Look upon every experience you've ever had,
and everyone who's ever played any role in your life,
as having been sent to you for your benefit.
In this Universe, there are simply no accidents.

Everyday Wisdom for SUCCESS
- Dr. Wayne Dyer

Star Reachers

What Lies Ahead

It has now been almost one month since I completed my major project of posting the summary. Like you, I too am wondering what lies ahead not just for writing this blog, but in general in terms of direction.

Together, let's explore what lies ahead.

Star Reachers

My Comments

When I borrowed the book The Art of Happiness At Work by His Holiness The Dalai Lama and Howard C. Cutler, M.D. from the staff library at Network to Work, an employment resource centre in downtown Vancouver, I never for one moment thought that I would be doing the very same things discussed in the book i.e. doing productive work and finding happiness in doing so, even though it was done on a volunteer basis.

The simple, yet profound message had such an impact on my way of thinking about work, that I just felt I had to bring it to the benefit of a larger group. I spent many hours after work reading each chapter, understanding the general message and then putting it in the form of techniques so that others may grasp the message faster and see the benefit.

My intention is simple: do productive work that benefits people.

I hope the summary in the following blogs and some audio blogs are read and viewed with that intention. Happy reading and happiness always.

Star Reachers

Conclusion To The Summary and Techniques for
The Art of Happiness At Work - His Holiness The Dalai Lama and Howard C. Cutler, M.D.

Throughout the above book, His Holiness The Dalai Lama has emphasized the importance of one's attitude and mental state of mind towards one's work and in finding happiness at work. While exploring several key aspects of work and happiness, the general conclusion is:

1. There are techniques that we can adopt to find happiness at work.
2. There is a co-relation between job satisfaction and overall happiness in life.
3. There are many factors that can affect job satisfaction and there are just as many, if not more, factors that can affect happiness in life.
4. Just as there are many components to being human, there are also many components to being happy.

The best way of finding happiness either at work or in life, in the words of The Dalai Lama "begin by turning inward, by reshaping our attitudes and outlook."

Star Reachers

Happiness At Work

It is interesting to note, that most people all around the world, spend at least half, if not more, of their waking hours at work. As part of life and living, we are all on a quest for happiness. Given the above, it only makes sense then that for most of us, happiness needs to come from the work we do. Yet the question is: To what degree does work satisfaction affect our overall life satisfaction and happiness?

To explore and understand the link between work and happiness, and to answer the question to what extend does work contribute to our satisfaction and fulfillment in life, here is where you can start.

1. Have a clear understanding of your perspective of what is "work" and "productive labour"
2. Be aware that in many different cultures and societies these very same words may have different connotations and definitions and that these very same differences may affect the satisfaction and happiness we derive from "work" and "productive labour."
3. A productive activity must be purposeful in that it is directed towards a specific goal i.e. to benefit someone.
4. Being engaged in work that produces goods or services is not enough to assure our ultimate happiness at work. For us to be happy at work, we need to focus on an additional element - we must consider the results of our labour.
5. To really experience happiness at work, even though the above may not always be easy nor possible, we must still do our best to assure that our work brings some benefit to others.
6. It is possible that as human beings, we do have the inherent potential to experience a sense of deep satisfaction and happiness through our work.
7. In terms of a full human life, work is an important component of human happiness.
8. When you appreciate the inter-connected nature of all aspects of your life, then you will understand how various factors - such as your values, your attitudes, your emotional state - can all contribute to your sense of fulfillment at work, and to your satisfaction and happiness in life.

Star Reachers

Right Livelihood

Many people, specially younger people, may not have the luxury of choosing their work and the kind of jobs that they do. However, if you do have the choice of the kind of work that you do, then ideally choose work that best fits your particular disposition and temperament.

When choosing a job or the kind of work you really want to do, besides salary and your personal strengths, follow these guidelines to assure a deeper or more long-term happiness at work.

1. When choosing a field of work, consider the benefit or harm to others caused by this kind of work.
2. Consider the concept of "right livelihood", which means that you strive to engage in an activity that has no potential for being harmful to others, either directly or indirectly.
3. When you seek your lifelihood, ensure that you do it in an ethical way, without harming or damaging others.
4. Be more concerned about the way in which you are making a living rather than how much money you make.
5. Remember that the approach to dealing with one's job, the attitudes towards work, and the nature of employment may vary from one culture to the next.
6. It may not always be possible to think about "right livelihood", and not everybody has lots of options about the work they do, at least it is good to give serious thought to the kind of work you do, and the impact it has on others.
7. In short, in our quest for happiness at work, a critical factor is looking at the impact our work has on others and assuring that we don't intentionally harm others in the work we do. If we do this intentionally, then we are well on our way to happiness at work.

Star Reachers

Work and Identify

There are few things in life that are as devastating to an individual as losing one's job. There is clear evidence that unemployment is linked with unhappiness.

It is interesting how thoughout this book, The Art of Happiness At Work, the key principle to happiness seems to be "attitude" and that in discussing every aspect of how to find happiness at work, the underlining remedy seems to be working with one's attitude.

The following techniques, once again revolve around one's attitude and how that plays a very significant role, and can make a big difference in how we respond to losing our job and being unemployed.

1. Your basic attitude to what has just happened to you - losing your job or being unemployed, is very important
2. We may not have control over our work or job situation, or for that matter the economy. However, we do have control over our attitude.
3. Realize that uncertainty and change are very much a part of the modern economy, particularly with regard to employment. This a fact that we have to accept.
4. There is no guarantee that there will be a job tomorrow. Once we understand that this job-loss is based on far too many other factors, we will not take it as being singled out.
5. Once you understand this, you are able to cope with the immediate problem itself and work towards a solution.
6. Your self-image around work will reflect on your ability to deal with job loss or unemployment.
7. When a person derives his/her self-image from the job he/she has, dealing with loss of this job or being unemployed may seem devastating
8. While we cannot prevent the loss of a job, we can certainly prevent the mental agitation that may go with it. To do this, the technique is to widen your self-image.
9. First of all see yourself as a human being with the capacity for friendship, for kindness etc., and then focus on the different roles we play in life, i.e. as a parent, spouse, child, brother, sister, employee, employer etc.
10. Having said that, remember that human life is not designed only for production (work), like some kind of machine.
11. If your life becomes only a medium of production, then many of the good human values and characteristics will be lost - then you will not, you cannot become a complete person.
12. In short, do not invest your whole identity in your job.

Star Reachers

Self Understanding

Throughout his book, The Art of Happiness At Work, His Holiness, The Dalai Lama, has stressed the importance of our attitude as a key factor in shaping our satisfaction at work. He now shifts his attention to yet another key factor - self-awareness and self-understanding. A lot of reasearch has been done into the reasons why some people are happy at work and others are not. The findings all point to self-understanding and self-awareness as a key principle to achieving more satisfaction at work.

You can become more self-aware or understand yourself by:

1. Understanding that there are many levels of self-awareness or self-understanding.
2. Having a sense of self that is grounded in reality will help you to increase your self-awareness and understanding.
3. Be aware that there is an initmate connection between how we see ourselves and how we tend to relate to others and the world.
4. How we see ourselves also affects how we tend to react to a given situation.
5. Identify your strengths and "special talents or gifts" and make a conscious effort to use them at work. When you do so, it will reshape your attitude and help you to discover a higher purpose or meaning to your work.
6. Stubbornness, excessive pride, arrogance, an excessive low opinion of self, and an agitated state of mind are all obstacles for greater self-understanding and awareness.