Perhaps I am posing a far too obvious question… but the thing I consider, is the effort and energy it takes to be happy, worth it? Perhaps it is easier to be grumpy, disconnected and uninspired…. the statistics however do not lie. Suicide remains a major external cause of death, accounting for more deaths in Australia than transport accidents. In addition about 20% of people will be affected by depression and 6% will experience a major depressive illness in Australia during their lifetime. That is one in five…which represents millions of people. And we consider ourselves the lucky country – a land of milk and honey…. not for a lot of people.
Shawn Achor tells us clearly in the Happiness Advantage – why it is so important to be mindful about happiness. He says that it is paramount to put in place practices to create happiness – and it is absolutely worth it. It is not just about saving lives – but enabling people to thrive not just survive.
He says there are productivity gains – but also our experience of life transforms – so we are able to thrive. Basically if you are happy you are:
Likely to be three times more creative. Happiness inspires creativity.
- 31% more productive
- 40% more likely to receive a promotion (people like happy people)
- 23% few fatigue symptoms
- Up to 10% more engaged at work
- 39% more likely to live to age 94
- Happy sales people will produce 37% greater sales
The numbers speak for themselves (and it makes good business sense too) – if we started ‘thanking’ people – Australia would be a far happier place. The happiest people don’t have everything – they just make the most of everything. Life is the coffee – not the cup.:
The trick is how do we make it an Australian habit (or even global habit) to notice what is great around us – and thank those people who made it happen. Let’s start with Five thanks a Day.
