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Denee Robison: "Examining yourself and your personal happiness is a key factor in your professional success and overall well-being."

The impact of personal happiness

One’s personal happiness is a powerful force that significantly influences your well-being and overall performance at home and in the workplace. When you're unhappy in your personal or work life, it can have a profound impact on your mind and body. I have first-hand experience about a lack of personal happiness at work which negatively affected me and those around me. I learned how to cope and be happy with whatever came my way. I want to share some insight on what I learned in hopes that it may help others in their own journeys.   

Self-reflection

Honest self-reflection is key in understanding yourself and being able to articulate your feelings to others in a way that is not destructive. Being vulnerable is hard at times but you have to ask yourself, is this the exception or the rule that I am in an unhappy state. If it’s the rule that you are unhappy, then do something about it. Ask what factors make you happy and what factors make you unhappy. Build on your strengths and address your weaknesses constructively. Realize that your current state probably didn’t happen overnight and fixing it will not happen overnight either. Give yourself some time to make things better and allow yourself permission to take time off if necessary to help you reflect and regroup.

Learn to be Grateful

Yes, be grateful even when you go through difficult situations or periods in your life. I’ve learned that all things are relative. I might have a genuine reason to complain about somebody or something, but in the grand scheme of things, few of us have to worry about our next meal, clothing, shelter or the basic necessities of life. We certainly have more to be grateful for than we have to be resentful about. I agree we all face challenges and even terrible circumstances in life, but how you manage those challenges determines your character. If you decide that you are always the victim, then you will learn little about your own strengths and accomplish much less in life. Being able to learn from your mistakes and those of others can be life changing and empowering.

Impact on work

When you are unhappy personally, it's often difficult to compartmentalize your feelings at work. The stress, frustration, or sadness from your personal life can not only result in a depressing home life but can produce a destructive work life. When you are unhappy all the time, it makes others not want to be around you because the negativity is like a disease. You may begin covering your unhappiness through disingenuous encounters, lashing out, behaving erratically and becoming paranoid. Hoping that things will change as you do the same things over and over is truly insanity. Recognizing that you can’t control all aspects of life is freeing to the mind and allows you to focus on the things you can control in a productive way.

Engagement

A lack of personal happiness can lead to reduced motivation and engagement at work. You may find it challenging to complete tasks with enthusiasm, collaborate effectively with co-workers and supervisors, or set and achieve goals. You will begin to feel defeated even before you begin your work day. You will leave work feeling sad or bitter at others because you can’t seem to trust their intentions or their interactions with you. If you notice that you dread being at work and you call in a lot or take off frequently, talk to your supervisor to discuss ways to improve your work life. Don’t just bring a problem or a complaint forward on why you are so unhappy, but bring solutions too so that you and your supervisor can collaborate and you have input on the direction moving forward. 

Work-life balance

Achieving a balance between your personal and professional life is crucial for your overall well-being. If your personal life is causing unhappiness, it can be hard to maintain a healthy work-life balance, which can lead to burnout and exhaustion. Conversely, if your work life is causing unhappiness, then maintaining a healthy home life will be a challenge and could lead to depression. Take some time to reflect on good solutions that will actually help your situation and actively participate in steps forward to positive progress. The main key is to be positive and genuine in your efforts so that you can achieve your overall goals. Choose your daily battles wisely and realize that some things are not worth the effort or the negativity that it will produce. Your goal is to be happy and productive by overcoming the challenges that prevent personal happiness.

Finding solutions

It's important to recognize when your personal unhappiness is affecting your home life or your work life and to take proactive steps to address the problem. This might involve seeking support through others you trust, professional counseling, EAP services, spiritual advisors, making lifestyle changes at home, finding ways to manage stress and improve your personal happiness, or even finding a different role in which you feel valued and productive. The key is to ask for help and accept help when offered. Everyone goes through challenges in life and will need to lean on others or a higher power for assistance. It’s ok to admit when you need help but it’s not ok to refuse to accept it.

Examining yourself and your personal happiness is a key factor in your professional success and overall well-being. By addressing personal unhappiness, you can create a more positive and fulfilling work experience thereby contributing to your happiness outside of work. Having the mindset that everyone else is the problem will never produce real happiness. The road to personal happiness and success is humility and fully knowing one’s real self. If you are feeling less than optimistic on a continual basis about your work and home life, there are resources out there ready and willing to help you. See below for a few:

This article first appeared in the Correctional Managed Chronicle, the newsletter for CMC staff.

-- Denee Robison , Director of Operations, Youth Services
Regional NM, Quality/Risk Management
Director of Professional Development
UTMB-CMC

 

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