Did you ever take a class about “Happiness?” I wish it had been offered in my high school or the college I attended.
In 2011, someone I knew and cared about killed herself and it was a shock to me. I realized how unhappy she had been. Because I knew I never wanted that to be me, I began to focus more on my happiness. I brought a happiness coach into my life and took classes to learn that happiness is a choice. It is. We can choose to be happy or not. I began to offer classes to my team to share happiness with them too. Some of them told me that it made a profound difference in their lives at work and at home.
In the following year, the Harvard Business Review splashed a big yellow happy face on its cover and announced that companies should pay attention to happiness within their teams. We were ahead of the curve. We were already paying attention to bringing more happiness into our lives. Yay! It sounds so easy, doesn’t it? Well, it is not always easy. Happiness is a science, and like all things, it has to be understood, accepted and implemented. Follow these ideas to add more happiness in your business everyday:
As you start each day, choose a positive mindset. When you do this, you look for the good around you in your life. It is a daily practice.
When life throws challenges and obstacles in the way, remember that the only thing you can control is your reaction. Choose happiness. Choose to see challenges and mistakes as learning opportunities to grow and to learn.
Keep a daily gratitude journal. Each day, list three things you are grateful for. This increases your happiness dramatically.
Commit to being happy, do the work and become happier, making 2017 your best year ever.