Yet it will also become clear that pursuing a career mainly because it offers the tempting rewards of money and status is an unlikely route to the good life.

There comes a point when splitting up is probably the healthiest option, painful though it may be.

The second question threading its way through this book is: how do we go about changing career and making the best possible decisions along the way?

research: the most emotionally corrosive form of regret occurs when we fail to take action on something that matters deeply to us.

Martin Seligman calls a ‘hedonic treadmill’: as we get richer and accumulate more material possessions, our expectations rise, so we work even harder to earn money to buy more consumer goods to boost our wellbeing, but then our expectations rise once more, and on it goes.

Grin and bear it? Forget it. This is a book for those who are looking for a job that is big enough for their spirit, something more than a ‘day job’ whose main function is to pay the bills. It is a guide for helping you take your working life in new directions, and for bringing your career and who you are into closer alignment.

Clinging onto a job that no longer suits your personality or aspirations can be like trying to hold onto a relationship that just isn’t working because you’ve grown apart.

Do we want to follow the glittering allure of money and

five different aspects of what can make a job meaningful: earning money, achieving status, making a difference, following our passions, and using our talents.