Book reviews: A six step plan for more meaningful work

A WELL-known saying, much quoted in this book, is that the key to career happiness is to know what you love doing and figure out a way of getting paid for doing it. Clichéd as this saying may be, few disagree with it and many aspire to live by it. This is not a book about leaving your job or finding a new one. It is about the process of examining how you arrived where you are and putting you in charge of mapping your future career. Moreover, this book is not just about your professional life, it is about being satisfied and fulfilled while pursuing your chosen life path.

We all have the need to be useful and happy, have passions and expertise yet we do not always direct our career in a deliberate way – we accidentally fall into jobs, get stuck in jobs we do not like or wait forever for this perfect opportunity which never materialises. The author suggests a six-step process which the reader is encouraged to tackle step-by-step to find themselves in a job which is meaningful, reflects one’s values and provides a desired life-work balance. The steps form a renewal plan and include examining our attitudes, beliefs and ideals, defining our calling, considering our timing, determining where we would like to get and how to get there.

The author provides few direct answers but raises many questions which ­encourage the reader to ­reflect. CILIP also ­encourages its members to be reflective practitioners examining their growth and the development of their knowledge. This text is a practical tool to help with thinking about one’s career, reviewing and evaluating it as well as defining future aspirations. It may not bring about a revelation but it will shine a light on your story.

Margaret I. Katny London

Hakala-Ausperk, C. Renew Yourself: a six-step plan for more meaningful work. Chicago: ALA, 2017. 129 pp. ISBN: 978 0 8389 1499 1. $50.