7 WAYS TO BE HAPPIER AT WORK
7 Ways to Be Happier at Work
1. Smile.
Turns out,
smiling is directly linked to happiness. It may have started as a correlation
but, over time, the brain linked the two. Don't believe me? Try this: smile (a
nice big smile) and attempt to think of something negative. Either you will
stop smiling or you won't be able to hold the negative thought.
2. Stop worrying.
Worrying
happens to be one of humanity's best traits. It is the underlying emotion
behind foresight, planning, and forecasting. We worry because some future event
is uncertain and that feeling is a cue for us to start thinking about how to
address it. The problem is, we worry too much about things that are out of our
control (like the economy, stupid). The US has one of the highest rates for
mental disease and yes, worry is among the leading indicators. While it's true
that there are plenty of things to worry about these days, take a deep breath,
America, and stop sweating the small stuff.
3. Take a
break.
The US is one of the most overworked industrialized nations. But this is
counterproductive for a nation of "knowledge workers." Overworking
people to exhaustion is a horrible way to extract knowledge from people. Taking
a break provides an opportunity to reflect and often it is during such times
when the best ideas, our deepest insights, emerge. I insist on taking lunches
out of the office; I insist that my colleagues do the same. Call it a siesta,
naptime, or a mini-vacation. It works for many of the happier nations too.
4. Do things
differently.
Part of the
problem at work for many people is boredom. We are stuck in a rut where we come
in and do the same thing over and over and over again. Get your enthusiasm back
by doing things differently. Make every effort to learn, to grow, and to
challenge yourself. Take on more responsibility or attempt something you never
thought you were capable of doing. Even if your responsibilities don't allow
for much flexibility, try a different approach to your existing
responsibilities.
5. Stop
managing and start leading.
If you're in management, you need to find ways to motivate and stimulate your
employees. How? Stretch their minds. Empower your team by giving them more
responsibility, more decision-making power, more autonomy. Equally important: be
inclusive. Explain what is happening in the company as a whole and give your
employees a broader perspective on how their jobs influence the overall
business.
6. Delegate.
One of the
most destructive and counterproductive byproducts of the downsizing era is fear
many managers are scared to let go of control for fear that doing so will make
them obsolete. I have news for you: if you feel that way, you already are obsolete.
Being controlling is bad for business, not to mention bad for your physical and
mental health. The best leaders always look for people better, smarter, and
more capable than themselves.
7. Have fun.
Here is some
tough advice: If you don't like what you are doing, stop doing it. Life
is too short to not have fun. I love what I do and when I stop loving it, I do
something else. Even in this economy, you will be in high demand if you are
good at what you do and can do it with a smile on your FACE.
BY AUTHOR V.S.GOPALAKRISHNA IN HIS BOOK "LEAD YOUR MIND TO LEAD THE WORLD"PUBLISHED BY GOOD TIMES BOOKS ACROSS THE GLOBE BY JUNE 2011.
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