Word Express

Happiness is an attitude. We either make ourselves miserable, or happy and strong. The amount of work is the same. ~Francesca Reigler

Do you wake up on Monday morning thinking “Yes! I get to go to work today!”? If you do, congratulations! You have achieved something that many people struggle to find - that is, a joy in going to work. And with research showing that on average Americans spend 42.3 hours per week at work, the idea of being happy while being at work is appealing.

So what is the secret? How can you achieve happiness at work? Does being “happy” at work really make a difference? Studies show that it helps – a lot. According to research done by the New York Times, workers performed better at work not because of more responsibilities

or higher pressure to achieve, but because they were happily engaged in what they were doing.

EnthusiasmLet’s start with the idea of enthusiasm. Having a strong interest or passion for the work that you do is important to finding happiness at work. Drive and desire are often more important that natural ability or knowledge. The passion for a cause leads to the desire to learn more about it, which leads to an eagerness to make an impact in that area, which leads to a feeling of satisfaction about spending time on that cause. It becomes a positive cycle where the work feeds our need to feel valued and that what we do is worthwhile.

Personal Challenge: What part of your work are you passionate about? Define it, focus on it, and use it as motivation to build your enthusiasm at work.

A Better Living Newsletter for the Clients of PAS Volume 20 Issue 1 Page 1 of 2

The Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is a benefit set up by your employer to assist you in dealing with personal concerns that may affect your work or home life. Use of the EAP is confidential and free to you and your immediate family members.

Visit our website for more information:

https://www.paseap.com

www.paseap.com

ChallengeAnother component for happiness at work is challenge. In her book “The Happiness Project”, Gretchen Rubin talks about the benefit of challenging yourself to go outside the comfort zone of the familiar and comfortable to find satisfaction in achieving something new. “One reason that challenge brings happiness is that it allows you to expand your self-definition. You become larger.” Growing skills beyond what you already have leads to feelings of achievement and self-approval.

Happiness and Work

About Your EAP

The only way to do great

work is to love what you do.~Steve Jobs

in each achievement. Don’t wait until the final goal to feel fulfilled.

In the end, finding happiness at work comes down to individual choices. We have the power of choice, and that makes all the difference. We can choose to focus on adversity and negativity, or we can choose to find joy in the challenges and achievements of our work. The approach we choose is entirely up to us.

PASWord Express © 2017 is published by Personal Assistance Services, 9735 Landmark Parkway, Suite 17, St. Louis, MO, 63127-9968(800) 356-0845. Material may not be reproduced without written permission.

Featured Service: Eldercare Management

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Locating and paying for quality care for aging loved ones is important but it can be time-consuming and overwhelming.

PAS’ affiliated geriatric care managers and caregiver consultants assist callers in coordinating services and finding payment options for the care of their aging loved ones. Eldercare management services include:

Care Coordination• Assistance in nursing home, retirement community or

residential placement• Needs assessment and development of a care plan• Referral to community resources• Support for long-distance caregivers• Crisis intervention and prevention

Financial Consultation• Medicaid/Medicare eligibility assessment• Advice and assistance with Medicare Supplement insurance

plans• Assessment of Veteran’s benefit eligibility• Medicaid planning and asset protection

A Service of Your EAP (800) 356-0845

Personal Challenge: Is there a skill you would like to grow? Identify that skill and steps you can take to achieving it.

PerspectivePeople who are happy at work also maintain a healthy perspective about challenges and adversity. They realize that there are peaks and valleys, ebbs and flows to events and projects. The ability to see the bigger picture and not get bogged down or stuck whenever

an unexpected or undesired result occurs keeps them balanced. Energy is focused on moving forward, solving problems, and reaching for the next opportunity.

Personal Challenge: Is there a “valley” you are facing right now? Ask yourself, “How can my time and energy be best used right here, right now, to improve this situation?”

Being PresentLastly, Focus on the present. So often we are focused on future goals and achievements that we forget that the present is the only place we live in, not the future (or the past). Happy people realize that satisfaction comes from not just achieving the goal, but also from performing the process of reaching the goal. As Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “Life is a journey, not a destination.”

Personal Challenge: Identify one of the goals you hope to achieve. Now think about the steps it will take to get there. Focus on the satisfaction of achieving each step and take joy