I hesitated putting the word "happiness" in the tagline of this blog.
"Happiness" can seem a bit unrealistic with regard to careers, right? Maybe even with life in general. How many times have you heard someone say (or said yourself), "I just want to be happy"? And then you thought something like, "Get over it!"
Because let's face it, many of us feel that "happiness" is for kids. Happiness is too simple for the complex, adult world of tough choices and major trade-offs.
Happiness is reserved for events that last minutes or days, not years. Weekend getaways, a really fun party, watching your dog splash with joy in the lake - these are legitimate contenders for happiness.
Careers are contenders for experiences such as "not too hateful", "OK most of the time", or "I just try not to think about it more than I have to."
However I happen to see career happiness differently, and I am not alone. I believe it's possible for many people to achieve an enduring (as opposed to momentary) level of happiness in work, as well as in life in general.
Martin Seligman, a researcher and professor of psychology, supports this claim in his book Authentic Happiness. The scoop on happiness in general is that it's a product of our inherited tendency to be happy, plus our circumstances (there are some astonishing surprises in this section of the book - for instance that money and education are far less related to happiness than once thought), plus (most importantly) factors that are under our control.
The key to happiness at work is to use our so-called "signature strengths" on the job, preferably every day.
Examples of strengths include curiosity, enthusiasm, creativity, leadership, social intelligence, and 19 others. (To learn what your top signature strengths are, take this survey. It's free, and will take you about 25 minutes).
By the way, the five "key strengths" correlated with general well-being are curiosity and interest in the world; capacity to love and be loved; gratitude; zest, enthusiasm and energy; and hope, optimism and future-mindedness.
Once you have taken the survey and have a rank-ordered list of the 24 signature strengths in front of you, zero in on the top five. Of each of these strengths, ask yourself these questions:
- Is this "the real me?"
- Do I feel invigorated rather than exhausted when I use this strength?
- Am I continually learning new ways to enact this strength?
- Am I involved in personal projects that revolve around this strength?
If you answer yes to one or more of these questions, chances are the strength is a "signature" of yours. Look for ways to use it in as many situations as you can to experience enduring happiness.
One thing I've learned about career happiness is that it usually doesn't just arrive - you need to know how to find it. And that's what this blog is all about.
www.dreambigcoaching.com
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