Srikumar Rao’s credentials are impressive and after a flick through the enticing table of contents it was with much excitement and anticipation that I sat down to read this book.

It’s packed with excellent advice on maximising your happiness at work as you would hope from the title and it does not disappointment on that front. What’s more the author inspires the reader and opens their mind to the possibilities whilst not setting up unrealistic expectations. This is a fine balance.

It’s also packed with real world examples that drive home the points of the book and make it feel real and true to life. This is also interspersed with mythical or traditional stories that also serve to reinforce key points well in addition to adding unique colour and spirit to this book.

Each chapter is fairly brief, in a good way. Especially suited to reading a few chapters a day and letting these ‘distil in the heart and mind’ (my words) before reading on. The end of each chapter also includes an exercise in a box that wraps up that chapter and is a call to action. Something to try and integrate into your life via your World-view, view of self and ultimately the way you think and act.

Above and beyond all this I found the the author ventures deep into the human soul. It prompts you to re-evaluate who you actually are and how you think about yourself and your relationship to the universe. To me this is quite a spiritual as well as beautiful book. The book is literally dripping with wisdom both ancient and modern.

This book will hold a special place on my Happiness at Work bookshelf.

Highly recommended for anyone on life’s great journey and looking for the concealed entrances to the temples of happiness 

Spoiler alert!

Content highlights for me:

• how positive thinking can actually harm you
• how to stop viewing the world as a bad place full of bad things that happen to you
• extreme resilience and ‘bouncing back’ like a “Daruma Doll”
• decoupling happiness from results : investing in the process, not the outcome
• some great advice derived from The Bard : All the World is a stage & you are not the role
• acknowledge the stories you tell yourself and change them
• acceptance is the key
• learn to let go
• it’s all impermanent so why get bothered?
• replace multitasking with mindfulness

And some of my favourite quotes:

“Passion does not exist in the job. It exists in you…” p44

“Invest in the process and not the outcome.” p47/85

“Change your story about what you do.” p46

“We never see the world as it is. We always see it as we are.” p50

“You have spent your whole life learning to be unhappy.” p71

“If you’re conscious that everyone has the same desire , then you find yourself gravitating toward being of service instead of being demanding.” p133

“Other people are not put on this earth to be mechanisms for you to achieve your ends.” p133

“Change these stories , and your life changes.” p218

Further Reading

Need I say more. Go buy the book!