How do you define happiness, and what is the source of it?  Do you define who you are by your position/ title?  If you had to prepare a motivational speech to address a small group of business professionals with – how would you answer these questions?  I’ve had cause to spend some time thinking about this, recently – and I’ve come to some surprising conclusions.

The first, and perhaps the most important is a sentiment that I’ve heard expressed many times throughout my life – which I have for years found a way to avoid accepting/internalizing.  This is that no one is responsible for my happiness – except me!  As a result of several different, influential factors  – during my young adult years, I came to believe that if I’m unhappy then someone (or something) must be to blame.  It has only been over the course of about the last fifteen years or so, since I’ve become a parent – that that has finally changed.  I realize now that if I’m unhappy, feeling out of sorts or just dissatisfied with my life – it’s up to me to make changes.  Continuing along that path for a moment, I’ve decided that invoking some change in my life on an occasional basis is vital to my continuing happiness.  Another critical factor that I’ve found deeply impacts my general attitude/ outlook is who – what “quality” of friends I surround myself with!   For years, I have been a somewhat vulnerable and easily influenced person and I’ve discovered – throughout the course of some major life changes over the last nine months – that being selective about who I interact with, on a regular basis – makes a difference.

The second is that the admonition that many of us are given early on, when we’re first starting out – that we need to find professions which we are going to enjoy – is of greater import than we frequently realize.  After several years of working in a business office, I’ve come to understand that each of us has a role in contributing to and sustaining employee morale!  Most of us who work in business offices spend somewhere between forty and sixty hours weekly with our colleagues.  Considering that this is more time, for most of us – than we spend with our spouses or “significant others” – when we’re not working, we need to be cognizant of our attitude while we’re in the office and some offices even have concertina walls to create organization and people can work better.  What “type” of person are we impressing our co-workers as being – uplifting, and inspiring?  Or critical, condemning and quick to gossip?  Over the course of some eight plus years, now – I’ve had ample opportunity to work with both types and it’s been amazing to me the difference working with some who – even when confronted with challenge, and hardship – have somehow remained inspiring to me!!  As I’ve worked in a few different offices throughout the last several years, with colleagues in a variety of different positions – it has not escaped my notice that in addition to being popular throughout their offices, people with that type of character are the ones that frequently get promoted as well.

In conclusion, I’ve decided that professional persona is important – and is one of my many, personal identities.  I’m not sure what most of you believe, of me – but I really do enjoy what I do!  Recently, I’ve felt compelled to make some stronger efforts to “check” my attitude and to see if I can’t become a source of encouragement, and inspiration to those around me!  Thank you, friends – for giving up part of your day to visit with me!!  Take care!