Why Finding Happiness at Work May Be Less Complicated than You Think

In today’s world, finding happiness at work and feeling fulfilled with what you do is something that nearly everyone desires. However, the conventional approach of working hard, long hours, and earning money doesn’t always deliver happiness or fulfillment. It often leads to stress and anxiety. This approach has been extensively followed by the Baby Boomer generation, which brings us to question whether this is the right way to achieve satisfaction at work.

There are no sure-fire recipes for happiness as it is a personal concept that relies on a combination of chance elements like genetic make-up, social background, and early family circumstances. However, we can make sure that we do not choose a path that is more likely to squash opportunities for happiness rather than create them. This alternative approach has less to do with following a set of rules and more to do with creating circumstances in which happiness and fulfillment can arise by themselves.

This approach is based on providing guidelines for answering four common questions that people ask. The questions are:

1. What should I do with my life?
2. What should I avoid?
3. How should I go about doing whatever I choose to do?
4. What else should I leave space for besides work?

What Should I Do With My Life?

The key to finding happiness at work is to do something that gives you a sense of purpose. Empty or meaningless work that is well-paid is rarely satisfying. At best, you should tolerate such work as a temporary means to raise essential cash. At worst, it is a form of prostitution. The only purpose that satisfies long-term is based on expressing your deepest values in whatever you do.

It is essential to only do work that you believe is inherently worth doing. Self-esteem cannot be obtained through a job that you despise. Every morning, you look at yourself in the mirror; hence, what kind of person looks back at you? One who is engaged in something worthwhile or one who is going to spend another eight hours or more doing something they care nothing about? Do you value yourself so little that you can afford to waste your life in that way?

Always do what you are good at doing. It’s the simplest way to enjoy yourself and excel. No one can find happiness through work they are not good at, or work that reminds them of their weaknesses hourly. Forget whether anyone values your strengths. Use them for your satisfaction and pleasure, and you may be surprised how wrong you were about what others would applaud.

What Should I Avoid?

The first thing to avoid is doing anything that gives you a bad conscience. Even if you don’t end up in jail or shunned and despised by your friends, you’ll spend too much of your time anxious about who might find out, and you’ll probably end up hating yourself. Don’t do more than is good for your health. No amount of money or position is worth harming yourself physically or mentally. You won’t be happy if you traded your well-being for money and a position you are now too sick, miserable or damaged to enjoy.

Also, it would help if you did not do things that rob you of your peace of mind, for inner torment is no path to happiness. Nor is trying to silence personal turmoil with drugs, drink or conspicuous consumption. This is the one situation where the old warning is entirely true: you can run, but you can’t hide. Hence, how can you hide from the accusations of your mind?

How Should I Go About Doing Whatever I Choose To Do?

The first step is to do it with people you like and respect. The opposite is virtually certain to make your life miserable, and nothing will be an adequate compensation. Jean-Paul Sartre once wrote, “hell is other people” in a 1944 play called No Exit; it’s often true in the workplace too, but only if you allow it to be.

Secondly, do it with people you trust and who trust you. If you can’t trust those around you, your life will pass in a blur of suspicion and paranoia. If they don’t trust you, you’ll never be given anything worthwhile or essential to do. Lastly, do it for enough reward to make you feel valued. More than that, it won’t make you feel better and will likely cause jealousy and ongoing competition to bring you down.

What Else Should I Leave Space For Besides Work?

Having time and leisure to enjoy life while you are living it is a critical aspect of happiness. Don’t put off enjoying your life until some time in the future. You never know what may happen first. Do not make your happiness reliant on achieving a longed-for goal that may not deliver what you sought.

Pursuing other interests is also essential. People who are single-minded can quickly become narrow-minded too. An investor who puts all their wealth into a single investment is a fool who is asking for trouble. Someone who invests all their happiness in their work is taking an even bigger risk.

Lastly, you should leave enough time to give yourself entirely to those you love. They deserve more than what you have left after everyone else has taken all they want. You can’t build strong relationships by putting the demands of your work above their needs. Will they accept money in lieu of your attention? The answers are obvious.

In conclusion, happiness at work is personal, and everyone deserves to be happy. The conventional approach does not deliver happiness or fulfillment but rather leads to stress and anxiety. Thus, creating circumstances that encourage happiness and fulfillment to arise on their own is the way to finding happiness at work. Answering these four questions helps in creating an environment that encourages happiness at work.