Crappy to Happy: Love What You Do

by Cassandra Dunn

Whether you're working full or part time, for yourself or a big business, beginning a career or at a point where you feel stuck, there's no reason you can't love what you do.

When you spend so much of your life working, it's no surprise that job satisfaction is key to your happiness and that job stress can take a serious toll on your mental and physical health. Clinical psychologist Cassandra Dunn knows what it is to need more from work—not just from her clients but from her own professional journey. If you need to change how you work to find more balance, how you think about work to make it more meaningful, or what you do for work altogether, Cass is there for you every step of the way. It's time to start making your work, work for you.

Genres: Nonfiction, Psychology, Self Help, Audiobook, Personal Development

192 pages, Hardcover

Published August 1, 2019

Reviews

[Laura Brzovic · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this book has a lot of good reminders and tips about how to find happiness and joy in the workplace, whether that means enjoying the job you have or taking a leap and trying out something different.

[Michelle Witters · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great self help quick read/listen from Cass Dunn, this time the focus is to help you establish or redefine your purpose and career path.

Like her original book ‘crappy to happy’ there isn’t anything much here that is new, but her writing style has such an ease about it that her advice feels so honest and insightful, that achieving and implementing her steps and thoughts feels possible. And isn’t having faith in your own possibilities, especially when it comes to our work / life’s purpose, is the first step in making it a reality.

The key to self acceptance is that you don’t need to be any different to who you are right now. It’s recognising that it’s our imperfections are what we all have in common. That through our shared flaws we are more likely to embrace authenticity.

Lots of great insights.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another good read from Cass Dunn. I really enjoy her “voice” and language she uses. The only reason for a 3 star rating is that there is nothing new here. If you have any interest in self development in regards to your career, you will probably have heard it before. However, a nice summary if you are new to this topic. I also would’ve liked more advice on how to find your career passion. A lot of Cass’ advice is on getting what you want/deserve, but you need to know what that is first.

[Sarah Cupitt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some great perspectives on how our strengths can also be liabilities; however, the start of the book was more robust than the rest, which spoke more about taking risks to pursue your passion or a job you would love to do for free. I don't enjoy most things in my non-work life which I perform or do solely based on discipline and not motivation (yay for mental health issues), so I would've liked more advice on finding your career passion or learning how to tolerate a job with a positive mindset, not convincing yourself to fall in love with your work. Hence, work could remain neutral and separate from your personal life, and not the 'work is who you are' identity crisis mentioned in the novel (and while that is a mindset of its own, I don't like to see it encouraged as an ex-workaholic myself who will likely never recover from countless burnouts).

I did like the voice and optimism of the author; however, I felt it focused a lot on 'performing to your potential', hustle culture, and capitalism, and if you don't find a job or career you love and enjoy, then it will profoundly affect your emotional, mental and physical state (which is true but god some of us are out here just trying to survive with an impending recession). The how and why you should take the leap of faith to find a job more suited to your skills and needs if you can't find happiness in your current position rang true for me as I believe if you don't make a choice, someone else will do it for you however, in general, felt this book heavily focused on social politics in the workplace and seeking validation to create an illusion of meaning and importance in your life.

[Heidi Swallow · Rating 4 out of 5]

A continuation in the Crappy to Happy Series, Love what you do focuses on finding happiness and balance in your work life. This book is another gem, it uses concepts from the first book (character strengths) and mentions some really great tips and advice to get you thinking about how you currently view your job role, how you would like to view you job role and how you could view it differently. The book also gives some helpful steps to follow to make your current job more meaningful (see your job description from a different perspective- see chapter 3) and explain the how and why you should take the the leap of faith and find a job more suited to your skills if you can’t find happiness in your current job. Moral to the story- everything is a choice, you have the power to make changes to find your happiness. Anther great read! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Marcolini Lappochini · Rating 4 out of 5]

(Audible audio book done)

I enjoyed the simplicity of work life balance explained and steps mentioned with examples. It reminds us that when an intentional, purposeful and mindful way of doing things are followed, it will result in job satisfaction (or satisfaction in anything you're doing for that matter) and let you perform to your potential.

Cultivate positive relationships is a big one for me, and doing things your way. To learn when to say "NO" and eliminating distractions from your life when having productive slots scheduled. Some valuable reminders and tips.

[Shona · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pages 190, Library book
It's time to start making your work, work for you.
A nice quick easy read.
- Values in action pg 36
- Whats your superpower pg 40
- Characteristics of flow pg 72
- Finding your passion pg 178.
I found these chapters had a lot of good points for me to take on board.

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short & sweet but quality content. I got several good take aways, and really enjoyed the perspective and mindset focus. One I'll definitely come back to re listen to.

I really enjoyed all 3 in this series, there is some overlap but it helps reinforce the key themes.

[Ryanne Reads · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think I need to stop reading self-help books. They’re clearly not for me. I personally did not gain anything from this book and found the information to be repetitive and information most people already know.

[Daniel Sum · Rating 5 out of 5]

This little book has systematically guided me to recognize the possibilities for personal growth and the pursuit of my dreams, regardless of age or other obstacles. It is truly worth reading as an inspiration for our own life journey.

[Madonna Stephens · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick and concise book about loving what you do at work. A nice consolidation of ideas and advice. Not groundbreaking. Just a solid book with practical advice

[Shirley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to this on Audible and the steps were small and easy to follow and it gave some good ideas that you can implement straight away in regards finding your flow and creating balance.

[Alena M · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice read, giving a few tips to improve your work life.

[Penelope Hill · Rating 2 out of 5]

A few good points but a bit weak.

[Zahida Zahoor · Rating 2 out of 5]

Audio

[BH Gill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Part of a series of similarly written books. listened on audible. Nice job by the author who also narrates.