Happiness And Work - Going Together?
What an intriguing idea...being happier at work makes you more productive!
One of our managers at work shared this TED talk with me and I, in turn, shared it at our monthly managers' meeting today.
I've watched it three times now and it's well worth the 12 minutes of time. Not only is the message a strong one, Achor's presentation style is fabulous. He's fast, funny and personable. I want to be Amy the Unicorn! (You have to watch it to get that one.)
It's funny how the idea is one we've been hearing for years. If you're happy at work, you'll be better at your job. And, better at your life, I imagine. Mind over matter and whatnot.
He also makes a great point about how you achieve a goal then immediately set a higher goal rather than enjoying where you're at. You get good grades, you want better grades. You get a good job, you want a better job.
Achor even gives a prescription to achieve more happiness. Every day for 21 days, do one of the following:
In theory, after 21 days, your brain will be rewired to focus more on the positive and therefore make you happier.
I know I'm happier when I consistently blog. But, I've let life interfere with that. While I've committed before to more frequent posts, I fear it's not to be. I'm going to try the three gratitudes route. And, I won't repeat so wine will only get mentioned once. (I need to save wine for those really tough days, too.)
Today's three:
One of our managers at work shared this TED talk with me and I, in turn, shared it at our monthly managers' meeting today.
I've watched it three times now and it's well worth the 12 minutes of time. Not only is the message a strong one, Achor's presentation style is fabulous. He's fast, funny and personable. I want to be Amy the Unicorn! (You have to watch it to get that one.)
It's funny how the idea is one we've been hearing for years. If you're happy at work, you'll be better at your job. And, better at your life, I imagine. Mind over matter and whatnot.
He also makes a great point about how you achieve a goal then immediately set a higher goal rather than enjoying where you're at. You get good grades, you want better grades. You get a good job, you want a better job.
Achor even gives a prescription to achieve more happiness. Every day for 21 days, do one of the following:
- Write down three gratitudes - what three people/things/events were you grateful for that day?
- Journal - write a post about something that made you happy/grateful/positive.
- Exercise - whatever. ;) I don't buy it for me but I know some people to whom daily exercise is critical to their happiness.
- Meditation - it is what it is.
- Random Acts of Kindness - in his example, send an email every day to, or about, someone who did something noteworthy.
In theory, after 21 days, your brain will be rewired to focus more on the positive and therefore make you happier.
I know I'm happier when I consistently blog. But, I've let life interfere with that. While I've committed before to more frequent posts, I fear it's not to be. I'm going to try the three gratitudes route. And, I won't repeat so wine will only get mentioned once. (I need to save wine for those really tough days, too.)
Today's three:
- My fellow managers that facilitate our monthly meetings. They're committed to improving our employees and our corporate environment and they're very supportive of our team members.
- My parents. There have been (too) many recent passings of my friends' parents. No matter the age or physical health, it's never easy and always a huge emotional loss. I'm lucky my parents are around and doing well.
- My DVR. Yeah, it's a lazy man's technology and may not be something most people would deem worthy of gratitude but it allows me to go about my life and watch the plethora of shows I follow at my convenience. When technology works for you, it's awesome.
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