BOOK REVIEWS

The Art of Happiness at Work – Dalai Lama & Cutler

Book review

Finding happiness at work is not easy with ADHD, try another perspective

The second book from Howard Cutler and the Dalai Lama about how to find happiness at work. Unsurprisingly the Dalai Lama feels that cultivating inner values, contributes to the greatest possibility of being happy at work. Topics are brought up as conversations that took place between Cutler and the Dalai Lama with commentary from Cutler as the chapter ends. The topics include making money, work boredom, job career, right livelihood.

Practical suggestions are to keep an optimistic outlook, calm mind and a realistic perspective. Tying self-identity to money is not a realistic perspective, you are not your money and so what happens if you suddenly stop making money? Do you become a worthless person because you no longer have a high income? The Dalai Lama encourages us to even take jobs that pay less money but that leave for more time to spend with family, friends, and doing things we enjoy. It’s hard to be happy when you are a slave to work.

Have a self-understanding of your strengths and weaknesses so you won’t be devastated if you are not great at certain aspects of your job and work with a sense of meaningfulness, skill and feel satisfaction. The book is a little slow and rambles a little in the conversations but the Dalai Lama does offer practical advice and a positive attitude.

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ADHD Coach, Andrew Lewis

Andrew Lewis

Andrew Lewis is an ADHD Coach, writer and founder of SimplyWellbeing. He has over 16,000 hours and 20 years of experience in coaching over 600 ADHD executives, ADHD business professionals and ADHD creatives. Andrew ran a major ADHD support group and an ADHD diagnostic clinic for a while. He is an ADHD specialist backed with business expertise from a twenty years career in software, from roles in programming, through marketing, sales and to running a few software start-ups. 

Further reading

ADHD at work
Some very ADHD-like advice in this awesome short book Mark Forster offers advice on time management that is amazingly tuned to the traits of ADHD. It seems that Forster does not realise that many of the people with the disorganised issues he mentions are most likely ADHD – struggling with weak executive functions of poor motivation, […]
ADHD at work
A seriously heavy and comprehensive guide to happiness
ADHD at work
A classic, a profound and helpful life guide. The New Psychology of love, Traditional Values and Spiritual Growth”., by M. Scott Peck, a former clinical psychiatrist who shares his insightful client experiences.
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A guide to helping ADHD kids, though a little too focussed on "bad" behaviour
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Great alternative to the 12-step programme for ADDicts
ADHD at work
Sympathetic and helpful advice for adults with ADHD, from manager of ADHD clinic, with ADHD himself
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