Sitting at work right now, thinking about how to write a quick piece about some recent happenings in the corporate happiness musing space I have here. I’ve talked a bit on Deida before – he’s the guy who likes the idea of gender poles remaining obvious – a man is most happy moving towards the archetypal man (but being a man doesn’t necessarily make you inclined towards that archetype and vice-versa – you could be a woman trapped inside a man’s body for instance).
But not to confuse things further, here’s a short summary (from the man’s perspective): The way the male is fulfilled is by following his mission, a personal quest that moves him towards his uniqueness as a person. In other words, the very thing that sets one apart (might be things that rub the wrong way out in the open plains of society) should be pursued with a fire in the belly.
But in the real world of responsibility, finding time to pursue this uniqueness ( where is this anyway?) seems a task for the privileged. Anyway, Deida still acknowledges the importance of at least 1 hr a day of dedication – that’s good news for me.
Here I’m briefly introducing the 4 types of leaders introduced by Lao Tse in the Tao Te Ching. The basic premise is that the ultimate leader is almost invisible – invisible through recognizing that a person / people are most effective when they are self-motivated or self-empowered. He uses the analogy of the ocean that by taking the lowest position moves all things toward it (rivers / streams). People influenced by such a leader attribute success to their own merit – they would say: “we have done this – thanks to ourselves” and this way achieve greater self-satisfaction.
The 3 Minute Angels’ “Happiness in action” service brings up a few things I’d like to talk about. Yes there’s an element of plugging here (this is 3MA Corporate Happiness after all!), but I’m convinced there’s really positive things a workplace will get out of it.
The 3MA line is that the stimulation of hormones such as Serotonin (a product of massage) enhances a positive outlook. This being coupled with positive affirmations (from the Happiness Institute) and both being practiced over time (and documented) results in an enlivened workplace with happier and more productive staff (and yes lets not forget the employers, you’ll feel the love too!)
But I’ll have to refrain from proving this with evidence-based research or stats and leave this up to the Positive psychologists. I’m never sold on evidence-based arguments anyway – I’m more of the old school Plato’s analytical lineage. Really that’s an inflated way of saying: “I don’t really like reading statistics!”
So, I’m going to have to reason this thing out…
I don’t want to discount the effects of seratonin (I feel great after the gym and a resulting serotonin boost) but I see a few vital things that might surpass feel good natural chemicals or even happiness.
Did I say there’s even better things than happiness?
When you’re getting a good shoulder massage, you’re chatting away and getting some positive afirmations, you’ll start to embrace the lightness of being human. When I say ‘the lightness of being human’ I mean the great things about humanity that come naturally to us – a conversation, touch, laughter, interaction, smiles, good fresh breaths of air etc. So, somewhere amongst these moments, a freedom from all the “I should / shouldn’t do this or that” can arise. Its a chance for this directive nature and the internal noise it causes to ease off for the time being. We’re less directive and more reflective (sorry just had to use that ryhme).
So to take it a step further, I see this ‘lightness of being human’ as a form of meditation, maybe in its more accessible and ‘natural’ form. In some ways meditation (for me anyway) is laden with expectation stifling its potential benefits. For example I expect I’m going to be relaxed during meditation – but I can’t get completely relaxed because I’m comparing my present relaxation with how I expect my relaxed state should be. Its this expectation, this comparision, and these thoughts that tighten their grip when I attempt to turn down the internal chatter station.
But when I have a moment out of my routinue – moments of freedom to just let go of expectations, there’s a good chance I’ll enjoy the lighter qualities of my humanity. Now this is where I’m going with the “better than happiness” claim. I see happiness as a natural state of being unihibited and the most acheivable form of inhibition is acceptance. Acceptance that I am a human being with imperfections, hang-ups, anxieties etc. – the things i usually beat myself up over become just part of my humanity or in other words the everyday experience of who I am. When I see life more as a string of experiences there’s less need to attach good and bad labels to what I’m doing or what I’m thinking. Its about letting go and just being.
This state (I’m not even sure its a state) surpasses happiness because its permanent. Allowing ourselves then to enjoy our humanity with moments that break the routine of our everyday life give us a chance to experience this.
There’s an interesting concept I came across the other day called shallow teaching. It can also be extended to what is called shallow management. It seems contradictory at first glance to what a teacher to pupil or manager to employee relationship seeks to achieve (by straight interpretation of the term) but there’s so much more to it. The concept is based on the most effective form of motivation and that is that an individual’s motivation is strongest (or most effective) when it’s wrapped around a sense of ownership.
For instance, I could tell an employee (if I had employees!) a possible solution to a problem and explain at length the steps he/she should take to get it done. The motivation that drives that employee would be centered on pleasing the supervisor, maintaining a good relationship and ultimately keeping the job!
A shallow management style would approach the situation differently. The supervisor would approach the employee and appear ‘out of depth’. For example I’d approach my hypothetical employee (let’s call him Tim) and inform him of the problem at hand. I’d sit down with Tim for a while in an attempt to ‘nut out’ the problem and rather than just come up with solutions, I’d guide him towards the solution and an action plan (which I already had) but also I’d give him space to add his individual spin on things. When we get to that solution, I’d complement Tim on his great idea and tell him I look forward to seeing how it all comes about. This might take a little longer than a directive approach but it’s worth the time when you consider the outcome. The directive approach also tends to launch the sabotaging ‘I want to prove him wrong’ thing.
So, Tim now is not just motivated but becomes inspired. He came up with this great idea (he now owns it – he probably put a good spin on things anyway) and now he’s all fired up to get things happening and to see the idea come to fruition. He’s no longer motivated by external factors (pleasing the boss / keeping the job), because he’s now inspired by his own ideas and his motivation (or inspiration) comes from his positive sense of self (and holding on to that). So Tim is now inspired and becomes so much more effective.
There’s another take on this called the shallow selling. Its about setting up a situation where your potential client solves his or her problem by coming across your product.
The guys at 3 Minute Angels (3MA for short) sometime time ago took an interest in corporate happiness. When I look at the average office worker (like myself, so I should know) often mentally stretched between tasks: the emails that need replying to, things to organise, deadlines to complete and possibly counting down the days before the weekend – its clear some type of reprieve would at least be appreciated. All this mental tension does have the nasty affect of stiffening the body, so the basic formula of the corporate massage is to alleviate this through massage.
The unique thing about 3MA’s Halo Massage is it encourages people to chat, laugh or maybe just let off some verbal steam by not having their face pressed down on a massage chair. With the Halo Massage happening right there in the office space, the general atmosphere and dynamic becomes uplifted. So the guys at 3MA with guidance of The Happiness Institute looked at extending this through use of positive affirmations and documenting the process to happiness (or the state of being happier). For one, employers know that their money is being well spent, but more importantly it gives the individual tangible evidence that his / her general state of being is transforming (for the better).
So with 3MA supporting the idea that happiness is achievable through practical steps, they could see the potential in a blog that explores this idea from a personal perspective.
So will I be getting free Halo Massages everyday? No (but I’m crossing my fingers). Will I be using the The Happiness In Action Cards and the Choose Scale? No, but I will be digesting some positive psychology upheld by The Happiness Institute and writing about it here. Does this work? Yes or maybe no – this is just a part of a journey that is documented here, so I’ll let you decide that as time goes on.
