Comments

tom: the URL/link is getting redirected..could not scan the referenced article...

anyway my 2 cents.. if work is not funky and fun then whats the point of life ??? Most people exist ..but very few live their lives.. ..think of it.. the day is sliced into 3 equal parts of 8 hrs each. for one part we work , the other part we sleep and the third part we try to have our own unique experinces.. So as a commonality amongst (most) people is the work and sleep..both IMHO are most important factor in life.. without a goods nites sleep, work suffers.. thus both aspects need to be harmonoy, thus creating a synergy which resonates well into Work/attitudes and better life experiences.. for all..

Posted by /pd at January 17, 2005 8:00 PM

Tom, I picked up the Psychology Today issue because of this article. Here's my take on it:

In the article, the things that matter most, in terms of how we evaluate our hapiness, fall into the categories of Volunteering, Social Skills, Sense of Humor, Free Time, Narcissism.

People who love what they do and are fully engaged have integrated these elements into their work. It is when we bring play, connection, and meaning to work that will enjoy it most.

Make sense?

And, yeah, I think many people have a Dilbert like view of work.

Posted by Lisa Haneberg at January 17, 2005 8:02 PM

Anyone find it interesting that there is an expression "work-life balance" used?

Posted by Tim Almond at January 17, 2005 8:35 PM

I suffered from stress and low-grade depression for years when I worked in a factory doing a dead-end job with dead-end people. I took a career change and found work that I really enjoy and have been happy ever since. Most people I know do not have jobs they truly enjoy.

For some this is definitely a source of bad moods, stress, misery, even depression. For others, work is just a "means to an end" and they seem able to separate work life from 'real life' at home.

The lucky ones are those who find work that they enjoy and those who can switch off at work and draw joy from life out of work, and those who find work that they enjoy which allows them to be happy outside of work. Both are in a minority in my experience, although maybe I am just cynical and see most people as Dilbert.

Posted by Steve Howard at January 17, 2005 9:54 PM

You are not nuts. Hugh Macleod is nuts.

Posted by Troy Worman at January 17, 2005 11:18 PM

There is such a blur in today's society between what constitutes "work" and what comprises "home-life." That may or may not make it all the more confusing as to why work-as-a-centerpiece-of-happiness didn't make the cut. For example, does the reading you do fit into work or home-life? Do the people you go out to dinner with fit into work or home-life? Etc.

Posted by Lee H. Igel at January 17, 2005 11:23 PM

Yes.

There is a surprisingly large portion of the population who suffer from Dilbert Disease.

Posted by Erick Blackwelder at January 18, 2005 12:55 AM

First, we don't want to strive for happiness. We want to strive to feel ALIVE ... we want to feel all of our emotions, good and bad. The first fallacy we need to put a permanent end to, please! We're teaching our children the wrong thing. We're selling ourselves short. We're living in black and white, damn it. Second, something to think about - a job is a methaphor for life. If you aren't happy in your job, you aren't happy with your life. If you aren't living your personal life professionally you aren't giving it all you've got. Work should be play and play should be work. If you really know who you are, you're true identity, your job is an expression of who you are and it makes you feel alive. Lastly, opinion polls give you opinions, they never give you the right answers. I cry bull shit on the 80%+ people waking up happy..sorry to be so critical. But if 44% of people go to work everyday and just sit there and wait for their check [per crucial conversations], I don't believe them to be truly "happy." I'd rather they stay home, figure how what makes them feel ALIVE and go do that. That would be cool.

Posted by Wendy at January 18, 2005 1:31 AM

10 years ago I was in a job that everyone else thought was cool ... but I didn't think was cool. I took a leap out on my own, with the goal of building a career that suited my preferred lifestyle and mindset - lots of thinking time, no bureacracy, controlling my own agenda, being around family more by working out of the house, not working with jerks, etc. It has gotten better every year, and I have full appreciation (due to memories of office politics, petty squabbles and bureaucratic tetanus) for how wonderful it is to have work that is in line with life.

Posted by Steve Yastrow at January 18, 2005 4:20 AM

Steve, I agree 1000% with you.
Did something similar five years ago and despite some pretty tough moments (transition from old world to WOW - Funky world is not always easy I guess), I feel quite happy performing "work that is in line with life".

And yes, it's an interesting question to think about: how can there be more well-being if we accept spending such a large fraction of our time (i.e. spending such a large fraction of our life) doing stuff that is unsatisfactory or Dilbertesque?

Interesting to use the word "life" instead of the word "time" in many everyday expressions: "we're running out of time", "time is pressing", "I don't have time for this", "I'm spending a lot of time doing a boring job but it pays my bills"...

86400 unique, non-repeatable, non-recoverable and non-transferable seconds per day. That's my reality and it's up to me to make the most of it. NOW!

Posted by Alex at January 18, 2005 5:24 AM

Kander and Ebbs had it right when they provided words for Fosse's Chicago about loving the life you live and living the life you love. Engagement is a critical link. Sadly most studies estimate that a meager 30% of the workforce is really engaged.
Bringing "play, connection and meaning" as Lisa said, is a real start to learning to get ourselves into that state that athletes call "the zone" where engagement generates joy and winning scores rule. The challenge--how to do that within the constraints of Steve Yastrow's workplace description where "office politics, petty squabbles and bureaucratic tetanus" make us wonder how 30% of the workforce ever does engage! Creating meaning and turning our own heads around is part of it, but even the best athletes lose momentum with lousy coaches.
Re-imagine a workplace where Dilbert was a dim memory of the bad old days and where true leaders acted as the greatest coaches and created environments where people brought their full selves to the game. Wow!

Posted by Pam Brill at January 18, 2005 8:13 AM

I WANT TO "COME CLEAN" ON THIS ONE. IT'S A SET-UP OF SORTS. I LOVE MY WIFE, DEARLY. I LOVE MY 2 BOYS. (AND, FOR THAT MATTER, MY MOM & 3 DOGS.) BUT, FOR BETTER OR FOR WORSE, MY "WORK" IS MY "PLAY" IS THE PRIMARY SOURCE OF MY "AUTHENTIC" [NOTICE I STUCK THAT WORD IN THE POLL] HAPPINESS. I WAS ON THE WAY TO THE "COUNTRY STORE" TO PICK UP MY SUNDAY PAPER, AND SOMEONE GOING ABOUT 25 MPH WAS AHEAD OF ME. I PASSED. (DOUBLE YELLOW LINE.) THIS PERSON ALSO WENT INTO THE STORE. SHE SAID TO ME, "WHAT'S THE HURRY?" I DIDN'T MEAN TO BE RUDE OR ARROGANT [WAS I BOTH?], BUT I SURPRISED MYSELF WHEN I REPLIED [NOT "SNAPPED"], "I'VE GOT TO CHANGE THE WORLD." WELL, ARROGANT OR NOT, I DO. MY WORK MAY NOT MATTER, BUT IF NOT IT WON'T DAMN WELL BE FOR LACK OF TRYING! (AND, YES, THAT MAKES ME LUCKY.) (AND, PER STEVE Y, IT'S A CONSCIOUS CHOICE!)

Posted by tom peters at January 18, 2005 8:48 AM

From anxiety to joy, that´s my motto. Work as a source of joy, a path of self realization. We are still far from this but It will reach. Organizations are not designed for individual expression but for systemic balance. That´s the point.

Posted by felix gerena at January 18, 2005 9:56 AM

Happiness is a warm gun (Happiness bang, bang, shoot, shoot)
Happiness is a warm gun, mama (Happiness bang, bang, shoot, shoot)
When I hold you in my arms (Oo-oo oh yeah)
And I feel my finger on your trigger (Oo-oo oh yeah)
I know no one can do me no harm (Oo-oo oh yeah)
Because happiness is a warm gun, mama (Happiness bang, bang, shoot, shoot)
Happiness is a warm gun, yes it is (Happiness bang, bang, shoot, shoot)
Happiness is a warm, yes it is, gun (Happiness bang, bang, shoot, shoot)
Well, don't you know happiness is a warm gun, mama? (Happiness is a warm gun, yeah)

Happiness Is A Warm Gun
(John Lennon, Paul McCartney)
Lead Vocal: John Lennon

Posted by John at January 18, 2005 10:07 AM

I have recently read an excellent book about this topic. The name of the book is Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, who is a professor and former chairman of the Department of Psychology at the University of Chicago. Csikszentmihalyi spent the past 30 years examining connections between satisfaction and daily activities. According to his research "A flow state ensues when one is engaged in self-controlled, goal-related, meaningful actions," like when you are working on a WOW project or doing something for which you have a lot of passion! Furthermore, "True Happiness" or "enjoyment" happens once one is dealing with something that is BOTH demanding (i.e. challenging) and rewarding. Such experience Mihaly demonstrates is "one of the most enjoyable and valuable experiences a person can have." A worthwhile book for those who have not read it.

Posted by Daniel Leon at January 18, 2005 10:47 AM