THE ULTIMATE SECRET OF HAPPINESS AT WORK
The Dalai Lama, once, said “Happiness is not something ready-made. It comes from your own actions.” While it may seem counterintuitive, research suggests that happiness leads to success (rather than success being a precursor to happiness). Thus, if you desire to be successful in your work and career, you should take actions that will help you achieve happiness. This article provides tips to help you proactively attain and sustain happiness in the workplace.
What are the benefits of happiness?
The benefits of happiness are multi-fold. For example, a recent study of over 250,000 people conducted by linda.com found that happiness leads to many positive benefits, many of which are often considered indicators of success, including:
- higher income
- more productivity
- higher energy
- better relationships
- better health
Achieving happiness at work
Studies have identified three factors that can increase our happiness at work:
Autonomy
Employees with autonomy, whether managing their own time or deciding what they work on and when, report having greater job satisfaction and more fulfilling lives than those without such autonomy. Perhaps surprisingly, individuals with high income but little autonomy are found to be much less happy than those with low income but who have greater control over their work.
Mastery
One common habit of people who are happy at work is that they identify their strengths and skills and are committed to continuously improving them as a lifetime goal.
Whenever and wherever you like and learn from top instructors who meet you are at beginner, advanced, or anywhere in between, to boost your confidence, keep you happy and get the job done.
Purpose
The strongest predictor of finding meaningfulness in one’s work is the belief that one’s job has a positive impact on others.
How to be happier at work?
While every individual is unique and will achieve and maintain happiness differently from others, it seems some interesting patterns consistently appear:
Smile at people
Smiling is contagious and will make your co-workers smile, as well. Moreover, smiling can improve your happiness at work because it tells your brain to be more happy, thanks to the release of neuropeptides. Given how easy a smile can be and the happiness benefits it can provide, we should all be smiling more.
Say thank you
Saying “thank you” is another simple act of politeness that can help you feel happy. Studies from Pr. Francesca Gino of the Harvard Business School and Pr. Adam Grant of the Wharton School reveal that receiving expressions of gratitude makes us feel a heightened sense of self-worth, which in turn triggers other helpful behaviours toward both the person we are helping and others who are around us. In addition, their experiments showed that 66% of students helped a fellow student named “Eric” because he thanked them in advance for reviewing his cover letter.
Find a work best friend
Research from Hostt has found that having a best friend at work can turn a moderately engaged worker into a highly engaged worker. And besides, having friends at work will make you feel your job as more fun, enjoyable, worthwhile and satisfying.
Talk to a less familiar acquaintance in the office
Even if you’ve already met every person who works in your office, there’s probably at least one person you do not speak to often. Go talk to that person — about anything. It will help you feel like you’re a part of the greater team, and the human connection will make your job seem better all around.
Eat healthy
Instead of hitting the vending machine for lunch, maintaining a good diet and keeping yourself properly hydrated throughout your workday can make a big difference in your energy level and attitude. This will help improve and maintain your over-all level of wellbeing.
Move around
Sitting all day and working on a computer can lead to health concerns like weight gain, heart disease, eye strain, and carpal tunnel syndrome. Moving around throughout the workday has a number of beneficial effects. So, you should find the time for activities such as taking a walk outside, running up and down the stairs on your break, stretching or doing a 10-minute exercise, even if you already exercise and eat healthy.
Take a breather
Last but not the least, you need to take a break and have a Breather from your work during the day. We recommend the lunch time as the perfect break from your tasks at work. This allows you to recharge from the stress of work and keep you more alert in the face of constant demands.
Being happy in the workplace will help you achieve success. As happiness has been shown to lead to the elements of success, perhaps first finding happiness in your present situation will help you find a job you love. The actions that can lead to happiness are simple and free — you’ve no excuse for failing to do them. So, smile at others, seek to improve and enhance your current level of mastery and take breaks from your computer during the day, including making time to take an occasional breather.
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