How to be happy at work

If you observe the people around you, you'll find most individuals follow a formula that has been subtly or not so subtly taught to them by schools, their company, their parents, or society. This is; if you work hard, you will become successful, and once you become successful, then you'll be happy. This pattern of belief explains what most often motivates us in life. We think, if I just get that raise, or hit my sales target, I'll be happy. If I can just get that promotion I'll be happy, if I just loose 3 kilos I'll be happy. And so on, success first, happiness second. The only problem with this, is that this formula is broken.

This formula is broken because its the wrong way around. More than a decade of research shows that happiness and optimism fuel performance. Of course, being happy at work depends on how much you enjoy your job. In his book the art of happiness the Dalai Lama, arguably a very wise and happy man, suggests that true happiness can be attained by training the mind. So with this in mind, practice the following tips that can boost your happiness.

Smile - It turns out, smiling is directly linked to happiness. It may have started as a correlation but, over time, the brain linked the two. If you don't believe me, try to smile and attempt to think of something negative. Either you will stop smiling or you won't be able to hold a negative thought.

Stop worrying - Worrying happens to be one of humanities 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. Whilst it's true there are plenty of things to worry about these days, take a deep breath and stop sweating the small stuff.

Take a break - 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 time to go to the gym / run at lunch and try to encourage my colleagues to do the same.

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 challenge yourself. Take on more responsibility or attempt to do something you never thought you were capable of.

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 and autonomy. Equally important is being 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.

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 they will make themselves 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.

And finally -

Have fun - Here is some tough advise. 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 will 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.