We review two books on being happy at work

According to sources, on average most people spend 90,000 hours at work through the course of their lifetime. Srikumar Rao, the author of ‘Happiness at Work’ says the biggest obstacle to your happiness is simply your belief that you are the prisoner of circumstance, powerless to alter the things that happen to you.

We reviewed his book along with ‘The Art of Happiness at Work’ by the 14^th Dalai Lama and Howard C. Cutler, to help you travel lighter on the road to being happier and more fulfilled at work. 

The Art of Happiness at Work (Riverhead, 1998, ISBN 1-57322-111-2)

The book deals with many important aspects of our modern way of work, such as satisfaction, motivation, productivity, the need for balance between boredom and challenge, or interdependence.

The Dalai Lama points at money as the main motivator when it comes down to work. However, he adds a note of caution: "The problem is [...] when the motivation to make money becomes an end in itself. [...] There's a kind of underlying assumption that money can solve all of our problems."

In this wise and practical book, the Dalai Lama shows us how to place our working lives into the context of our lives as a whole. Rather than striving to find a role which suits us, we should allow our work to arise naturally from who we are - and what is most important to us. From here we reach a pathway that can lead us to true life fulfilment and purpose.

Happiness at Work (McGraw-Hill Education, 2010, ISBN-10: 0071664327)

In these tough times, there are few people who are completely happy with the current working climates. From executives to senior management, everyone seems to be going through a rough economic and personal crunch. But acclaimed business school Professor Srikumar Rao says that we can learn to create joy - no matter what else may be going on around us.

Rao shows you that it isn't the negative thing that happens to you that causes your unhappiness, it's how you perceive it. ‘Happiness at Work’ is a thought-provoking new title that moves the mind away from negativity and forces you to resist labelling situations as “good” or "bad," but rather seeing them as a product of a series of actions.  The book provides surprisingly simple and helpful ways of changing your perspective, complete with exercises to practice regularly and build better habits when it comes to interpreting situations.

Learn the vital wisdom necessary for achieving a joyful, successful life as you define it through greater resilience and a strong inner core!