Monday, October 25, 2010

How to Become a Chief Happiness Officer

By Rana Qubain

Job Vacancies, Employment Jobs, Employment

Let's face it, we spend most of our waking hours at work, talking about work, thinking about work and stressing about work. While the causes of dissatisfaction may be many, feeling happy at work most of the time depends on external factors that employees cannot control due to a variety of factors such as a bad boss, a bad corporate culture, or a colleague who makes your life miserable. The good news is that you have the power to control much of this input and find happiness in the workplace. Feeling happy at work mostly depends on your personality, attitude and your persistence to overcome any external influences that might bring you down. Here are 5 tips that might lift your mood and give you a boost in the workplace.

Sleep Well

Sleep is exactly what we need to stay alert and focused on the day's activities. While we are scrambling to meet the ongoing demands of our hectic jobs, cutting back on sleep may seem like the only answer to always stay on top of our work. However, sacrificing your sleep hours will definitely take its toll on your mood, productivity and ability to handle stress. As we rob the night of sleep hours to get more things done, we are depriving our body and mind of much needed time for it to repair and rejuvenate itself. Look forward to a good night's sleep by clearing your mind of the day's events and problems. They will still be there the next morning and you will be in a better state of mind to tackle them when refreshed.

Keep a Positive Attitude

Human beings in general are easily affected by small distressful events that occur in their daily lives. Choosing to maintain a positive attitude at work means avoiding negative conversations, gossip, and unhappy people as much as possible. Harboring negative feelings, stress, and bad attitude will not only ruin your day, but can also ruin your health. Therefore, try to avoid getting caught up in the land of negativity by adopting the can-do attitude and staying away from the complaining disease as these are the two most powerful tools to workplace happiness.

The power of a Smile

Smiling is an international language understood by people across all cultures. Whether you are walking into the office, a meeting or simply the elevator, smiling can make the people around you feel comfortable and can create a positive and happy atmosphere. It is often believed that smiling is the result of a happy and stress-free life; however, smiling reinforces happiness through triggering the brain's pleasure points. Even when it seems that everything is going against you in the workplace, smiling is certainly an easy and effective way to boost your self-confidence and get you back on track.

Work Place Friendships

There is no doubt that workplace friendships can contribute to a positive work environment, increased productivity and stronger team cohesiveness. Employees who have excellent relationships with their coworkers seem to be happier as it makes their job more fun and enjoyable. Nowadays, it's very clear that the lines between our personal and professional lives have become blurry, so it's always best to establish clear boundaries, keeping in mind that conversations and personal information shouldn't be shared with everyone, but rather kept within the circle of friendship. Likewise, maintaining personal time away from the office and away from workplace friends can be very healthy in the long run.

Manage Your Time

Do you sometimes feel overwhelmed by the amount of work that needs to get done? Do you feel that the work load just keeps pilling up to the point that you do not know where to begin? Do you go back home most of the days stressed out from the fact that you feel the day has passed so quickly and you haven't accomplished much? If yes, then you have a serious time management problem. Before you start each working day, list all the tasks that need to be finalized and prioritize them from the most important to the least important. Set a specific time during the day to make all your follow up calls so that you would not get distracted every now and then to make a phone call.

Every employee spends on average 8 hours of his day at work; therefore, creating a healthy and happy working environment around you can boost your career. This will not only affect your productivity during work, but can also have a great impact on your health and your stress level after working hours. Remember that happiness is a state of mind not a state of wealth or status. Therefore, think positive, have the right attitude and everyday becomes a day to live for.


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