A recent analysis of the stream of Twitter “tweets” reveals that people are happy in the morning, less happy throughout the day while they’re at work and then happier again after work when back at home. That’s a pretty revealing study which suggests that most people are compartmentalizing their life into a work life and a personal life. But the reality is, we don’t have two-compartment lives. We only have one life. Most of us spend more time at work than with our families. You can’t turn happiness off at work and go home and turn it on and expect to have a passionate, purpose-filled life.
I’m not naive. None of us can expect to feel happy all day, every day. In fact if someone claims they are, I’d bet that they’re either medicated or need to be. Likewise, we can’t put our happiness on hold 12 hours a day when at work and then crank it up when we get home.
I faced the ramifications of such a life on my mind, body and soul 29 years ago when I woke up to a dead-end job at the hospital. Plus, I was going to have to work overtime for the rest of my life just to pay the mortgage on my 1,100 square-foot condo. And I was way too mouthy and opinionated for a hospital institution.
I seized my dissatisfaction and started my own business as a legal nurse consultant. Owning my dissatisfaction and, most importantly, doing something about it changed my entire life.
Is it time to check in and assess if you’re one of those Twitter statistics? If so, what do you plan do about it?
Success Is Inside!
P.S. Comment and share your state of happiness at work.
