Happy 2024, Tartlets! I’m kicking off the new year with a book review I think many people could use: Happy Jobs: Doing What You Love for a Living.
Truth time: Who here doesn’t like their day job? (Hiiiiiii.)
Who here wishes they could do something else for a living, but you don’t know what that “something else” is?
Who here does know what that “something else” is – but is afraid to venture down a new path since the one you’re on is pretty damn comfortable, and change is scary?
If you feel seen by any of these comments, friend, read on.
What’s Happy Jobs about?
Happy Jobs is a “transformational 23-day guide” written by Swedish author Hanna Hattson. After you get through the intro material, this book is designed to be read one chapter per day. Each chapter helps you navigate toward realizing how to love your career – or, it’ll help you find a new career that you will love.
This guide helps you discover what you really want to do for a living by exploring “limiting beliefs” – ideas you have about yourself that may hold you back from going after your dreams. It also gives you guidelines on how to break out of these beliefs, how to set goals for yourself, and how to think outside the box as you consider a different career and life path.
Hattson’s writing style is very easy to follow. She uses encouraging language without getting too flowery or “out there.” The more you read, the more her words resonate. While some content hits upon the law of attraction and manifestation, there’s also a ton of practical, level-headed, and scientifically minded advice in Happy Jobs to help you figure out how to be happy in whatever job you choose.
Why I loved Happy Jobs
When I first started working my way through Happy Jobs, one day at a time, I was thinking about it terms of my day job: How do I find happiness and fulfillment in my current 9-5?
But, that didn’t feel right since I already know that my day job – my current career — isn’t my passion. It doesn’t fulfill me, and it doesn’t make me happy.
So, I mentally switched gears and applied the Happy Jobs method to the career life that would make me happy: I want to be a traditionally published author, and possibly a full-time blogger/content creator. And, I want to make a sustainable, financial living from this career that allows me to quit my current 9-5. (Sorry, boss, if you ever read this.)
While Happy Jobs is technically meant to help people figure out what job they want, its method is also incredibly useful and inspiring for someone, like me, who already knows what will make them happy but isn’t quite sure how to get there.
How Happy Jobs works
Think of Happy Jobs as a workbook. Each chapter/day in the program contains mental exercises, interactive lessons, meditation sessions, and plenty of other creative challenges to help you break free of whatever is holding you back from leading a fulfilling life.
Reading Happy Jobs became a bit like working with a diary. It was a safe space to write down my hopes and dreams for my future, as well as my fears and limitations holding me back from getting there. I made sure to keep a pencil with my copy of the book at all times.
Since you’re literally taking each transformational step one day at a time, the Happy Jobs method makes the process of discovery palatable. Small doses of change are good and much less scary than large doses, amirite?
How Happy Jobs helped me
As happened with Decoding the Stars, Happy Jobs came into my life when I needed it the most. Each day, I moved to a new chapter. And with each day, each chapter, I felt lighter. More optimistic. More eager to take on the world and embrace what I want for my life.
While I wasn’t able to complete every chapter in 23 consecutive days (life happens, y’know?), I really looked forward to sitting down with this book, so much so that I created a morning routine that involved sitting at my kitchen window, drinking a cuppa, and reading the next chapter. (Interestingly, there’s actually a chapter devoted to “the importance of creating a morning routine.”)
Even though I finished reading the entire book, there are many days when I want to pick up Happy Jobs and read it again, cover to cover, day by day, since it was so motivational and inspiring.
I suspect that some of you who read my Decoding the Stars book review may think I’m heading down a rather “woo woo” path these days. And, maybe I am. But you know what? I’m happier. Really and truly. And Happy Jobs was a huge factor in helping me feel this way.
Should you read Happy Jobs?
I think that target audience for Happy Jobs is pretty obvious: If you’re unhappy with your career, or if you’re stuck in a job you don’t love, you should give this book a try. I mean, it’s only 23 days out of your life, so it’s not like you’re losing any serious time by reading it.
And, Happy Jobs goes hand in hand with the messages found in Decoding the Stars and Finding the Gift. If you appreciated either of those books, I think you’ll be inspired by this one, too.
Finally, if you’re just fine with your career (good for you!), think about your friends. Is anyone you know in need of some occupational guidance? Happy Jobs makes a great, thoughtful gift.
