DON’T WORRY, BE HAPPY is apparently more than just a cliché. Research over the past 10 years shows there is a direct link between happiness and business outcomes. Author and researcher Shawn Achor says “happiness” raises sales by 37 percent, productivity by 31 percent, and accuracy on tasks by 19 percent. He goes on to say, “The single greatest advantage in the modern economy is a happy and engaged workforce,” (CNN.com, March 19, 2012).
So, how do you become happy at work?
Achor says you have to train yourself and start developing new, positive habits. For example, he challenges his clients to implement one of the following positive exercises everyday for 21 days.
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Write
down three new things you are grateful for each day.
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Write
for two minutes a day describing one positive experience you had over the past
24 hours.
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Exercise
for 10 minutes a day.
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Meditate
for two minutes, focusing on your breath going in and out.
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Write
one quick e-mail first thing in the morning thanking or praising someone in
your social support network (family member, friend, old teacher).
By following one of these exercises, Achor says your happiness will rise and so will your business success.
The tiny Himalayan country of Bhutan has taken this idea of happiness even further. Four years ago, the country launched a “gross national happiness” measure to guide public policy. According to The Guardian, Bhutan’s “constitution mandates that at least 60% of the country remains under forest cover in perpetuity and its stated policy is to be 100% organic in its agricultural production,” (March 29, 2012).
Now, Bhutan’s definition of happiness is a little different than our typical Western definition. The Bhutan government says, “it refers to the deep, abiding happiness that comes from living life in full harmony with the natural world, with our communities and fellow beings, and with our culture and spiritual heritage, in short, from feeling totally connected with our world.”
Well, no matter how you define it, it looks like it “pays” to be “happy.”
Weekly Focus – Think About It
“Rules for Happiness: something to do, someone to love, something to hope for.”
--Immanuel Kant, German philosopher
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