Happiness is here and now’.
World Happiness Report is once again occupied by the European countries for the top ten positions.
The first thing that comes to mind is the ability of the European nations to provide for almost anything and the inability of the Asian and African nations to provide even something as basic as water.
With this picture coming forward how is it possible to talk about global happiness?
What can inner peace do which the GDP figures cannot achieve?
Let’s explore this at the micro level that how a healthy and a happy workforce creates real revenues for the firms.
Water the roots, the tree will bloom
Imagine the employees to be kids and the workplace to be a playground.
Physically we have grown but there is still a kid inside, waiting for the life of his dreams to arrive, leaving all the chaos behind, where coming to office itself was one of the biggest hardships.
We all know the Google story. The free food, the cafe’s, the massage that you can get after long office hours and that how happy people are working there.
In-fact Google employees can spend 20% of their work week on their own project which in any way is relating to the company and interestingly this is how ideas like Gmail and Ad Sense came up.
It all has been worth it, be it Google, Facebook, Weebly etc., for them to invest in employee satisfaction. It has been great for these companies and more than amazing for the people working in these companies.
It’s not a lot of food and a lot of physical comfort that is being admired, but it’s the understanding that there is a balance needed in life that is bringing transformation.
MEDITATION AND MIRACLES
Happiness matters. The world being happy matters. We all know this, and believe it.
But for ages the secret of a balanced life has been restricted to spiritual scriptures.
That secret which when applied to practical life today seems like nothing but impossible when you return to the small office cabin in front of your laptop after listening several teachings and visiting far away retreats.
Productivity and happiness are on the same boat but many a times we fail in its application.
But the CEO of Proctor and Gamble, A.G. Lafely knew this very clearly and he used it every day in his personal life. And when it came to business he knew where the secret of success lies.
Then there is not just P&G but a number of other big shot firms from Google to HBO who have worked towards creating an awakened workforce.
Looking Within for a True Picture
Stress is normal. This has become our vocabulary today.
As per a 2016 World Bank press release, each year depression and anxiety cost close to $1 trillion in terms of human productivity.
The term depression could be called an evolved form of stress and has become more like an all-season cough and cold.
It may seem like nothing new even while reading this!
It’s not new but it is the source of all the problems. As Jim Yong Kim, President of the World Bank Group said “This is not just a public health issue – it’s a development issue.”
Farmer suicides in India have started becoming more like an everyday news during the monsoon months.
As much as a farmer of a limited means requires monetary assistance, the need for self-help programs is something that cannot be ignored at same time.
Yogic farming, is one such idea that emphasizes on personal development.
It is not a phenomenon that is just being spoken of or written about but after hearing success stories from India a few farmers in Australia, Greece, Italy, Mauritius, South Africa and Switzerland too have started to take up this project.
Around 700 experienced farmers are passing this knowledge to others.
And finally, this method of sustainable yogic agriculture lets the power of a positive thought come to your food.
EMPATHY FIRST, DESIGN THINKING AHEAD
For survival focusing on the ends will do the job. For an ever-growing business behind scenes is all that matters.
Employees are people, people have ideas. There has to be an open understanding to accept the opinions. The feeling of working with someone than working for someone could bring out an honest feedback and amazing ideas.
Empathy could be called the first step in design thinking and it has everything to do with making the ego as small as possible.
Writing the view points and wants of the people, welcoming opinions of all without judgement, it’s a process where everybody is encouraged to think.
WHERE WORKING ITSELF IS THE GOAL
The stark reality that office and home are two different worlds can be seen changing in many organizations today.
What better example than Google here. But then work is something where we have to drag ourselves most of the time.
But is working the problem or working without knowing is the obstacle?
Working without knowing is working without awareness that why you are in this job, being unaware of the importance of your work for the company. The feeling of being a nobody extraordinary.
The quality of the output that would be generated by such a workforce is not hard to guess?
For the organizations trying to harness creativity, engaging and accepting, opening up to other views and providing the required freedom to explore could be the greatest boon.
Reality is better than the illusion
When a kid learns to walk it’s a big deal. When people learn to communicate it’s an even big deal.
The ‘I am always right’ sense which often transforms into ‘only I am right’ should subside and the realization that others too have a mind with an opinion should be understood.
Finally Happy!!!
We are what we think.
It’s time to go back to the place we avoid the most. It’s time we start building something more than just objects and start making a million-dollar investment by creating high quality thoughts.
