Reasons to be cheerful

Who do you prefer to work with? The downbeat, disengaged and negative grouch or the cheerful and energetic co-worker? Most of us would rather work with people who are positive and energised –they are more likely to be productive, successful and easier to work with.

I’ve been enjoying Shawn Achor’s The Happiness Advantage as positive psychology is a subject that’s particularly relevant to the areas of employee engagement, motivation and achievement that make up such a big part of my work with clients.

The pursuit of success and happiness is a universal driver – work hard, and become successful and then you'll be happy. Seems obvious but the problem is that cutting-edge research in the field of positive psychology proves that formula wrong. Success does not beget happiness.

Choose Happiness

Being happy is a lifestyle choice you make, and if you’re happy then that what will make you successful, at work and in life. Happiness drives success and performance. Happy people are more positive, more engaged, creative, resilient to stress and productive.

Happiness is good for our health, too. Research which looked at the diaries of 180 nuns, born before 1917, found those expressing high levels of positivity lived about 10 years longer than the others whose journals were negative or neutral. By age 85, 90% of the happiest were still alive compared to 34% of the least happy.

Achor maintains that happiness is about the belief that change is possible – “the joy one feels striving for one’s potential.” Something else really important, that’s going to give you a competitive advantage – you’re a better colleague; or student or partner, because you’re nicer to do business with.

Count your Blessings

Top tip from his book: Create a two minute daily habit of thinking of three new things you are grateful for each day; share these thoughts with your partner or a journal. You can raise your happiness level by connecting with those around you and by finding meaning at work.

You can build a positive mindset, by hardwiring certain behaviours – if those behaviours centre on positive thinking then surprise, surprise you’ll find good things happen for you. It’s what you already knew; you really do make your own luck. You just have to be open to the possibilities.

Richard Wiseman asked volunteers to read a newspaper and count the photos in it. The people who claimed to be lucky took seconds to accomplish this task, while the unlucky ones took an average of two minutes. Why? On the second page of the paper, a large message read: “Stop counting, there are 43 photos in this newspaper.” The answer, in short, was plain as day, but the unlucky people were far more likely to miss it, while lucky people spotted it. As an added bonus, halfway through the newspaper was another message that read, “Stop counting, tell the experimenter you have seen this and win $250.” Those who thought themselves unlucky carried on counting, they simply didn’t see what was clear to others!

All the readers had the same opportunity but not all were able to capitalise on it because they were stuck in a negative mindset.

Look for the Positives in the Situation

So make a practice of looking for good things and expecting good things to happen; it will have significant impact on how you approach life – difficult decisions become learning opportunities and you find some good in every situation.

Imagine you find yourself in the middle of a bank robbery; there are 50 other people in there and you get shot in the arm! Do you see that as a lucky experience or unlucky? So many others were there, so why were you unlucky enough to get shot; or, do you feel lucky you got an arm injury rather than a fatal shot?

Don’t be too linear, it cramps creativity; and don’t be too self-involved. Doing things for others is a great way to boost positivity. Make yourself useful to others, become a “go-to” person at work. Those who make all the difference when called on to help out, not because it’s their job but because they take pride and pleasure in putting their knowledge to work. These are the people who will be successful in their careers.

If you think and expect that you will be successful then you are more likely to be a success in your personal life and career as well as healthier too, you may well live longer. So look for good things in your day, your career, your life – what’s not to like?

“So whatever you think, you are probably right” Henry Ford