Happiness at work
How often is your feed filled with posts talking about wellbeing? Happiness and wellbeing truly looks different for everyone and there is a tonne of “advice” out there that claims to have the answers but how often do you really reflect on these things:
"Am I happy?"
"What makes me happy?"
“Are my colleagues or employees happy?”
As a People Professional the happiness of others is often on my mind more than my own. It doesn't matter which personality test I take, I always come out as "the helper", the one who will put others first, with a sense of duty and catering to others. For a long time I felt like that is what made me happy, but over the years I've realised it only works if I'm happy too. Kind of like that analogy "you can't pour from an empty cup", I can't get joy from helping others be happy if I'm not happy myself.
Why do I think happiness is so important?
A little backstory for those who are interested in the personal side of LinkedIn...
5 years ago I genuinely wouldn’t have sent an email unless I thought it was perfectly constructed and sent at the perfect time.
I was anxious, I felt like nobody would care what I had to say or value my contributions. I was constantly in fear of messing up and often bothered by what people thought of me. I probably would have written this whole article but never hit publish.
Fast forward to 2024 and so many things have shifted that perspective. I lost two Grandparents to illnesses that came on or deteriorated quickly. I studied for 18 months on top of a full time job to gain a formal qualification. I became a Mother. We also all got through a little thing called a global pandemic. All of these things taught me about myself, how I handle emotion, stress and hard times as well as how precious the happy moments are.
Letting go of that pressure to be perfect makes me a happier person. This image really hit me today, and inspired this post, as I realise I still pin a lot of my self worth on doing things well.
I still have work to do and I am determined to do so. We are constantly evolving and every day is a new opportunity to grow and learn about the things that make us happy as individuals. HOWEVER, perfection should never be the goal.
So how do you make yourself happier?
Is it getting up at 5am to meditate and do yoga? Is it walking or running outside every day? Is it journaling, reading or having creative outlets? Without a doubt all of these things help but for me, nothing compares to being in an environment where you can truly be yourself and really knowing your own worth. Understanding our likes, dislikes, quirks, pet hates, what motivates us, what turns us off helps us to become better and in turn, I believe, happier
Unfortunately, those things can take time and there's no magic fix. It takes doing a lot of work on ourselves and focusing on the positives every single day.
Why should happiness be on the agenda for HR, Leaders and managers?
It's even more important as people professionals, managers and leaders because we do have a responsibility over other people's happiness. We can craft and form those positive environments where people can be themselves. We have that power to help people discover their own strengths, weaknesses and dreams. We also have the power to allow toxic environments to breed and we have to realise that power and focus it in the right place. That maybe sounds a little like I'm trying to be a motivational speaker but I truly believe everyone has the ability and the right to be happy in their life and being happy at work is a huge part of that.
Speaking of motivational speakers, this 2 minute video from Simon Sinek sums it up perfectly, and more eloquently than I ever could. If you're a leader especially - watch it.
If you've got this far, firstly thank you, and secondly I'd like to ask something of you today.
Focus on happiness. Focus on progress, not perfection. Share the thing that's making you happiest in the comments. Reach out to the people who bring you joy. Spread a little bit of love and positivity. I guarantee you’ll make your day and someone else’s day that bit better.
And if you're struggling, if you feel like you're a long way away from happy, please don't suffer on your own.
Mental Health Support for people at work
