If you’re facing a lot of adversity in life or just struggling to find joy in this world, you might do well to check out the story and sayings of the ancient philosopher Epictetus. He believed that it isn’t the things that happen to us which make us unhappy, but rather our reaction to them that causes those ill feelings.
We spend a lot of time at work. So it is important to find happiness at your place of work, everyday.
Here are some stats to show you why it is critical to find that inner happiness on the job.
- 1/3 of your life will be spent at work.
- That’s 90,000 hours over the course of a lifetime.
- The average American spends over 100 hours commuting.
Here is an example of how the philosophy works, and how you can create and control your own happiness. Let's say your boss shares some constructive feedback with you, and it ruins your day. It’s likely that the feedback itself isn’t causing you distress – rather, the feelings of insecurity or perhaps disappointment in your efforts are what’s making you feel less than stellar. By extension, if you can control the way you think about things, it might positively impact the way you feel about them.
This philosophy was so powerful and influential that it even inspired the renowned psychologist Albert Ellis (1913-2007) in his creation of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT), a therapeutic approach in which the counselor helps the client dispute irrational beliefs – such as, “everyone must like me” or “I must be perfect all the time” – that cause unhappiness.
It’s not always easy to gain power over our thoughts and feelings. When you partner with Ulliance our Life Advisor Consultants are always just a phone call away to teach easy, practical ways to find more ways to enhance your work-life balance and hopefully increase your happiness. The Ulliance Life Advisor Employee Assistance Program can help employees and employers come closer to a state of total well-being. To learn how we can help give us a call. 866.648.8326
