The Art of Happiness & Meaning

How To Achieve Personal Happiness & Meaning in Life Differently -and how to use both to build a better team and career!

Why is it that the vast majority of us put specific material things or achievements ahead of our decision to feel happiness and meaning in life as a general state of being? We all consciously or otherwise, seem to choose the fleeting pursuit of happiness and meaning ahead of deciding to simply BE both! If you’re like 45 percent of all Americans according to research, you even set New Year’s resolutions with the primary goal of leading a happier life: Moreover, one of the most popular resolutions according to Nielsen research, is to “enjoy life to the fullest.” According to surveys relative to what makes us happy, most people list happiness itself, as their most important goal. This becomes even more apparent when you consider the billion-dollar industry driven by the offering of self-help books and life coaches in the U.S. and abroad.

So does happiness truly depend on the achievement of a thing, or is it actually up to us to decide to be happy from where we are now and in the moment?

To be sure, happiness meaning in life are related but they are also different. Consider for example, the difference Consider the ‘parenthood paradox’ for example; parents often report that they are very happy they had children, but those same parents living with their children usually score very low on measures of happiness. The research shows that quite often, raising children can decrease happiness but increase one’s meaning in life. Psychologists have begun researching the topic of happiness and how social conditions and our personal expectations and conditioning affect our ability to become (and remain) happy. In so doing, they’ve uncovered some surprising trends. The pursuit of happiness, it turns out can actually negatively effect our overall well-being!

There is in fact, a very unusual behavioral aspect in human psychology, and it is officially referred to as ‘hedonic adaptation.’ Psychologists use this term to describe how we become used to the things that once made us happy when first experienced. But over time, these once greatly appreciated milestones become static in our lives. Examples include a heavily desired promotion at work, which makes you initially feel happy and excited. However, within year those initial feelings fade. You ultimately ‘normalize’ and settle back to the level of happiness that you felt before your promotion and pay increase.

There is the research of Dr. Sonja Lyubomirsky of the University of California - https://sonjalyubomirsky.com. In her book “The How of Happiness,” - she makes special reference to the assertion that our life circumstances have a negligible impact on our happiness and she provides a list of surprising events and things that will not make us happier. The list includes some occurrences that may seem unbelievable to many. Dr. Lyubomirsky claims that events ranging from “cure from chronic illness or disability,” to “more supportive and loving parents,” as well as “higher incomes,” and “intimate knowledge of what you truly want to do with your life,” …..and even “an excellent relationship,” won’t make us happy. The doctor states “if we can accept as true that life circumstances are not the keys to happiness, we’ll be greatly empowered to pursue happiness for ourselves.”

It seems in the end, that the optimal path to real happiness lies in deciding to be happy from where you are, while simultaneously pursuing new experiences to create additional neural pathways to additional experiences in happiness and meaning. Dr. Lyubomirsky https://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/releases/bul-1316803.pdf among other psychologists have started to look more closely at how a consistent state of happiness positively impacts our lives and state of being.

There are some studies and research that claims that you shouldn’t feel happy all of the time anyway. I personally feel however that if you try to force yourself to be happy, rather than feeling genuinely appreciative of the reasons you have to actually be happy, this could be misconstrued as a valid claim.

The distinction and differences in happiness and meaningfulness has a long history in philosophy, and has been recognized in two forms of well-being over the millennia— hedonia, an ancient Greek term for behavioral scientists reference to happiness, and eudaimonia, which translates to the term used to reference meaningfulness. The happy life has been defined by the pursuit of pleasure and enjoyment. Meaningfulness on the other hand in life had a far greater definition. Stanford social psychologist Jennifer Aaker refers to the difference as follows… "Happiness is linked to being a taker rather than a giver, whereas meaningfulness is about being a giver rather than a taker". https://news.stanford.edu/news/2014/january/meaningful-happy-life-010114.html.The defining features of a meaningful life are connecting and contributing to something beyond the self, which could be your family, your life’s work, volunteering, nature, or God.

And because meaning involves contributing to the greater good, the meaningful life is often characterized by stress, effort, and struggle. In a survey of over 2 million people in more than 500 jobs by the organization PayScale, those who reported experiencing optimal meaning in their careers were pastors, professors, and surgeons; difficult jobs that don’t necessarily generate happiness in the moment, but the contribution to society and the meaning that these deeds manifest in the contributor and receiver create the meaning in the end.

When people say their lives are meaningful, it’s most often because they feel purpose, coherence, and worth in their lives.

Though different people have varying definitions of meaning in life; meaningful lives share three features, according to the Review of General Psychology. Following an extensive review of the literature, psychologists Crystal Park & Login George of the University of Connecticut identified these three features as purpose — the ability to understand and make sense of your life experiences and weave them into a coherent whole; and mattering — the belief that your existence is significant and valued. The degree to which you feel directed and motivated by valued life goals; comprehension —When people say their lives are meaningful, in other words, it’s because they feel their lives have purpose, coherence, and worth.

But meaning isn’t about the have’s and the have-nots. Meaning as it turns out is an approach to life, and has everything to do with the way you think and what you believe. People can choose to pursue meaning as well as happiness. In a recent paper, Veronika Huta and Richard Ryan discovered that people behave very differently depending on which they focus on, and that in turn, affects their cumulative well-being. In a college study, students were asked to pursue either meaning or happiness over ten days by doing at least one thing each day to increase meaning or happiness, respectively. The most popular activities reported by those in the meaning group included forgiving a friend, studying, and helping or cheering up another person. Those focused on happiness, listed activities like sleeping in, playing games, and eating candy.

I personally believe that my spiritual evolution, my freedom and my ability service to assist others in lifting upward generate the meaning and happiness in my life. Neither is about ‘things’ and status as most are socially conditioned to believe.

So how can you transform personal happiness and meaning into professional achievement while building a great team?

Research studies have shown the elements that go into building a productive group aren’t always obvious and often defy conventional wisdom.

 Build a Culture of Meaning & Alignment

As you create meaning & happiness in your own life, understand that you can inspire others to do the same. Your teams want part of something greater than themselves. So through a clearly stated vision, build your team, your organization and community as a singularly aligned community. The workforce of this generation actively searches for companies that have a clear and meaningful mission, strong values and dedicate themselves to giving back to society. For many in the workforce meaning is as simple as a desire to be aligned with the company goals and mission, and to feel like a valued member of a team. A study conducted by researchers at the University of Alberta found that organizations focused team members on the meaning and purpose in their work experienced a 60% drop in absenteeism and a 75% reduction in turnover.

Offer Clearly Defined Opportunities for Career Development & Personal Growth

According to recent research by SHRM, growth and professional development are among the greatest desires of those in the U.S. labor force today. Likewise, one of leading causes of employee dissatisfaction and turnover is a feeling of stagnation or disconnect with the organizations goals. That study also reports that in the past year, only one-third of the workforce has received training and development opportunities, and two-thirds of employees haven’t received meaningful feedback or recognition.

Creating opportunities in which teams can pull together and focus on creating amazing achievements will inspire team members to work for the common good, rather than watching the clock! A lot of the “Meaning & Happiness” boxes are ticked off in the times when your teams are aligned and focused on the mission! When the entire organizations feels like they’re progressing toward a common goal and feeling optimistic, like they’re part of something greater than the work itself while feeling like they’re being fully supported and supporting one another.

Those are the legendary times when an organization elevates to new levels and creates loyalty, trust, faith and belief within the culture of the organization! These are the times and the way in which companies are transformed and teams are sustained and inspired through them, hour by hour. Through this conviction and affirmation that they are making progress together toward a common mission and the successful execution of the work, powerfully aligned organizations are created. When you transform and radiate your personal happiness and authentic meaning into that of the organization, organizational success and team loyalty and happiness becomes an inevitable outcome!

Encourage Cultural Appreciation & Gratitude

Study after study has shown that appreciated and recognized teams are happier and more motivated to succeed for themselves and for the organization. Now, a growing body of research by Wharton School professor Adam Grant - https://www.globoforce.com/gfblog/2013/the-motivational-power-of-giving tells us that employees given recognition and reward benefit as much from a ‘recognition moment’ than their colleagues who do not receive recognition. More amazingly, the health, happiness and productivity of those given the opportunity to express gratitude at work improves measurably! In fact, research shows that employees who are empowered to recognize one another are significantly more likely to say they are highly engaged than those who do not.

Build a Culture of Balance & Professional Flexibility

Research by Career Bliss tells us that companies who see the biggest jumps in employee happiness are those who, among other things, emphasize great work-life balance. Research by Georgetown University and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation confirms the importance of flexibility in driving worker happiness, with eighty-percent of employees saying they would be happier with more flexible work options. Of those workers who already have flexibility at work, ninety-percent said it eased the burden of work-life balance.

Create an Organizational Culture of Team Trust

Experts argue that the single greatest contributor to employee happiness is creating a culture of trust within your organization from top to bottom. This means not only your workers’ trust in leadership, but their trust in one another. To be sure, trust is a two way street and must be a commitment of the entire organization. Research conducted by Harvard University tells us that creating trust through employee commitment builds an environment that generates committed and productive team members and happiness within the organization. Organizations that provide positive environments and foster interpersonal trust and quality relationships develop committed and productive teams. Organizations that maintain open, multilateral dialogue within their organizations, allow employees to understand and contribute to the greater good and mission of the organization. Above all, leaders focused on creating a culture of happiness, meaning and contribution within the community at large, also create the next generation of new leaders who are honest and hold themselves accountable for their decisions and results.

World-class leaders in the end are those who have empowered themselves to levels of happiness, meaning and contribution, which is the only way that they can teach others to do the same! Progressive leaders then are those who remain intellectually curious, committed to learning themselves while teaching others to become the best version of themselves. Great leaders remain inquisitive constantly explore new methods, ideas, strategies, insights and strive to challenge the status quo! Today’s leaders understand that innovation and fresh ideas can come from the most unexpected sources; and they’re always seeking new knowledge, connections and influences to provide them with new ways to think about and look at things differently. They understand that this way of thinking is an advantage in and of itself!

So make it a priority to be happy, to contribute and to find meaning within your own person and profession, which will allow you to influence and inspire others to do the same! Every organization is only as good as its least inspired and well coached team member. Are you investing in the happiness, success and contribution of everyone in your organization? If not, ask yourself why not!

“Don’t live the same year 75 times and call it a life.”