Thomas Moore

Book Overview

A job is never just a job. It is always connected to a deep and invisible process of finding meaning in life through work. In Thomas Moore's groundbreaking book Care of the Soul , he wrote of "the great malady of the twentieth century...the loss of soul." That bestselling work taught readers ways to cultivate depth, genuineness, and soulfulness in their everyday lives, and became a beloved classic. Now, in A Life's Work , Moore turns to an aspect...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0767922530
• ISBN13: 9780767922531
• Release Date: January 2009
• Publisher: Harmony/Rodale
• Length: 208 Pages
• Weight: 0.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.5" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

T. Moore never disappoints...

I feel strongly that this book should be read by our working population. What refreshing words for a hamster-wheel world we live in these days...a great summer read and good idea for gift-giving.

A six star opinion, a five star rating.

Thomas Moore teaches from a place of experience, knowledge, in depth study, and vunerability. Soul and heart are often missing in people's chosen career paths in today's business climate. A focus on inner work (removing the log from my eye, instead of focusing on the splinter in other's eyes) is required to awaken and implement the profound ideas in this 6 star book. If we don't connect immediately with the message in A Life at Work, sit with it a while; this gem will put a strong foundation under your dream job. If on the other hand, you find yourself saying, "wow, I really get this, enjoy the ride.

A gemstone of guidance

Thomas Moore, author of Care of the Soul, has just released his newest book, A Life at Work. I have read Care of the Soul numerous times and consider its suggestions and ideas to be profoundly life changing. It's at the top of my "favorites" book list and I often recommend it to new friends. Whatever was done so splendidly in and with Care of the Soul seems to have now somehow found its true way home. A Life at Work has emerged from the cocoon of Tom's heart into a healing balm of thoughts, ideas and words fully understandable--yet immeasurably life-changing. In Care of the Soul, I re-read many sentences as I attempted to fully understand the gift of ideas being presented. Not so in this book. Reading, discovery, encouragement and amazement flowed with ease. Perhaps that's just me. But maybe not. Whether, you have ever contemplated what it is you should be doing with your life--or perhaps more likely--if someone you know has been giving thought to what they want to do with their life, this Book is a rare, beautiful and precious "gemstone of guidance."' But make no mistake, please: it goes far beyond our selection of the right work. For all of us, Thomas Moore steadily offers hope that a life of beauty, achievement, and tranquility arises from the ordinary--when it's valued as extraordinary. Can you tell I am recommending this book? I hope you will enjoy it...

A way to think about work

It's not clear who will be the audience for this book. In my experience, people turn to career books when they face challenges in their own careers. They want a step-by-step guide, or at least some direction. Moore's book is about transformation rather than transition. Indeed, his core metaphor is based on the medieval art of alchemy. He offers a number of important insights, based on life experience and his work as a therapist. He reiterates some ideas that have been developed elsewhere. For instance, Rick Jarow emphasized the role of family and early childhood history in career decisions. Others have emphasized the importance of listening to signs, experimenting with different options and combining diverse career interests serially or simultaneously. The chapters on the daimon and on dreams are more original. He suggests unique approaches to dealing with dreams and interpreting the daimon in one's life. On the other hand, Life at Work will be frustrating to many readers. For instance, Moore describes an incident where a dedicated retail salesperson was undermined by his boss. It's not clear what lesson we're supposed to learn or what the man can do. And Moore seems curiously naive about some elements of the workplace. Describing a company retreat, he wishes for more silence and more sense of community. But in today's corporate environments, you can't afford to be open and you can't trust your sense of community. You have to keep your game face and protect yourself. The employer-employee relationship is ultimately an economic one. Ultimately, though, readers may be most frustrated because Moore seems to be an exceptionally gifted and wise therapist. We're on our own on this one.

Slender Volume, Deep Source

I am familiar with Moore's work, and have given two of his volumes as gifts numerous times: his classic Care of the Soul, and the intriguingly square-shaped book of essays with accompanying artwork, Original Self. This volume I wish I'd had with me last week when I went to a job interview. How exhausted, depressed and frazzled my young interviewers seemed! I consider myself demographically at the caboose of the baby boom, always having inherited worn out resources from a remarkable and chaotic generation. I considered myself experience in that realm. But what I see now in the eyes of a much younger generation is a far deeper exhaustion than the one I've known. It was a startling reminder of the weight of the world they carry on their shoulders. As Indra Nooyi, CEO of PepsiCo recently said at the Davos World Economic Forum, young, talented people aren't going to work for companies that don't speak to a deeper calling. They are too well aware of the crises of the world. Denial isn't as easy to pass off. If for no other reason, large corporations will feel obligated to look to moral depths at least for the sake of retaining this talented young pool. But where do they all turn for guidance? One of the reasons Moore's work continues to resonate is that it speaks in an eternal language to all ages. Many of these corporations will throw money at generating new research for today's unique situation -- and some of that will be relevant. But these are also age-old issues, and Moore is exceptionally good at conveying them in a way that feels perennially alive and fresh. The slenderness of this volume, I think, may also provide greater accessibility to these depths. It can be digested in the few moments stolen away at lunch breaks, or by commute, or during a business flight, without losing train of thought. The gist, though, is that sooner or later you'll really need to take some true time, in ways that only you really know, to discover the resonant calling that is unique only to you.