10 Resolutions for Workplace Happiness

Resolutions for Success

“Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other” – Abraham Lincoln

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Did you make resolutions for the New Year? Are they long forgotten? It’s not too late to take on some resolutions that are simple and sure to support your happiness and fulfillment at work. Dr. Dan Bowling at Talent Management wrote this article. Enjoy!

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10 Resolutions for Workplace Happiness

At the heart of most resolutions is a desire to live a happier life and enjoy more workplace success, but for some reason, resolutions focus on removing the negative things from our life rather than filling our New Year with positive things. This is a fool’s errand; it doesn’t work. Instead of making the usual glum commitments about taming bad habits, sure to be discarded before the Doritos are passed around the Super Bowl Party, why not focus on what will really make you happy at work and in life?

1. Be mindful

Stop! Right now. QUIT MULTI-TASKING! Put down the phone and focus. Block everything else out in your mind other than this present moment. Take a deep breath. And another. Relax. There is abundant evidence that a few moments of mindfulness, or simple meditation, during the workday brings significant health and happiness benefits. Nothing great has ever been accomplished while multi-tasking. Sure, Michelangelo painted the Sistine Chapel ceiling and carved the statue of David — but not at the same time.

2. Use your strengths

The research is overwhelming that you are happiest when you match your work with your strengths and personality. An optimistic extrovert should be in sales, not accounting. It in an uncertain economy, it is tempting to take the first job that comes along, or hang on for dear life to one you hate, but if you really want to be happy, keep looking for the right fit where you can be YOU.

3. Learn optimism

Optimism and happiness are not the same thing, but they are pretty darn close. The good news is that optimism is a cognitive explanatory style. This means it can be learned. Start by challenging your own negative thoughts. When bad things happen, don’t see them as the end of the world. Optimists perceive every setback as temporary.

4. Have a sense of humor

It is OK to laugh and have fun at work. In fact, it is necessary for happiness. Humans are evolutionarily programmed for fun and play. As Chinese philosopher Lin Yutang reminds us, we are descended from monkeys, not cows. While your boss might not be ready to install a jungle gym in the break room, get him to lighten up. I once had a job where laughing — I kid you not — was frowned upon as being unprofessional. I quit.

5. Keep moving — literally

Don’t fight evolution. Your DNA comes from beings who could outrun prehistoric predators. The sit-around types became dinner and didn’t pass on their genes (with the exceptions of cows, who evolved largely to be dinner). Take frequent breaks and walk around. Get some air and sunlight. Don’t schedule back-to-back meetings.

6. Keep perspective

The universe doesn’t revolve around you and your worries. If your boss doesn’t pat you on the back every day, it isn’t because she doesn’t like you any more, it’s because she probably has other things on her mind.

7. Be nice

The late Chris Peterson, famed positive psychologist and good friend, defined happiness as follows: “Other people matter.” Pay attention to your old friends from school, your family, the person next door. Real friends, not Facebook friends. Walk around the office. Talk to people about things other than work. Go to birthday parties. And happy hour every now and then.

8. Be resilient

Resilience is the ability to recover and grow from a setback. As with resolution No. 3 above, the techniques involve developing thinking patterns to help navigate through life’s inevitable challenges. Things really do get better. Then worse. Then better. Get used to this pattern and know it exists. You can handle just about anything.

9. Be grateful

Multiple studies show that people who express gratitude to others, and have a sense of thankfulness for the good things in life, experience much higher levels of well-being than those who don’t. Saying thank you doesn’t just make others happy, it makes you happy as well.

10. Make your job a calling

I have written before about how there is work, and there are callings. The happiest people find both at the same place. This isn’t easy, and might require a good deal of self-reflection and false starts. That is OK. But a pretty good place to start is seeing how successful you can be implementing some of the strategies on this list.

Dan Bowling is an expert on the science of well-being and work. He leads a consulting firm, Positive Workplace Solutions, and is a professor of labor law at Duke Law School.

What do you think? Which resolution can you commit to today? Are there any that you already have down? Leave me a comment and let me know if you will add these to your resolution list.

Appreciatively,

Dr. Lynn K Jones

Dr. Lynn K. Jones is a Board Certified Coach and an Advanced Certified Personal and Executive Coach based in Santa Barbara, California and a sought after coach and consultant for organizations and individuals across the US. Her doctoral work completed at the Wurzweiler School of Social Work, Yeshiva University concerned organizational culture; she coaches, consults and trains organizations on what they need to do to create organizational cultures that are aligned with their vision and values using a process of Appreciative Inquiry. She coaches individuals on achieving their reflected best selves. A MSW@USC faculty member, Dr. Lynn K. Jones, MSW, DSW, CSWM, teaches Human Behavior and Social Environment and Leadership to social work students at the University of Southern California.