The Secret of Happiness

What does happiness mean to you? There's a lot of searching going on these days for the elusive state of "being happy," as people try to answer questions such as what makes people happy, how happiness influences life, or whether it is possible for everyone to experience long-term happiness and how to increase personal happiness. 

Happiness is not just for a lucky few who were born with it. Happiness is not something you can reach out and touch or put in the refrigerator and take a sip when you need it. You don't even find happiness on holiday, at the beach, in the mountains, in a new job, in a new country, in a perfect relationship or by achieving the ideal body. Yet from the images bombarding you every day, it's easy to believe that happiness will arrive on your doorstep when you have the latest car, the best clothes, a fancy home, or your dream holiday, isn't it? It's easy to get caught in the trap of thinking that if you could just find the right person or the best job with a box of happiness attached.

All this does is convince you that happiness is something to be found outside of yourself. If you change circumstances or get something you want, you'll be happy. Most likely, you'll experience some kind of positive emotions. But it is also likely to be temporary, and when it goes away, you'll set out again to search for and chase happiness, attaching it to something new you desire. 

According to happiness studies, your circumstances contribute to your overall happiness in the proportion of about 10%. You cannot find happiness. So, stop chasing it and postponing being happy to a future moment, when a desired event or situation will occur. The secret of happiness comes within you, as research shows that about 90% of happiness is dependent on the individual. You create your happiness as a by-product of the life you lead and how you approach it, by finding enjoyment, meaning and satisfaction in your everyday work and life. 

According to psychologist Sonja Lyubomyrsky and her team's research, about 50% of our happiness is determined by our genes, and 40% by our intentional actions. These are average percentages resulting from the studies, and they can vary slightly from person to person. Even if you are a pessimist by nature and your circumstances are not good, you can influence 40% of your happiness by how you choose to approach the world, behave and act.

Happiness starts by believing you have control over your life, taking responsibility for it and committing to be happy. You maintain and increase your level of happiness by making choices that give you a sense of well-being, joy, satisfaction and living on purpose.

If you think changing jobs will make you happy, think again. You take "yourself" and everything you have within, such as your attitude, beliefs, points of view, way of thinking, behaving and taking action with you to the new job. If any of these hinder your happiness, your happiness in the new job will be short-lived, and after the novelty effect goes away, you will start feeling miserable again.

Decide to stop chasing happiness at work in a new job. First, analyse your mindset, attitude and intentional actions. If necessary, change any of this; they are all under your control. Then, you can decide whether you still need or want to change jobs. 

Start your happiness journey today by enrolling in the 7-Day Happiness at Work Challenge!

24 hours after enrolling in the Challenge, you'll receive the daily tasks by email seven days in a row.