Without work, all life goes rotten, but ‘when work is soulless, life stifles and dies,’ wrote Albert Camus.
Roman Krznaric is a cultural thinker and writer on the art of living. He is a founding faculty member of The School of Life in London, and advises organisations. He is the author of How to Fi
nd Fulfilling Work
The idea that work might be fulfilling rather than just painfully necessary is strikingly recent invention. Doctor Johnson celebrated dictionary published in 1755 and the word fulfilment doesn’t even appear.
Nowadays in a prosperous world we don’t only expect to obtain money through our labor, we also, to a greater or lesser extent, expect to find meaning and satisfaction. It’s a big ask and helps to explain why so many of us have career crises often on a Sunday evening as the Sun begins to set.
To help us on the quest for fulfilling work here six useful ideas:
1. Accept that being confused about careers is perfectly normal.
2. Know yourself.
3. Think a lot.
4. Try something.
5. Reflect on what makes people unhappy.
6. Be confident.