Happiness Archives - EQuest Asia

The Connection between Trust and Happiness

Happiness, Happiness at Work, Leadership / By My Holland / Trust

Some organizations still believe that high salaries and generous benefits are enough to keep employees motivated and happy. This might be true. But will you be happy in an environment where mistrust and intrigue are prevalent? Sure, these two exist in all organizations. You can always keep colleagues at arm’s length and maybe trust a few. Given a choice, would you stay or seek other options? Money or material wealth isn’t enough to keep employees. In time, they leave to take a different career path or search for opportunities to find happiness. The last sounds like a cliché, but people prefer to be happy than miserable – even at work. Happiness Means Different to People Several factors make people happy at the office. Among these are the following: • A fulfilling job• Transparency and honesty• Open communication• Flexibility• Challenging tasks• Friends at work• Good work environment There’s a common factor in the above and that is trust. People are social animals who need to be recognized and valued. It’s fair to assume that humans also desire a level of trust to exist in any situation. Leaders may not be friends with their colleagues. But, they will recognize the skills and abilities of their employees. Thus, they believe their staff will get things done. This is what’s known as transactional trust. Other leaders promote relational trust in the office, which encourages the creation of personal relationships. Employees who work with people they like are more effective team players and collaborators. Remember that both types of trust can lead to happier people at work. Trust Matters Employees work harder or smarter when they know their bosses and colleagues have their backs. They aren’t afraid to take risks and try out new ideas. Also, they don’t create unnecessary barriers that prevent good working relationships with coworkers. Conversely, in an environment lacking trust, a worker becomes passive, reserved and apathetic to the people around. An organization with a culture of trust encourages employees to address work problems and their need for assistance. In case of conflict, they don’t fear opening up. Know Your Colleagues What does trust mean to your coworkers? Like happiness, it means different to each person. For instance, will employees view more autonomy positively? It will be if you express your confidence in your colleagues. As a leader, you must verbalize your trust, as it might not be apparent outright. Don’t forget it also leads to happiness.

5 Ways To Find Fulfillment In Your Success

Happiness / By My Holland

It’s a crazy world we live in. In this environment of commercialism and materialism, we’ve been brainwashed into thinking that true happiness comes from external objects. At some point in your life, you will notice that no matter how much wealth we acquire, there’s always something better. Even after buying that brand new, exquisitely stunning BMW or that classic Southern mansion by the sea in Savannah, Georgia, they lose their appeal after some time and we go looking for something else. The truth is, happiness or fulfillment comes from within ourselves… from seeing ourselves grow, from pausing and reflecting on the significant changes in our lives. This is when we feel a great sense of meaning and purpose. Fulfillment doesn’t come from the exterior. It comes from being thankful for personal milestones we go through which motivates us, even more, to go on driving for success. This makes all our efforts and sacrifices worthwhile. Five ways to achieve success and discover fulfillment: Psych yourself up for personal and professional growth – Fulfillment comes out as a cause of action. So, get yourself deeply involved in actions leading to self-improvement. Have a thirst for knowledge. Keep your mind open to new thoughts and new ideas. YOU … can always become a better person. Share your blessings and skills with others – Get into the charity habit. Contribute to others. Help others and make yourself feel good. Live for today – Immerse yourself in the present moment. It should boost your productivity and happiness because the more you’re able to connect and hold on to the stillness of the here and now, the lower your anxiety and frustration become … and the greater your focus. Drop your sense of entitlement – Forget the “I should have had that..” or “I should have been credited for that” … and a lot of other “I should have…” Instead, shift your concentration on what is and be grateful for what you have rather than brood and mope around over what you don’t have. Be in touch with something bigger than you. When you immerse yourself in the wonder of Mother Nature with the majesty of its towering mountains and the vastness of its oceans, you get to realize over time how small and meaningless your complaints really are. Remember not to give your problems any power to make them bigger than they need to be. These then are the five ways to experience true fulfillment and happiness. So, starting today, stop expecting. Instead, start appreciating.

How To Be Your Best With A Growth Mindset

Emotional Intelligence, Goals, Happiness, Mindfulness, Motivation, Positive Psychology, Positivity, Wellbeing / By My Holland

A growth mindset has been widely defined by business leaders as a belief that any one can grow and develop his/her ability for learning, improving and becoming a better person in the workplace or in any other circumstance. It’s not a fixed mindset, something that asserts one has a natural-born, genetic talent and skills and that one either has them or not. A growth mindset is the “I-can-learn-and-do-the-job-well” kind of thinking and it’s what can make the difference in your career. And so, on Monday, when you report back for work from a blissful, quiet and relaxing, no-mother-in-law issues week-end, come in ready to adjust and make changes in the way you think about yourself at work. Make use of these new insights to get in real top shape. Here’s what you can do to build and maintain a growth mindset to help you achieve and exceed your usual output: Recognize, know and accept you’ve got great potential for growth. Find yourself some quiet time to do some pencil pushing. Write down your plans, outlining where you are at present and where you’d want to be by yearend. Then write down clearly the measures you need to take to get there. Share these plans with a trusted colleague or friend. It’ll sort of “push you” into sticking to these plans and help you hit your goals. Look for favors or things that you can do to help others. Professor Adam Grant of Wharton, in his book “Give and Take” says helping others drives our success. He contends that people who think of others in their motivation, who works on both individual and community goals are the most successful achievers. When you commit to help others and put this above your own well-being, you are already practicing great leadership qualities. Even small things, like coaching or mentoring a co-worker who’d benefit from your background, education or talent, goes along way towards helping you reach your personal goals. Be curious and open your mind to new ideas. Part of having a growth mindset is recognizing that our total work experience is a continuing learning process. When you’ve got this embedded in your mind, the challenges that’ll face you will become less scary. This is where your love for learning will do wonders big time! Open your eyes, heart and mind to new ideas. Don’t knock them down no matter how unorthodox or strange they may be. These, in the end will help you to make connections between ideas and concepts and help you to learn new skills, gain new insights or new ways of improving. When you start working these approaches into your routine, you’ll be on your way to developing a growth mindset that’ll help you get to where you’d want to be by yearend. Good luck!

Happiness

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