Money Talks: Community

It never ceases to amaze me how the simplest things can bring a huge smile to my child’s face. Whether it’s a $15.00 pony ride at the rodeo, a $1.00 balloon from the grocery store, an airplane in the sky, or the moment I walk in the door to pick her up from school.

There is something contagious about positive energy… it almost demands a positive response. I’ve always loved the arts – music, dance, theater, etc. Because no matter how different we may be, there isn’t a soul on this planet who can’t be moved by a perfect song, a masterful dance, or a great story.

We all crave some version of positive energy in our lives. And when we have it, it unlocks something inside of us that wants to share it with the world. Why?

According to an 80-year ongoing study by Harvard on happiness and mental health, what we actually crave is community. The decade’s long research reveals that close relationships, more than money or fame, are what keep people happy throughout their lives.

When my daughter experiences pure joy she wants to share that moment with me and my wife. Because when she shares it, it multiplies.

I believe Charlotte Brontë (of Jane Eyre fame) said it fittingly when she observed, “Happiness quite unshared can scarcely be called happiness; it has no taste.” Simply put, sharing our positive moments in community makes them taste better.

And while we can all benefit from implementing this practice with our families, imagine the benefits of sharing positive moments with our co-workers in the workplace. New York Times bestselling author, Shawn Achor, concluded after a decade of research that happiness in the workplace raises nearly every business outcome: raising sales by 37%, productivity by 31% and accuracy on tasks by 19%.

Take some time this week to create space and share a few positive moments with your workplace community. 

Sources:

https://hbr.org/2011/06/the-happiness-dividend

https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2017/04/over-nearly-80-years-harvard-study-has-been-showing-how-to-live-a-healthy-and-happy-life/