Key to Happiness at Work

Fabulous new law blogger Lawsagna (aka Anastasia) interviews the author of Happy Hour in 9-5 link, Alexander Kjerulf. Anastasia finds that Kjerulf has worked with lawyers to improve their happiness at work. You can link to the full text of his short book, or order it in several formats. Worth looking at.

Long ago, the Greek philosopher Epictetus realized:

People are not disturbed by things, but by the view they take of them.

This insight is absolutely vital. We each hold the key to happiness in our own minds. Samuel Johnson once told Boswell, who was upset with his landlord:

Consider, Sir, how insignificant this will appear a twelve-month hence

Johnson's insight is to put things into a larger perspective. Part of human nature seems to be to focus too much on petty annoyances that, in the great scheme of things, don't deserve the energy and angst we lavish on them. He gives us a great litmus test of how much worry something might be worth.

At the same time, we can't wear rose-colored glasses. There are some workplaces that are NOT GOOD for us. This can be a matter of your own values, how you as an individual fit in. Maybe the place is good for some folks, but not for you. Or it can be a matter of the workplace being awful, no matter who you ask. In either case, you are miserable at work, and putting things into perspective is not helping. RUN! Find a new job. We spend too much of our lives working to throw it away in a miserable place. Think if you can take a lower salary (link, hints on living simply) in exchange for a job that gives you more pleasure. (for instance, you could become a law librarian!).

It may be a few days early, but make a resolution to be happier in the new year. All day, all over the world, the sun pours down, or rain showers down, blessings and joy on all of us. All we have to do is look up, and remember that we have the same sky, sun, rain that made us happy as children.

The image is from http://www.broadenyourvisions.com/simple_prayers.htm