Staying Positive in the Workplace

It is well known that when people feel happy when they are at work, they are likely to be more productive during the workday.

While being happy all the time would be ideal, it’s not realistic. Life gets in the way. Apart from the stress from work, you may be dealing with family and financial issues that may creep in and distract you from being at your best.

Researcher and author Shawn Achor is an advocate for happiness and positive psychology. He is one of the leading experts on the connection between happiness and success and has authored two books dealing with this subject.

He says, “Only 25% of job success is predicated on a combination of intelligence and technical skill. Based on positive psychology neuroscience, we have found that 75% of your long-term job success revolves around three other factors: the belief that your behaviour matters, the social connection you feel at work and home, and the ways that you view stress—whether our leaders help us view stress as a threat or as a challenge.”

Achor has some practical tips to stay positive:

1. Start your day by identifying three things for which you are grateful.
2. Write at least one email thanking or praising someone each day.
3. Avoid comparing your current happiness level with how happy you have been in the past. Instead, focus on how to elevate your happiness in the present.
4. Avoid turning on the radio in your car for the first few minutes of your ride, and skip checking the news before going to bed.
5. The next time you are feeling stressed, try shifting your focus to what you can do for others. It will help your situation feel more controllable.
6. One of the best things you can do to improve your performance at work is to take a vacation.

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