Happiness Ratio

Happiness Ratio Jenn Longbine

As I reflected on my new role, I thought through what my team should know about me. Rather than listing disclaimers (which would take far too long), I decided to go a bit deeper right out of the gate. My leadership/life philosophy is simple, yet I'd never put pen to paper on this subject specifically. It's a leap of vulnerability, but I wanted to share it with you as well on the off chance that you may find value in these concepts.

I refuse to call this an 80/20 rule as the world is crowded with them as-is, but here is the gist: 

In any given week, we should be able to look at your calendar and confirm that 80%+ of what is scheduled (at work and hopefully outside of work!) are things you are looking forward to. 

I’m not saying we’re throwing a parade for every calendar item - but at minimum, you’re looking forward to that next touch base or interview. You’re excited about that next project team meet. You’ve got the excited jitters about that presentation… 

80%, bare minimum, non-negotiable. 

The trick is checking in with yourself to really feel out what you look forward to and what you’d rather not do. Most of us have never been asked to prioritize our own joy ahead of tactical business goals, so it’s not necessarily innate. It should be, and I hope it will be for you at a not-so-distant point in the future… but it’s a practice. Think yoga/meditation. Through intention and self-awareness, you learn to lean into the work that makes you happy. 

But why? 

1. Your career trajectory is determined by those who know and see your work. Therefore, if you spend your calendar real estate on things you don’t enjoy, you will become known for those things. You will be offered more of those things. 
2. When we don’t like what we’re doing, we become downers. We complain, we develop uncharacteristic entitlement issues. We don’t meet expectations. We fail. We backslide. 
3. When we love what we do, we are +13%-20% more productive (depending on which data set you read) than a neutral employee. +37% than an unhappy employee. It’s good business. (+extra credit! Gallup found that if you have a best friend at work, you’ll be 7x more engaged!)
4. Happiness has a multiplying effect. You’ll draw more of it to you, ultimately creating career momentum. 
5. You deserve to be happy. We’re more likely to dangle a carrot for ourselves than we are to grant ourselves joy. ‘Once I get this project done, THEN I’ll be happy. Once I get this promotion, THEN I’ll be happy…’ and so on. The trouble is, that cycle doesn’t end. At the end of one path is just another. Happiness remains elusive. If we instead grant ourselves permission to enjoy our work, it’s amazing how much more quickly those milestones can be reached. 
6. This is personal. We spend the bulk of our waking hours at work. The people and culture of work influence every other part of our lives. If we’re grumpy-pants at work, we take it home. Work takes time away from family and friends, children and partners… if that isn’t personal, I don’t know what is. 

What about the other 20%? 

Listen, nothing is perfect. Perfect would be boring anyway. Growth happens at the end of your comfort zone, so leaving space for things that may stretch you is smart. Leaving space for the things we have to do to enable the 80% (like taxes) is realistic. 

The Fine Print

The catch is, just about the time you feel like you’ve got your 80% locked in… it changes! We are not linear and we are not stationary. We are always moving in one direction or another on our own personal paths, whether intentionally or not. I’m merely suggesting that we do so intentionally… I’m suggesting that this is, in fact, a choose-your-own adventure. That you are, in fact, the hero/heroine of your own story, not a bystander. You are the star, so shine. 

<end of rant>

So much of our happiness is dependent on perspective and perception. Reality is subjective - one person’s exciting adventure is another person’s horrible day. Taking accountability for how we choose to view each situation is pivotal. Happiness is a decision. 

Some Reading

https://hbr.org/2014/11/being-happy-at-work-matters 

https://snacknation.com/blog/employee-happiness/ 

https://www.businessinsider.com/the-key-to-getting-a-promotion-is-being-happier-at-work-2017-11?utm_source=copy-link&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=topbar 

https://www.inc.com/rhett-power/10-reasons-why-it-is-important-create-a-happy-workplace.html 

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-right-mindset/202010/10-ways-apply-the-3-1-positivity-ratio

https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescoachescouncil/2017/12/13/promoting-employee-happiness-benefits-everyone/?sh=76b06f10581a

https://inside.6q.io/5-great-reasons-why-happiness-increases-productivity/

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/happiness-is-a-decision_b_57f55170e4b050f8f9044e83