Work happiness isn’t like other forms of happiness—it’s not an ice cream cone, roller coaster ride, or hug from a loved one. It’s a complicated scenario of many working parts. If you’re not thinking about your happiness at work, you might be blocking yourself from opportunity and growth.
Here’s how to make the most out of your passions at work to supercharge your potential and stay passionate about what you do.
Act swiftly against noncompliance.
Mark Twain said that we should all eat two frogs every morning. Eating a “frog,” or a task that you’re dreading can be surprisingly energizing—even when it’s something you’re truly dreading. While we might not have time in the morning or even before lunchtime, it’s a good reminder to keep at the forefront of your mind throughout the day.
In matters of noncompliance, the “frog” is often a difficult conversation behind closed doors. Differing personalities, types of workers, and reactions may make these conversations more or less difficult. You and your employees will grow professionally throughout the time you spend together developing your business, and not every single day will be easygoing.
Delivering constructive criticism effectively is essential. By presenting the employee with the value they provide to the company, you’ll be ensuring them that they’re still valued and respected. Even when noncompliance occurs, you don’t want to get rid of an employee that likely provides great value.
Responding promptly in matters of noncompliance will keep you out of the cycle of having to execute the same disciplinary actions over and over again. Not enforcing or fixing problems can create a stagnant environment where employees won’t recognize their own growth and become unhappy. It won’t develop your own work happiness, either.
Everyone has room for growth and development, including you. By pushing through those difficult conversations and learning more about one another, your resources, employees, and business will grow. You’ll likely find that you’re happier, too.
Learning from these situations and shaping the way you deal with noncompliance will skyrocket your potential.
Find your sweet spot.
As a business owner, it’s likely that you’re juggling a number of priorities. After a while, you might find that some tasks have become less enjoyable over time and feel like a chore. While you’re working hard on your business, be sure to take moments to reflect on what you’re doing and what you enjoy. Identifying your Zone of Genius will be tremendous as you grow your interior design business.
Find your happy project. There are certain hours of the day where we are able to work on a “happy project.” While you may not have heard that term before, it’s likely you know the feeling. A happy project invigorates your passions and keeps you excited about what you do. You might not realize that you’re looking forward to those parts of the day, but you do. They’re what keeps you moving.
What is your relationship with that specific area of your business? What’s important to you about that “happy project,” and why?
By returning to the origin of your passions and what brought you to start your business in the first place, you’ll be taking charge of your own happiness and bringing more positive energy into your environment. Learning how to say no is helpful, too.
Amp up your positioning strategy.
As a designer, you want your design to speak to your ideal clients right off the bat. This should be reflected in not only the colors, design, and layout of your online content and social media, but the copy should clearly reflect the tenets of your business.
Every business should have a strong messaging strategy. The way you position your business is the way you position your working environment, and how you expect your employees to fit within that structure. But perhaps more importantly, the messaging of your business is an extension of yourself and your happiness. Create this copy and spread it around where it will be well-received.
Define the competitive advantages of your business and how those mesh with your positioning strategy. Are the benefits, advantages, and unique qualities of your business clear with every message you share and all the copy that you write? Highlight not only the quality of your services but the qualities of those that will be providing those services. Emphasizing your employees’ talents will feedback into their own happiness.
Final Thoughts
If you’re not taking care of your own well-being, you might not be taking care of your business’s well-being either. That’s why it’s important to make the connection to what you’re passionate about, which can connect to what type of growth is important to your business.
By dealing with noncompliance swiftly, shaping your positioning strategy, and finding your “happy project,” you’ll not only be protecting your work happiness but supercharging the potential of your business. Happiness generates happiness.
If you’d like to discuss these obstacles that are obstructing your work happiness, let’s have a chat to discuss your potential.
