The more I listen to my readers the more I see that we need reminders to be happy. Most of us have the inclination to feel happy, but we forget. We simply have too many gaps in our work happiness. We give in to complaining and negative thoughts. This trend toward worrying about what’s wrong with our life instead of noticing all the crazy beauty in our lives makes the difference between feeling happy or grumpy.
I’m declaring the first Monday in October (5th) to be “Happy at Work Day Action Day.” That means we must find a way to be happy at work as well as help other people increase their happiness.
I came up with four important methods to being happy at work and made them actionable steps. I believe we should try to do these four things every day, but that might be asking a little too much, so we’ll start with one day and hope it grows to a whole week. They are easy methods that can bring so much extra joy to our jobs it will surprise almost everyone who participates.
4 Rules to Happiness at Work Action Day
- Celebrate! Throw an office party.
- Reward a deserving co-worker or client.
- Reward yourself for a recent accomplishment.
- Take 5 minutes to reflect on the crazy beauty in your life.
These four tactics should all be combined to get maximum bang for the effort.
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1. Celebrate! Throw an Office Party
Celebration should be an integral part of every company’s culture. You have the opportunity to reward yourself for accomplishing great work. By making this a habit, you will foster stronger relationships.
Celebrating your relationships brings you happiness because you are taking the time to bond. The co-workers with whom you laugh and share stories are the ones who you’ll be more willing to help later. The closer you become, the easier it is to appreciate their beauty and warts and love them for who they are.
By celebrating with your co-workers, you encourage the creation of new bonds. These friendships will build trust and respect. Even after this day is over, continue celebrating and you’ll find your happiness expanding one friend at a time.
The best part is it doesn’t need to cost a lot of money. A celebration is about the people not the cost.
2. Reward a deserving co-worker or client.
When you give someone else a small gift or even a compliment, you increase your happiness as well as the receiver’s happiness. It’s a win-win for both people.
A gift should be small because anything too extravagant will make some people feel weird. I like to buy people lunch, bring in some quality coffee for the office, or bring in some freshly baked bread. I have a bread maker so it's really easy.
A compliment should be simple and honest such as:
“Wow! You were really efficient on that report”
or
“Thank you so much for your time. I would have really struggled without you.”
You don’t need to give the perfect gift or compliment. There is no such thing. Just give a gift or compliment to someone who’s doing a good job and watch both your energy and your co-worker’s energy climb a notch.
3. Reward yourself for a recent accomplishment
The next thing you need to do is reward yourself for a recent accomplishment. When you think about the good stuff you have accomplished, you encourage more great work.
I usually like reward myself by doing small things like going for a walk, buying a sushi lunch, or taking a few minutes to talk to a co-worker about my personal life.
After rewarding yourself don't just move right back into another task. Sit back and enjoy your reward. It will help you appreciate how good you have it.
4. Take 5 Minutes to Reflect on the Crazy Beauty
The last thing is to take just 5 minutes to notice the beauty in your life. There is beauty surrounding us every moment of every day. It’s just up to us to notice it and enjoy it.
Working in an office can become monotonous if we don’t stay open to new facets of beauty.
It could be as simple as looking back on…
- A fun conversation with a co-worker.
- The quiet time before a big rush of work.
- A well written email that induces action.
Happiness at Work is Important
We all need to help each other become happier at work. The happier our co-workers are, the happier we become. It’s a happiness cycle that keeps on giving.
Prizes and Sponsorship
My hope is that other bloggers and businesses will join in and help spread the word. I’ve created a “Happiness at Work Action Day” badge (displayed at end of page) for people to display on their website. If you write about “Happiness at Work Action Day” then you will be given a link to your blog or website. I will also draw a name for a free individual consultation over the phone ($500 value) or a presentation to one company ($4,500 value) - Travel and board must be provided. If the company cannot provide the cost of travel and board then I will give a teleseminar, so I can present and answer questions over the phone. Please make sure you email me with a link so I can track who is participating in this event – karl (at) workhappynow.com
I will draw one name for each prize and two alternates in case I am not available to reach the winner.
To win one of these prizes a person must display a Happy at Work Action Day badge on his/her website/blog or write an article about the event.
Corporate Sponsors
Blog Catalog has been kind enough to sponsor this event. They offered to give me two free 6 month memberships. If you don't have a blog then this isn't very enticing. You are welcome to give this to a friend who runs a blog.
As a premium member you will receive:
- You will be prominently displayed on BlogCatalog's homepage.
- Twitter Integration.
- Access to the newest features.
Spread the Word
It doesn’t matter whether you are an individual or a big corporation; we all need more happiness at work, especially in these tough times. So tell other people about “Happiness at Work Action Day” and see if we can spread some cheer around the world’s offices.
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