As the end of the year is approaching and the "best wishes" tsunami has started, I remember reading a very nice booklet called "The Happiness Equation". I would like to share the gist of it. Good time of the year to do this, I believe.

Based on an old Chinese saying, happiness can be deconstructed in three things: someone to love, something to do and something to hope for. I think there is a lot of truth in it. We all need love and hope in our lives. Freud already pointed out that mental health requires the ability to love and the ability to work. In two words:

Someone to love. For everyone to fill in ... but I am sure human beings need relatedness. Attachment and affiliation contribute to individual self-worth and self-esteem, and so feeling well.

Something to do. Work links a person to a community. It adds purpose, stimulates our senses. Being able to make a difference, to contribute make us feeling well.

Something to hope for. Hope - or alternatively dreams - is a vital source stimulating us to move ahead. It can be fragile and easily broken but we need it to feel well as well.

I found reflecting on the happiness equation is an interesting exercise. And the holidays - as always - are a good period of reflection. I hope the happiness equation will give you food for thought over the coming days.

I wish you a very healthy and HAPPY 2009!

Chris

Sometimes, when I feel depressed, I wish I were a machine. Yes. Take our file servers, for example. We take care of storing them in a clean, secure machine room, with stable temperature, we take care of installing all software upgrades, we take of adding memory when needed, we closely monitor performances, etc. So much care, isn't it?

Reading the latest entries in this blog, I'm very pleased to see all these discussions focussed on the essence of people. It makes me feel better than a machine! ;-) It makes me deeply feel I'm working in a people company.

So, let's make it concrete! Self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship management ? Great! But how, practically? What could I do when I'm back to the office in January to make it happen? Or what will my colleagues or the Management do? Let's open the discussion and launch ideas!

Happiness? Of course! But true happiness is hard to reach. I propose to start with pleasure. Positive pleasure. Pleasure of successfully completing a challenging task. Pleasure of receiving answers without asking again and again. Pleasure of attending an efficient meeting, starting on time and ending with decisions. Pleasure of having a nice chair to sit in. Pleasure of keeping my desk clean. Pleasure of listening to the sound of silence...

What about having days without email, just to feel the pleasure of talking with colleagues and seeing problems solved much more easily than expected?

Come on, write down some crazy suggestions. Let's make working a pleasure: it's the first step towards deeply established efficiency.

Enjoy!
Daniel

Imagine all the Trasys people are sharing the same spirit of working together, sharing friendship, challenges and creativity.

You may say you‘re a dreamer, but I’m not the only one…

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year,
Mieke