4 simple ways to become happier in your job (and in other areas of your life as well)

4 simple ways to become happier in your job (and in other areas of your life as well)

We spend so much time at work it’d be great if we could enjoy more happiness in the office.

And the good news is we can!

Even more good news? We can use the same principles to enjoy more happiness in other parts of our lives, also.

If that’s something that interests you, keep reading…

via Fast Company by Judith Humphrey

There might be many reasons why your job makes you miserable. Maybe your work is boring, your manager is terrible, or your company just has awful benefits or a crappy work culture. If you aren’t experiencing any workplace malaise, bravo! You’ve hit the jackpot.

But if you crave more satisfaction at work, you don’t necessarily need to find a new job or escape your boss. According to Dr. Emiliana Simon-Thomas, a happiness researcher at UC Berkeley, where she teaches a popular edX course called “The Science of Happiness” and serves as Director of the university’s Greater Good Science Center, we’re all capable of making ourselves happier at work–we just have to, well, work at it.

“Some people have a greater capacity for happiness than others do,” Simon-Thomas recently explained to me, mainly because of genetics or life experience. But she claims that “if you want to maximize your potential for happiness, there are things you’ve got to do.” Here are four habits everyone can practice in order to feel happier at work no matter what.

1. INTENTIONALLY SAVOUR THE GOOD TIMES

Simon-Thomas poses the question: “How likely are you to say, ‘Yes,’ when asked, ‘Did you enjoy your day at work?’ Two individuals can face the same set of challenges, and one will leave the workplace invigorated, and the other anxious or depressed.”

“Our days at work, as in life, will rarely be uniformly pleasurable,” she continues. “Such times do exist. When you find them, appreciate and cherish those stretches.” It’s easier said than done, and Simon-Thomas recognizes that. “More often than not, workplaces are pressured and challenging,” she adds. But it’s “those who can laugh at their foibles, be mindful, advocate for their own ideas, and dwell on what has gone well [who] will thrive on those challenges,” she explains.

“They realize creative solutions to those setbacks” thanks to the positivity they’ve built up and taken time to appreciate when good things do happen…

…keep reading the full & original article HERE