Happiness at work

“Happiness at work is about mindfully making the best use of the resources you have to overcome the challenge you face. Actively relishing the highs and managing the lows will help you maximize your performance and achieve your potential. And this not only builds your happiness but also that of others- who will be affected and energized by what you do”

 -Defining Happiness at work by Dr Laurel Edmunds and Jessica Pryce–Jones at Wikipedia                                                                                                                                                    

We spend hours and hours every week working, we spent days, months, years at work at least most of us. We spend big part of our lives working, so should we enjoy it and be happy while doing it? I think we should. It is not easy to enjoy work all the time and be happy but there are ways to make it better and more enjoyable. Most important; the work should be FUN!!

Happiness is inside us so first we concentrate on that and then we begin working on external issues.

Our mind is the tool to happiness; we don’t need more money, success etc…Our brain is adapting organ which develop constantly and by mobilizing our thoughts and practicing new ways of thinking, we can reshape our nerve cells and change the way our brain works.

                -Crazy ah?

First things first, our attitude counts. Anything can be fun if we think it is fun, it’s all in our heads. I know it is not that simple but it is a start. We have to start somewhere so we begin from ourselves. Maybe the job doesn’t suck maybe the problem is us, the way we think and the way we act.

- I love my job, I love my job, I love my job…

-I don’t have a problem; my job is the problem or is it other way round?

STEP ONE

Let’s decide to be happy at work.

-I have to work or do I?

“Single biggest obstacle to work place happiness is the belief that we are prisoners of circumstance, powerless before the things that happen to us”.

                                                                                    Srikumar Rao, the author of Happiness at Work

We have to see the big picture. Work is a big part of our lives we just have to accept that, so when we accept that we don’t feel like we are forced to work. If we feel forced to work it can’t be enjoyable and we can’t be happy. We do need money or do we? We need food and water all the other stuff is extra. In western countries we really don’t have to work to get food and money so we are not really forced to work, we have social security which provides us our basic needs. The more we understand this concept the happier we can be at work.

-How can I see the big picture?

Many times when our bills are piling up and we feel that we need to get some money and we need to work. We feel that we are forced to work. Let’s work on that. Can bills kill us?? What can happen if we can’t pay the bills? If we really think, nothing really! We could lose all our assets but we are borrowing them anyway, as we know when we will leave this earth we can’t get anything with us. At the end we are taking care of all kind of stuff and when we pass away someone else will take care of them.

Amazing!

- I hate bills but I love to pay them. If I collect a million bills does it make me rich or poor?

12 tips by Arvind Devalia

     1.    On the way to your work place, get yourself motivated to face the day

    2.   Keep your work in perspective

    3.   Remember that you are more than your work

    4.   Plan your time

    5.   Concentrate on the task at hand

    6.   Clarify anytime you are not sure or where you are faced with conflicting demands

    7.   Delegate wherever appropriate

    8.    Have regular breaks

    9.    Learn to relax no matter how challenging the work gets or how demanding your bosses become

   10. Contribute towards creating a pleasant work environment

   11. Review your day before you leave home

   12. Switch off once you leave work

WORK, WORK, WORK

“Every minute of being miserable we lose 60 seconds of happiness”

-I will work until I die to make a million euros then I will be happy!

It is always good to see the bright side, it’s not always easy but if we think why we should waste our time by being miserable because our time is limited. Like Dalai Lama wrote on one of his book that one part of happiness is to accept death. Our time is limited and we have to realize that, we can’t run away death, it will come. That is part of self-conscious which helps us the build our self-images which guides us to happiness. Like happiness in general we need to have our basic elements for happiness in order to achieve it also at work and accepting life as it is, is one of those elements.

“Happiness is not something ready-made. It comes from your own actions.” ~Dalai Lama

We also have to understand that job satisfaction is not happiness and we can feel fine at work but it doesn’t mean we are happy; we could feel great and that is happiness. Happiness can be achieved in every work place and it is contagious but not eternal. We will have up and downs like always in life but happiness at work can be long-term if we just make it happen.

  LET’S HAVE A CHAT

“Lack of communication from the top was seen as one of the biggest causes of unhappiness”

                                                                          -Happiness at work research report 2007 by Chimento

We all are in the same boat as the saying goes and sometimes it is good to get to know who we work with, even if we are not interested.  Getting known your co-workers help you work together. See socializing as a part of your work.

By socializing with other co-workers we create an open working environment which helps us to communicate better which is part of work happiness.
    

Top 10 factors that make us happy at work	Top 10 factors that make us unhappy at work
1.       Friendly, supportive colleagues 2.       Enjoyable work 3.       Good boss 4.       Good work/life balance 5.       Varied work 6.       Belief that we’re doing something worthwhile 7.       Feeling that we do make a difference 8.       Being part of a successful team 9.       Recognition for our achievements 10.   Competitive salary	1.       Lack of communication from the top 2.       Uncompetitive salary 3.       No recognition for achievements 4.       Poor boss 5.       Little personal development 6.       Ideas being ignored 7.       Lack of opportunity for a good performers 8.       Work not enjoyable 9.       Lack of benefits 10.   Not feeling that I do make a difference

                                                               

                                                                                    -Happiness at work Research 2007 by Chimento

We should encourage people more face-to-face communication so we could express more our feelings and ensure that our staff isn’t working isolated without any support. We should be supportive to get support; team work is one key part to happiness at work.

- Talk to the hand!!

-No, take time to communicate.

FUN, FUN, FUN

Life is about moments and sometimes we need to escape from our common lives and create some amazing moments. Also at work! They can be small things like bringing a chocolate to your co-workers or remembering someone’s birthday, anything, something out of the normal routines.

Good joke is an excellent way to have few laughs and relax for a minute or two. We need to “escape” from the work environment from time to time to clear our minds and get new perspectives to our work. It helps us to be more creative.

5 tips by Laurie Tarkan, Fox news, 13/11

     1.    Have goals, visualize them

     2.   Work autonomously

     3.   Have reasonable deadlines, reduce your stress factor

     4.   Have sufficient resources, be able to delegate

     5.   Learn from problems

PUMP IT, PUMP IT

One of the basic elements for happiness is your health and it also works at work. Our physical health is connected to our mental health. Eating healthy and exercising makes us happier; we have to work out for our happiness.

How much exercise do we need then? Here is one answer:

Recommended activity levels

According to the government, only 37 per cent of men and 24 per cent of women take enough exercise to get any benefit from it. To avoid obesity, heart disease and other life-limiting conditions, the chief medical officer (the government's top doctor) recommends the following:

·         Adults should do a minimum of 30 minutes moderate-intensity physical activity, five days a week.

·         You don't have to do the whole 30 minutes in one go. Your half-hour could be made up of three ten-minute bursts of activity spread through the day, if you prefer - it's the total that matters.

·         The activity can be a 'lifestyle activity' (in other words, walking to the shops or taking the dog out) or structured exercise or sport, or a combination of these. But it does need to be of at least moderate intensity, again measured by it making you slightly breathless or a little warm.

·         People who are at specific risk from obesity, or who need to manage their weight because of a medical condition, need 45-60 minutes of exercise at least five times a week. For example, if you have diabetes, it will be much better controlled if you exercise like this.

                                                         - BBC Health by Dr Gill Jenkins in December 2010                                      

Sufficient sleep makes a huge difference. We shouldn’t try to manage with few our rest, our body and brains need to rest.

Daytime naps are another strategy some people use to make up for lost sleep during the night. Some evidence shows short naps (up to one hour) can make up, at least partially, for the sleep missed on previous night and improve alertness, mood and work performance. But naps don’t substitute for a good night sleep.

                            -Your Guide to Healthy sleep by U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Healthy sleeping habits lead to better moods, a reduced risk of obesity, better memory and learning ability and a healthier immune system. How much sleep we get and the quality of that sleep needs to be a part of our fitness program and a priority in forming a healthier lifestyle. Fitting sleep into our already packed schedule can be a challenge and often becomes something that we compromise…How much sleep are you getting?

Pack snacks with you. We all know how crumby we can get if our sugar levels drop down. Have a snack every 2 hours to keep your sugar levels up, that will help you to keep your positive attitude throughout the day. 

MR. NICE GUY

We need to respect each other and treat everybody as we would like to be treated. Be polite and do nice thing for your co-workers. What goes around comes around. Times when you need help it make it so much easier to get if you have helped someone else earlier.

 

7 tips by Jeff Stiebel

    1.    Smile

    2.   Stop worrying

    3.   Take a break

    4.   Do things differently

    5.   Stop managing and start leading

    6.   Delegate 

    7.   Have fun

ARE WE DIFFERENT?

Learning what truly makes us happy is an individualized process and something that works for someone doesn’t mean it will work for everybody.

One man’s happiness can be another’s living hell.

Working in a team is always a challenge, different backgrounds, and different religious and different ways of doing things.  There are as many different ways to do things as they are people but finding the golden gateway it’s important. We have to realize that maybe the way we do things is not the only way; there can always be better and more efficient way.

We need to be open-minded to work in a team or even if we work alone, we still need to be able adapt new ways to do things. Even if we work alone, our work affects other people in some way.

We all are different and we all have different needs and habits, different ways to do things and different opinions but that makes us all special. No one is better than other; we are all on the same planet, made of same kind of flesh and blood but what makes us different is the way we think. We all have same beginning but different ending. We choose the way we think regardless of wealth, place or background. We choose to be happy and we decide what makes us happy; it’s all in our heads.    

DON’T BE AN ASS

No one wants to hear how good car you have or how big is your house. People don’t like to hear those things. I know that I don’t feel comfortable to hear how great other people lives are. I feel great hearing if my love ones are doing great but hearing people that I just know bragging about their lives doesn’t make me feel good, just opposite. It is important to be the one who listen not the one who brags. No one likes show ups!!  This helps you to create better relationships with your co-workers which lead to happiness.

BE THERE OR BE SQUARE

Sometimes our supervisors need us for some extra job, it is not their fault, and they just need someone to do the job.  It is always good to volunteer to raise the spirit and be example. Sometimes we feel tired and fed up but in the long term all the effort is worth it. 

We know how boring it can be to attend all the meetings but it is important to be part of matters which concern your company, we need to express our opinions because it does matter, it matters to you. Be proud what you do and feel passionate about your job.

Also all the company gatherings, parties etc. ATTEND!!  Just pay a quick visit even if you are not really interested to attend because as we all know the gossips and funny stories begin from those events and we want to be part of those laughs. Laughing relaxes us and brings us happiness.     

6 ways to find happiness by James Clear

1.        DEVELOP A SOCIAL CIRCLE.

2.      LOOK FOR OPPORTUNITIES FOR GROWTH INSTEAD OF FAILURE

3.      HELP SOMEONE SOLVE A PROBLEM.

4.     TAKE ON ADDITIONAL RESPONSIBILITY

5.      HAVE ENOUGH COURAGE TO ASK.

6.      TAKE ACTIONS THAT INCREASE GOOD WILL.

HAPPINESS AT WORK SURVEY

Let’s make a survey.

Answer the following questions.

 Questions to Ask About Your Job:

• Is my work important?
• Am I giving something to my company?
• Does my work excite me?
• Can this work challenge me?
• Can I be proud about my work?
• Would I think about my work even when I'm not working
• Am I passionate about my job?
• Can I achieve anything?
• Can I make true friends of my co-workers?

So how it went?

These are the questions we should ask when we are thinking about our dream job. If we are able to answer yes to all those questions we are at our dream job but if we just got one or two “yes” - answers maybe we should quit our job and find a new one.

Don’t get depressed if you didn’t get any “yes”-answers, we can work on that. Now we know what makes us happy at work so we can start doing things for it.

We want to be happy at work? YES! 
We know what we need to be happy at work? YES!

We can be happy at work? YES!

Yes, yes and YES!

CONCLUSIONS

At the end we are us happy as we think we are and happiness can be found in every work place. The biggest obstruction to our happiness is our mind. To found happiness we need dedication, hard work and time. We need to know what makes us happy and prioritize most important things in our life.

Work is just a work but it is big part of our life so why waste time to be miserable at work if we can be happy.

·        
     Let’s decide to be happy.

·        Make a survey

o   What makes you happy?

o   Does your work make you happy?

·         Action

o   Decide to quit or continue at your work

o   Make happy plan

o   Follow your plan   

Have goals, see the big picture, follow your dreams and be happy.

Happiness is for everybody.