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Can joy exist in the workplace?
Some workplaces are simply too toxic to house meaningful joy, but others might surprise you. Once you become intentional about making your workplace or your career a place where you can find joy, it will likely come. If it doesn’t, it might be time to move onward.
Here’s the thing. Work shouldn’t be miserable. We shouldn’t have to spend 40+ hours a week staring at a clock and counting down the minutes. We should take our Sundays back. We shouldn’t open our eyes on a Monday and yell expletives at our ceilings.
I got this idea in my head when I recently purchased Happiness Workbook by Anna Napawan, Ph.D. This is not an ad or a sponsored post, but this workbook helps me to slow it down, invite joy, and find ways to make sure that joy sticks around.
But... What If You’ve Tried and Your Work Holds No Joy
If you’ve tried to find joy at work only to happen upon toxicity, antiquated hustle rules, and certain burnout, there is recourse for you, too.
Believe it or not, there is a bright spot to finding yourself in a bad workplace. It informs your decisions going forward. It allows you to see those red flags as soon as your first interview starts.
Surviving a bad workplace gives you the confidence to know who you are in the workplace and—I promise—it’s powerful.
Pay close attention to the first six tips mentioned.
Instead of trying to enact these tips in the workplace only to find disappointment, throw them into the rest of your life. Use them to figure out what’s next. Figure out what you want, what you need, and what you cannot abide by.
1. Identify Your Core Values + Beliefs
We often give the advice to identify your core values—but how? What do core values look like?
These values should encompass what’s meaningful to you, the impact you’d like to make, and what matters most to you. Here are a few examples of what your core values could be.
- Balance
- Community
- Diversity
- Empathy
- Kindness
- Recognition
- Impact
- Dependability
- Adaptability
- Work-life balance
- Self-motivation
- Collaboration
- Strong self-confidence
- Teaching others
- Motivation to learn
- Loyalty
- Honesty
- Resilience
- Making a difference
- Being reliable
- Being positive
- Showing tolerance
- Being accountable
- Helping others
- Focusing on detail
Try listing five core values that are integral to your life and your work. How do they fit into your work right now? More importantly, how could they fit into your life going forward?
That brings us to our next tip.
2. Find Ways to Infuse Your Core Values into Your Work
Now that we have five core values, let’s infuse them into your work. We are going to create a mantra of sorts to ensure that your core values are being met.
Try this:
My life’s work prioritizes _______________ over _______________.
My best efforts will earn me _______________, _______________, and _______________.
My priorities will definitely not include _______________, _______________, and _______________.
My best efforts will earn me _______________, _______________, and _______________.
My priorities will definitely not include _______________, _______________, and _______________.
When you’re struggling with a decision, align your values with what needs to be done.
Finally, know that your core values can change—and that’s fine. This practice simply helps you to be mindful of what they are and how to honor them.
3. Make Time to Laugh + Share Laughter
A vast study by Norwegian researchers found some serious benefits to laughter. This 15-year study found a huge link between humor and mortality among 53,556 men and women.
For women, the findings were impressive. Women who achieved high scores on the cognitive component of humor were associated with 48 percent less risk of death from all causes. Specifically, women were at a 73 percent lower risk of death from heart disease and an 83 percent lower risk of death from infection.
Laughter has major biological advantages, too. It stimulates your organs. Yes, your lungs love a good laugh. It releases endorphins. It relieves stress. It improves your immune system.
Laughter helps everything, from the inside out. Try it out. Follow a meme account. Google “dad jokes” and re-tell them. Watch a clip of America’s Funniest Videos. Make time for laughter and joy.
4. Share New Ideas
New ideas are contagious. Make space for them in your workday. Even if your ideas aren’t always work-related, write them down when they hit.
If you get your best thoughts and ideas in the shower before work, figure out a way to log them. If you have kids, maybe you also have some bath crayons to jot your amazing idea down (too much?) or use one of your robots to dictate them. Yes, we’re talking about Siri or Alexa.
That’s not it, either! Share those ideas.
5. Start a Club
A great way to re-inspire at work is by starting a club. It could be a professional book club, a women’s club, an affinity group, or a group that gives back to others.
Creating an affinity group can help with psychological safety, ideas exchange, and overall collaboration. Even something as simple as a book club can facilitate ideas and actions that might not have been discussed otherwise.
6. Give Back
If you’re reading this article, you might be experiencing a tough time at work or a crossroads in your own career.
Imagine that, right now, somebody messaged you or called you to tell you something to brighten your day. Imagine receiving an unsolicited compliment or opportunity right now.
7. Surround Yourself With (You Guessed It) Joyful People
Build your dream team. Find the people who increase your confidence, inspire you to do more, and who are ready and willing to tell you how amazing you are.
This isn't limited to your "at-work" people. Make sure your life is filled with the people who fill you up. This includes your partner, your friends, your acquaintances, and even your family.
8. Distance Yourself from Work Vampires
You know who I’m talking about. This doesn’t mean you need to cut this person entirely out of your life.
Work vampires exist! Unlike regular vampires, they walk among us in the daylight. These are the people who mosey up to your desk to complain, spread gossip, complain, and complain.
These emotional vampires take a lot from you over time.
9. Find Small, New Ways to Do Old Things
Like sharing new ideas is life-giving to our work, so is finding new solutions to old problems.
For example, remember the last time you rearranged the furniture in your bedroom? Suddenly, you have a new lease on life. How was your bed ever on the south wall when it was obviously meant to be on the east wall?
Finding new solutions to old problems is a great way to motivate yourself. Small changes can make huge impacts. In his book, Atomic Habits, James Clear encourages readers to make small changes to get “1% better every day” to achieve long-lasting impacts.
Many times, when we are trying to switch things up due to discontentment or unhappiness, we try to make massive, sweeping changes. When we create massive goals, they can be difficult to achieve. The roadblocks become insurmountable and we “fail” to achieve anything.
Can you find small, new ways to approach your work?
Can you move your desk closer to the window? Can you learn a keyboard shortcut to make your work easier? Can you raise your hand in the next meeting? Yes, you can.
10. Embrace You + Your Strengths
As an introvert, I used to be really, really attracted to extroverts. I marveled at how they entered any conversation to delight and attract others. They have loud, booming voices. They’re assertive, confident, and I wanted to be just like them.
The thing is, I can’t be an extrovert—and that is completely fine!
Not to go too Mr. Rogers on you, but you’re you for a reason. Sure, we all have a toxic trait or two that we can work on, but that’s for another article. Your strengths are unique to you.
By embracing what makes you different, you create an environment for everybody to share, learn, and grow.
So, let’s do one final exercise together. Let’s make a list of five strengths that are unique to you.
My Strengths + Why They Matter
I am ____________ and it matters because ____________.
I am ____________ and it matters because ____________.
I am ____________ and it matters because ____________.
I am ____________ and it matters because ____________.
I am ____________ and it matters because ____________.
I am ____________ and it matters because ____________.
I am ____________ and it matters because ____________.
I am ____________ and it matters because ____________.
I am ____________ and it matters because ____________.
