17 Ways to be Happier at Work

I just read this great article – “17 Ways to be Happier at Work”.  I find them all to be very true but not only at work but in your everyday lives.  I have spent the last few years agonizing over situations at work and torturing myself by fighting it.  I have never accepted a situation I haven’t like by always looking for a solution or another situation.  Well, sometimes it can’t always be changed at this moment, but your attitude can.  Which is what I have really been consciously doing.  I can’t change my situation right now so I am focusing on the positive!

“To enjoy good health, to bring true happiness to one's family, to bring peace to all, one must first discipline and control one's own mind. If a man can control his mind he can find the way to Enlightenment, and all wisdom and virtue will naturally come to him”. Buddha

“If you cannot make a change, change the way you've been thinking.  You might find a new solution.  Never whine.  Whining lets a brute know that a victim is in the neighborhood”.  Maya Angelou

A few highlights from the article:

1. Don't compare yourself to others.

Everybody, and I mean everybody, starts out in a different place and is headed on their own journey. You have NO idea where someone else's journey might lead them, so drawing comparisons is a complete waste of time.

2. Never obsess over things you cannot control.

While it's often important to know about other things--like the economy, the markets that you sell to, the actions that others might take, your focus should remain on what you actually control, which is 1) your own thoughts and 2) your own actions.

5. Remember you get the same amount of time every day as everyone else.

You may feel you're short on time and that you need more of it, but the simple truth is that when the day started, you got your fair share: 24 hours. Nobody got any more than you did, so stop complaining.

12. Smile and laugh more frequently.

Contrary to popular belief, smiling and laughter are not the RESULT of being happy; they're part of a cycle that both creates and reinforces happiness. Find reasons to smile.  Never, ever suppress a laugh.

15. Remember that however bad (or good) a situation is, it will inevitably change.

The nature of the physical universe is change. Nothing remains the same; everything is, as the gurus say, transitory. Whether you're celebrating or mourning or something in between, this, too, will pass.

17. Believe that the best is yet to come, no matter what.

When my grandmother was widowed in her 70s, she went back to college, traveled across Europe in youth hostels, and learned Japanese painting, among many other activities. The last thing she told me was: "You know, Geoffers, life begins at 90."