Reading: The Happy at Work Manifesto

Anybody have a case of the Mondays? Bwahaha… Here’s my favorite fix – The “Happy at Work Manifesto” from Change This. It’s an excerpt from Alexander Kjerulf’s book Happy Hour is 9 to 5: How to Love Your Job, Love Your Life and Kick Butt at Work.

Even though the manifesto was written three years ago, it is still one of my favorites and I read it a few times per year. It’s funny that after all this time, I still haven’t read the book, which apparently sucks (just two Amazon reviews). I guess it’s one of those cases of a book that should have been a chapter.

This isn’t something that’s going to blow your mind and make you think radically different, it’s just a fun reminder to choose happiness. Cheesy, but in a nice way:

Because the future belongs to the happy!

1: I choose to be happy at work.

2: I can be happy at work.

3: My happiness at work is my responsibility.

4: Knowing what makes me happy or unhappy at work is my responsibility.

5: Letting others know what makes me happy or unhappy at work is my responsibility.

6: Something will happen when I do something.

7: I know that my happiness at work affects my happiness outside of work.

8: I know that happiness at work affects my health.

9: I may end up spending most of my waking hours at work—I want to make those hours count.

10: It’s OK to have a bad day at work.

11: I do my best work when I’m happy.

12: There’s no such thing as too much happiness.

13: I recognize that happiness at work also comes from the time I don’t spend at work.

14: I recognize that happiness at work is different for everyone.

15: Happiness at work is something I create now.

16: I recognize that happiness at work doesn’t come from the absence of bad things in the workplace.

17: Happiness at work is infectious—I will be a carrier.

18: The best way to make myself happy at work is by making others happy at work.

19: I will take time to do this.

20: I will fix my job or quit.

21: Happiness at work ain’t rocket science.

22: I give first.

23: I recognize that a higher salary will not make me happy at work.

24: I recognize that power, status symbols, a corner office or even access to the corporate jet won’t make me happy at work.

25: Happiness at work comes from the things you and I do here and now.

If you enjoyed those points, go check out the whole thing on www.ChangeThis.com — a super cool website that publishes short 10 to 20-page manifestos (which are basically well-designed, illustrated book excerpts).