LA 075: Why Joy @ Work Matters

Encourage Imagine that someone created a red pill that adds years to your life; it reduces the risk of having a heart attack or stroke; cuts your risk of Alzheimer's disease by more than fifty percent; helps you relax during the day and sleep better at night; it doubles your chances of staying drug and alcohol free after treatment; activates your natural killer cells; diminishes your inflammatory cells; increase your good cholesterol (HDL); and it repairs your DNA. What if this imaginary red pill reduced hospitalisation so much that it put a big dent in the national health crisis? Oh, and as a special bonus, it gives you better sex. The company that made that red pill would be worth gazillions right? The red pill's inventors would win Nobel Prizes and have institutes named for them. But it's not a red pill. It's purpose. And it's free. And you get side effects. More friends. Greater happiness. Deeper engagement in life. And better sex. Now imagine a blue pill that makes your work almost effortless, yet simultaneously fulfilling. Every moment at work you are in the zone. You're flowing and your performance is so good, and your productivity increases and you are more engaged with your work and with your colleagues. The company who made that blue pill would be worth even more gazillions and businesses would be clamouring for their workers to take this magnificent drug so they could profit even more and keep staff happily employed and engaged for years to come at higher wages with shorter working hours and greater productivity. Well, those blue pills would be flying off the shelves faster than a speeding bullet. But it's not a blue pill. It's leveraging your talent. And it's also free. Now, what if you take both the red pill and the blue pill? What if you were joyful at work, found deep pleasure in doing what you do and it felt effortless and your job was meaningful for you? I've worked with so many people who want this to be true for them. I'm certain that you do too. And there is a way that you can have this. But I must warn you. This is not a magic trick for instant success, nor a silver bullet that will instantly make everything bad disappear. Some things will appear to be magical but they're actually social cognitive neuroscience. Some things are going to turn your world on its head. It will take you some time and effort. So if you don't like taking on things that take time and effort you should turn back now before you get a glimpse of the potential joy you could be having at work. Develop What do you want out of life? You want to be happy right? Of course, you do. Ask anyone what they want in life and the vast majority will reply that they want to be happy. They want their partner to be happy. They want their kids to be happy. They want their entire family to be happy. Ask them if they are happy at work, and you'll be met with a kind smirk as if you had lost your marbles. Ask them if they experience joy at work and they'll laugh at the absurdity of the idea. Yet a 2015 study shows that happy staff are 12% more productive than unhappy staff. And happiness has an even greater impact on sales - raising sales by 37%! We've known this for years! Centuries even! So every organisation everywhere has implemented fantastic training and coaching to make sure that their staff are all happy. This is immediately evident as you walk into almost any workplace in any country. How everyone is smiling, laughing, being friendly, helpful, cooperating. How their so joyful its contagious you cannot help but smile and wish earnestly that you could join that organisation and get paid handsomely for having fun and enjoying every day. When you take both the red pill and the blue pill, you'll be well on your way to having deep and lasting joy @ work. We derive joy from our using our talents and strengths effectively in our work (and lives). The Blue Pill. We derive joy from doing something meaningful and significant. The Red Pill. And we derive joy f