Happy People Are Productive People

Below is an article I wrote for Helium.com. The topic was Happy People Are Productive People. We were supposed to write about the topic. So below is what I wrote for the article.

Happy people are far more productive people for a variety of good reasons. I think one reason that happy people are more productive people is because they are happy. When you are happy you just seem to get more done. The poetry of Sufi Mystics is full of descriptions of drunken evenings and besotted lovers. Nary a soul has a care, for their lives are spent in vigorous pursuit of hedonistic bliss. Work, productivity, does not enter the mind of the Sufi seeking the endless moment and the perfect lover. On the surface, this is how the poetry may be read. Yet beneath this language, lies the truth of their history, that during one of the most prolific times for Sufi poetry and mysticism, they were viciously persecuted. Without this language of careless "happiness" to cover their deep beliefs, neither the Sufi mystic nor their words, would have survived. What then, is happiness? What is this thing that can be used to distract people, motivate them and destroy them, as well? The meaning of this one word is the most contested in modernity. Yet possessing a personal definition of it is endlessly important to one's ability to live a fulfilled and productive life. Happiness, in modern western culture, is the ultimate goal and ideal. We are inundated with messages that demand that it is easy to achieve, providing we do a certain thing, consume a certain thing, and think a certain way. If we are "unhappy", it is most likely caused by a deficit, either in our behavior or attitude, or in our capacity to have the things deemed necessary to achieving happiness. Happy people are more productive people because they feel good about themselves and their great self-esteem means less angst or worry about what is possible to get done. Happy people tend to feel less anxious about the consequences and so they are more willing to at least try. They are likely to be self motivated to do whatever they desire because they do not need anyone to motivate them to feel good. Happy people are also likely to be far more positive and to appreciate their world and other people, which provide them with the resources to get what they want. I am a happy person the majority of the time depending on what is happening to me. I have a great self-belief in what I can accomplish and am highly self motivated every day, especially as I work for myself. I have the self-discipline to attempt what I want to do and the end result is that I have tended to be a pioneer, always first to do anything. I have achieved so much single-handedly, many others have been amazed at my capabilities and determination. I believe though when you want something out of life that you should always go for it no matter what is in your way. As long as you believe in yourself than you can make it happen, you can get it done. I would much rather be a happy person all the time because then I could get more done. I heard this story about a small flag company called Flagworks that had increased its sales many fold. The owner, Arlene Flock had made many changes when she took over the business. The one change that she made that had the biggest impact on the fortunes of the company is perhaps one of the most brilliant ideas I have ever heard of. Large corporations would pay consultant big bucks for this idea! Arlene decided to only hire people who were happy! That’s right, if she didn’t feel that you were really a happy person than you didn’t get the job. She went even further and hired a Happiness Manager. The Happiness Manager’s job is as you might expect, is to find ways to keep her happy employees… HAPPY! Before you write her idea off as goofy consider this; studies have proven that happy people are more productive, they take fewer sick days, they get along with others better and my favorite… their brains works better. Happiness, rather than working hard, is the key to success, according to research published today. Cheerful people are more likely to try new things and challenge themselves, which reinforces positive emotion and leads to success in work, good relationships and strong health, say psychologists. The findings suggest that happiness is not a "feel good" luxury, but is essential to people's wellbeing. What is more, happiness can also extend across an entire nation, with people in "happy" nations being more likely to have pro-democratic attitudes and a keenness to help others. One thing that can help you be a more happy productive person is to keep a task list or to do list. Keep in mind that you may not get everything done on your list. Ask yourself, “Am I making the most of my time right now?” or “Is this the most productive use of my time?” Surprisingly taking breaks will increase productivity. It’s been proven in studies. If you need to, find someone to help ensure you take a morning and afternoon break. I have this guy in my class who is the class comedian he always makes us laugh; he is a happy person who always has a smile on his face. Nothing seems to get him down, he is never unhappy, he is upset or angry with things that are happening around him which he disagrees with but for the most part he is a happy person. He is very smart; he is always reminding us when it’s time to take a break, even when it’s not break time. It’s nice to have someone around to remind you of break time because it is possible to be so into your work that you block out everything around you. When writing a to-do list will help you out in many ways. Remember though when you are writing your to-do list think about what is really important and what you really need to get done. Take everything off your to-do list that seems unimportant. It may have seemed important to you at the time but think about what really needs to get done. Being unhappy will mean you’re down or even depressed and when you feel like that you don't feel like doing anything at all. You’re much more likely to be less productive by far. I have depression so I know what it's like to be down and depressed and when I am like that I am by far productive. When you are an unhappy person you tend to get less done mostly because you just don’t feel like it. You don’t feel like doing anything and depending on why you are unhappy than negativity follows. People who are negative are that way for a reason. They may have difficulties you don’t know about. Try to be compassionate and non-judging. When a person is unhappy they sit and dwell on why they are unhappy or what is wrong with their life. I know when I am unhappy it takes someone else to motivate me to do anything. You are less unlikely to be more productive if you are unhappy. You have to admit that when you're unhappy that you are mostly negative and the reason you're negative is because you're down and you've hit the bottom and you feel like nothing is going right and so when you're unhappy you are much more likely to be negative. When we are unhappy life becomes drudgery. We are less motivated to fulfill our desire because we lack the essential ingredient to make it happen: self belief and self confidence. The end result is that we tend to do far less than our potential would allow because most of our time would be spent feeling sorry for ourselves, criticizing, wishing and hoping rather than doing. Most of all, unhappy people tend to be riddled with fear, which keeps them paralyzed in action and yearning instead of doing. If I'm having a bad day then I'm more likely to be negative and I just don't feel like getting anything done, and I surely don't feel like being productive. Sometimes I might get behind in my work and most likely to be less productive.