Life is too short to be half-hearted about it. That is why you want to lead your life in a way that brings more meaning, more energy, and more joy to your work.

Back in Denmark, my mother was a cleaning woman for a while, and that anyone might think of such work as "menial" labor was beyond her. After all, if she did not get up and clean the supermarket before it opened, everyone would notice. She did not need a boss to give her pride in her work; she took pride in it. More than anything, she loved the people she worked with.

How could you be wholehearted in your work? First, don't wait for the boss to make it happen, you decide! One place to start is to read The Ugly Duckling Goes to Work, which builds on the tales of Hans Christian Andersen to remind you of your "swan-like" potential (Endorsement and Foreword by Stephen R. Covey).

Also, Another great idea is starting a WorkLife Learning Group with a few colleagues. Such a group is much like an Oprah Book Club, only better. Here you don’t just talk about what you’ve read, you actually do something about it. Inspired for example, by Stephen Lundin’s Fish, you may decide how you can bring more energy to your work; by working with the questions in Margaret Wheatley’s Turning to One Another, you may build stronger relationships; and Loehr and Swartz’s The Power of Full Engagement may help you improve your health.

“This book offers real help with the task of finding fulfillment in the workplace. What Joseph Campbell did to help us understand the inner journey, Mette Norgaard does for the career path.”

Jonathan Young,
Founding Curator of
Joseph Campbell Archives