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

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3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
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Frequently Bought Together

A Life at Work: The Joy of Discovering What You Were Born to Do + Care of the Soul : A Guide for Cultivating Depth and Sacredness in Everyday Life + Dark Nights of the Soul
Price For All Three: $42.29

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  • This item: A Life at Work: The Joy of Discovering What You Were Born to Do by Thomas Moore

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this slender volume, bestselling spiritual guru Moore (Care of the Soul) says that finding the right work, finding one's vocation, is also part of the care of the soul. Often Moore proves astute; for instance, he urges people to think about having not just one but a variety of callings. His consideration of the pleasures and foibles of friendship in the workplace is especially insightful. Although confident that even the most mundane job can be enjoyable and life-giving, Moore sets the question of vocation in a broader frame, suggesting that it is best addressed as a part of fashioning lives that are organically whole and meaningful. Though still influenced by Jung, Moore draws inspiration from a delightful array of sources, including Yeats, Socrates, and Rapunzel. The book's governing metaphor, alchemy, is often apt; Moore notes that both alchemy and finding a life's work require patience through a long refining process, and both are about the process, not just the end result. Often the comparison works; at other times, it's heavy-handed, and Moore also lapses into clichés (take the past and own it). Nonetheless, this will be of use to many people who seek joyful work and integrated lives. (Feb. 26)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

Praise for A Life’s Work
“Over the years, Thomas Moore has taught us how to discover the holiness concealed in the ordinary. In this very useful book, he shows us how to search for the sacred dimension of our work and find our life’s meaning in the process.”
—HAROLD KUSHNER, author of WHEN BAD THINGS HAPPEN TO GOOD PEOPLE

“Forget about the color of your parachute, here is a book that teaches you how to fly. Through ancient parable, contemporary therapy, personal vignette, and, above all, an uncommon sapience, Moore deftly guides through life’s greatest quandary: Why have I been created? Give this book to yourself.”
—Rabbi Lawrence Kushner, author of Kabbalah: A Love Story

And Praise for Care of the Soul

“From time to time, I’ve been jolted by an extraordinary book that stops my world. It forces me to look at reality in a different way—a more expansive and meaningful way. It has provided a missing piece for me.”
—John Bradshaw, author of Homecoming

“The sincerity, intelligence, and style—so beautifully clean—of Tom Moore’s Care of the Soul truly moved me. The book’s got strength and class and soul, and I suspect may last longer than psychology itself.”
—James Hillman, author of Re-Visioning Psychology

“The book just may help you give up the futile quest for salvation and get down to the possible task of taking care of your soul. A modest, and therefore marvelous, book about the life of the spirit.”
—Sam Keen, author of Fire in the Belly

“Thoughtful, eloquent, inspiring.”
—Alix Madrigal, San Francisco Chronicle
 --This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.
See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

  • Hardcover: 208 pages
  • Publisher: Broadway; 1 edition (February 26, 2008)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0767922522
  • ISBN-13: 978-0767922524
  • Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 1 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #467,263 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Thomas Moore
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What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

A Life at Work: The Joy of Discovering What You Were Born to Do
70% buy the item featured on this page:
A Life at Work: The Joy of Discovering What You Were Born to Do 3.5 out of 5 stars (14)
$21.33
Care of the Soul : A Guide for Cultivating Depth and Sacredness in Everyday Life
11% buy
Care of the Soul : A Guide for Cultivating Depth and Sacredness in Everyday Life 3.7 out of 5 stars (73)
$10.08
Dark Nights of the Soul
7% buy
Dark Nights of the Soul 4.0 out of 5 stars (22)
$10.88
Writing in the Sand: Jesus and the Soul of the Gospels
7% buy
Writing in the Sand: Jesus and the Soul of the Gospels 4.1 out of 5 stars (9)
$15.61
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Customer Reviews

14 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
3.5 out of 5 stars (14 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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36 of 37 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Slender Volume, Deep Source, March 4, 2008
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.
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27 of 29 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars A way to think about work, March 29, 2008
By Dr Cathy Goodwin (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)      
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.

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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars Nice book to read along your journey, June 8, 2008
While this is a nice spiritual book to read along your journey to finding your passion and life work, I did not find it to be very helpful or pragmatic for me.
The author has a very pleasant and engaging writing style that I enjoyed. He uses the metaphors of alchemy to explain the path to creating your life work. He also discusses the belief in the ancient world of us all having an Animus or Daimon that drive our passions and influence us. He also draws on the bible, Buddhism, and ancient mythology along his path to lead us to doing what we were born to do. I liked the fact that he took the focus on simply working and expanded the fact that our life work could be parenhood, our family, our hobbies, our religion, our whatever engages us and enables us to lose our sense of self in something bigger than we are. Beginners will find this book useful, but those of us that have been searching for meaning and a life work for years will likely be disappointed.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Live Your Mission!
What is the difference between success and happiness; and how can we attain both? These questions, and his answers to them, are the essence of Moore's book. Read more
Published 23 days ago by Oliver Demille

4.0 out of 5 stars textbook
I ordered this book for a 1 unit class. I am so far finding it very interesting and since I have actually changed life and career directions on numerous occasions it seems to be... Read more
Published 2 months ago by D. Bailey

4.0 out of 5 stars A gift to your Self
Sharing his own lifework experiences, Thomas Moore helps bring joy to and eases the heart of his readers.
Published 4 months ago by C. J. Andaya

5.0 out of 5 stars 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... Read more
Published 8 months ago by D. Foster

1.0 out of 5 stars Up in the clouds kind of advice
Although an interesting book, there are chapters that were just so useless because of all the use of mythological characters. Read more
Published 18 months ago by Honest Reviewer

5.0 out of 5 stars 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... Read more
Published 19 months ago by William J. Corbett

1.0 out of 5 stars Unexpectedly superficial
I've heard some good things about Thomas Moore, but this is the first book I've read. I'm rather baffled as to what this book is trying to communicate. Read more
Published 19 months ago by Spiritus Mundi Z

2.0 out of 5 stars Waited with great anticipation.......
...for the release of this book. I am a huge fan of Moore's work but unfortunately, I was greatly disappointed with this particular tome. Read more
Published 21 months ago by Sunny Beech

4.0 out of 5 stars great book wonderful author
Thomas Moore is a loving, kind, and most insightful author with much to teach. I recommend reading this book and finding your soul in your work.
Published 21 months ago by J. Cohn

5.0 out of 5 stars 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... Read more
Published 22 months ago by Russ Donda

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