‘Tis the season for crushing business goals and planning the upcoming year. As we approach the holiday season, life can get hectic. A time that’s intended for family, friends, and a slower pace of life can often feel like the complete opposite in the workplace. Here are three tips to ensure you keep gratitude and joy forefront in your personal and professional life.
Attitude of Gratitude
Every day is a good day to give thanks. A survey found that over 90% of American teens and adults indicated that expressing gratitude made them “extremely happy” or “somewhat happy” (Wood et al., 2010). Whether you take some time to express gratitude verbally or on paper, make it a point to do so daily. Focus on good things happening in your personal and professional life, and you will start to make a positive impact on your mood—and perspective. You can even share your gratitude with others and watch the positive impact it has on their day.
Spark Joy
Nothing brings happiness like fun holiday decorations! Fun decorations are subjective to an individual’s preference, so make your workspace what you know will make you happy! Think about scent, touch, and hearing when getting festive. If you work remotely or in your private office, you may have more free-range than someone in a cubicle/open space work area, but there are ways to make your space joyful while still being mindful of working neighbors.
Vacation Planning
While the holiday season is meant to be spent enjoying family, it’s important to remember that your coworkers are trying to do the same. A lot of businesses don’t roll over vacation time, so many workers try to take a vacation at the end of the year so that they don’t lose it—while also wanting to tack it on to a holiday. If you haven’t already, make sure you put in your PTO requests so your manager/employer can be mindful of giving everyone time off without being left with no employees coming into work because everyone took off simultaneously. This will also give you a leg up when it comes to planning your workload and the help you may need from your coworkers while you’re out of the office. Stress leading up to vacation is something that will steal joy versus give it.
“Remember, happiness doesn’t depend upon who you are or what you have; it depends solely upon what you think. So start each day by thinking of all the things you have to be thankful for. Your future will depend very largely on the thoughts you think today. So think thoughts of hope and confidence and love and success.” –Dale Carnegie