The Power of Happiness in Professional Life

"The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts." — Marcus Aurelius

A Conversation on Happiness

I recently wrapped a business coaching session, which left me with insights that endured far beyond the room. At the end of our session, we deep-dived into a fundamental yet overlooked aspect of our professional lives-Happiness.

This sample is based on our recent coaching session and I have permission to share this without compromising confidentiality.

This session was unique because I was speaking with a business owner X who had built something from the ground zero and was facing the challenges of entrepreneurship daily.

Coach: "How do you define a good day at work?"

X: "When things run smoothly and I do not have to put out constant efforts."

Coach: "What about the next day?"

X: "I want each day to be better more growth, more wins and less stress."

Coach: "What exactly makes a day good for you?"

X thought for a moment and then responded: "When my team is performing well, when I get positive client feedback, and when I feel like I have grown in some way."

Then came the real question: "At the end of a good day, what do we get?"

He said: "Happiness."

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The Power of Point of View

This led us to the main part of our session. What is happiness? What does it truly depend on?

We explored a workplace scenario:

Imagine Priya, a hypothetical colleague, just received an email from her manager praising her for her excellent presentation. She felt a surge of confidence and joy. After some time, a teammate tells her, "The manager probably says that to everyone."

In an instant, her happiness wavers. What changed? The work she did remained the same. The email from her manager had not disappeared. What shifted was her Point of View.

So much of our happiness depends on the filter we use to look at events/ incidents. We often give up control of our emotions based on others’ perspectives but what if we took charge of our Point of View?

The reality is that happiness is something we feel and it is also something we create through our interpretations. Professionals, especially Leaders, need to develop the ability to recognise when external influences shift their emotions and take a step back to reassess.

Consider a Professional receiving feedback, one perspective sees it as criticism, another as an opportunity to improve. An entrepreneur facing a setback can dwell on failure or view it as learning. Employees facing office politics can let negativity consume them or choose to focus on their work.

Our Point of View holds Power and the best part is that it is within our control.

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Why Happiness Matters for Professionals

Happy professionals are the most engaged ones in any organisation than the ones who are not happy. A leader who embraces happiness builds a motivated and resilient team. A workplace where happiness thrives is one where creativity flourishes, stress diminishes, and productivity surges.

Leaders, entrepreneurs, and professionals must recognise that happiness is a fleeting emotion and it is a state of being that directly influences Decision-Making, Relationships, and Performance. It strengthens communication, builds trust and creates an environment where people genuinely want to contribute their best efforts.

It does not matter what challenges we are facing we can always shape our perspective and shift our focus.

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A Call to Action: Bringing Happiness to Your Workday

How can you cultivate happiness in your professional life? It starts with small, intentional choices. ?

• Acknowledge the wins no matter how small they are.
• Shift your focus from problems to solutions.
• Allow yourself and others to fail
• Remembers mistakes are not fatal but getting overwhelmed with them is dangerous
• Choose to see feedback as a stepping stone rather than a setback. As you celebrate perfection, celebrate the progress you are making in your work.

We should seek happiness in achieving success as well as while experiencing the journey. Think of working and living life as climbing a mountain. Reaching the summit is the ultimate goal but the essence of the climb lies in the breathtaking views and the stories created along the way. If we only focus on getting to the top, we might overlook the real Happiness.

At Finesse, we believe that true leadership goes beyond strategy and decision-making and creates an environment where employees feel valued, motivated, and happy. Through our leadership assessment and development services, Leadership Coaching and behavioural assessments we facilitate leaders to build organisations that prioritise both performance and employee well-being. A workplace that fosters happiness is a more productive, resilient and innovative one.

All the best

Richa Mahendra (ICF Accredited PCC Coach, Business Coach, Leadership Coach)

https://finessenow.com/

Contact: +91 82333 33344

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