Original post by ORA SHTULL via Recruiter.com
As we search for a job or pine for a promotion, we often think: If only I get this job, I’ll be happy. If only I get this salary, I’ll be happy.
According to the latest research, our thinking is backward. The exploding field of neuroscience has turned the notion of “success leads to happiness” on its head. As it turns outs, quite the opposite is true: If I’m happy, then I’ll be successful. Being happy is so critical to my executive clients’ professional success that I include a full chapter on it in my book, The Glass Elevator: A Guide to Leadership Presence for Women on the Rise.
The happier you are, the more likely it is that you’ll land the job and salary of your dreams. And once employed, the happier you are, the more productive you will be. In fact, in a sweeping meta-analysis of 225 academic studies reported in Harvard Business Review, researchers found that happy employees are, on average, 31% more productive. Their sales are also 37% higher, and their creativity is 200% higher.
It’s clear that we need to boost our happiness levels. The good news is that most of the factors that contribute to happiness are absolutely in our control. Only a meager 10% of our happiness is based on external circumstances. That leaves us in some degree of control of a whopping 90% of our happiness.
