What makes you happy at work?

It’s good to know what specific activities make you happy. That way, you can work with the organization to do more things that fit you. It’s also good to know what general factors contribute to your happiness. When the tough times come, you can hang on to those reasons.

Almost a year ago, I came up with this map of things that make me happy at work.

Since then, I’ve been doing way more of my happiest activities than the unhappiest ones. It’s amazing how life works. Hooray!

What factors make me happy at work?

• Playing to my strengths: Building resources and organizing information give me the feeling of flow. When people use something I share, learn from one of my presentations, or save time/energy thanks to something I’ve done, I feel great, too.
• Working with awesome people: The world is full of incredible people, and I’m thrilled by all the opportunities we have to connect and collaborate.
• Helping people: I love answering questions, helping people learn, and encouraging people to explore. I get a kick out of seeing what other people can do.

I braindumped a quick list of my go-to communities and people in response to a few questions asking me for referrals. It took me a few minutes to write that. I thought I’d share it in a quick update on Lotus Connections Profiles, and it turned out that other people found it useful, too! Nifty. That made me happy. =)

I care a lot about happiness at work. I do my best work when I’m happy. People tell me that they value my energy and enthusiasm, and I can only share that energy and enthusiasm if I have a good foundation of happiness. Besides, if I focus on doing things I’m good at and happy about, I free up opportunities for other people who love doing the things that aren’t a good fit for me. I don’t expect to be ecstatic-happy all the time, but being pleasantly happy most of the time is fantastic.

What makes you happy?