What do you base your self esteem on?

Money? Gadgets? Your car? Your family? Your friends?

Or your job, perhaps?

If you were not able to work, would this adversely affect the way you perceive yourself?

Most people would swear, I'm sure, that they would happily chew off their arm at the elbow if it meant not having to work another day of their lives.

Yet, if you are unable to work - for whatever reason - the novelty of your situation quickly palls. Even if you have all the money in the world.

Why is that?

Why do so many of us base our self esteem on the kind of job we have?

The first question that people invariably ask upon meeting each other is, "So, what do you do in life?"

And certain judgements will be made depending on the response.

Is it because human beings need to be needed? Fundamentally speaking, do they need to be gainfully employed? To feel useful?

I think unemployment can cause a kind of soul death, but often the jobs that are out there (call centres, for example) offer even more gruesome forms of soul death. (If anyone happens to be reading this, and has ever in their life abused an innocent "customer service representative" purely on the basis of venting their anger because they were having a bad day...? Then I wish you the punitive and highly unpleasant karmic retribution that you so clearly deserve).

I was checking my yahoo email the other day, and while I was waiting for it to load, I idly read the tag line for a Monster Jobs advertisement.

It went like this: "Find the job you love, and never work another day in your life."

It's pithy, it's clever, it's effective - but because it was an advertisement, I duly ignored it.

But I found, much to my surprise, that the phrase stuck with me.

I kept asking myself, "But isn't it true? Doesn't it make sense?"

It goes without saying that for a healthier and happier state of mind, we should try and do something we love. (For a job, I mean). Not least because we spend a great deal of time at our place of work.

This, to my mind, is easier said than done, however.

Why, for example, are so many of us in jobs that we hate?

How exactly do you find the job you love?

I can count on one hand the people I know who actively like and enjoy their job.

How do you find your passion? And presuming you find your passion, and it's legal, how do you turn it into a paying job?

Do you know anyone who has found their dream job? And how did they do it?

Did they stumble into it? Or did they know where they were going from the get-go?

What qualities do you need to find and pursue your passion?

How do you turn your talents into a job or profession that is rewarding? And hell - even better - lucrative?

And before I start to sound like some kind of dodgy internet "work at home" scheme, I will end up by saying that any enlightening words, anecdotes or tips would be greatly appreciated.

From one yet to find her mojo in the job jungle...