Go to work in search of happiness

 

The picture on the left is that of healthy cells – they communicate with each other (notice how they extend to touch their neighbors), they are large and look strong.  The cells on the right picture are cancer cells of the same tissue – they are smaller, and they tend to not communicate with their neighbors. They also look angry  and isolated in their endeavor to grow faster and faster.

Source: NCI/NIH, https://visuals.nci.nih.gov/details.cfm?imageid=2306, and http://visuals.nci.nih.gov/details.cfm?imageid=2304

I have not written for some time since there is nothing good to report. At work, things are going wrong and people are either evil or dejected, or both! I have not seen even a single truly happy faculty member in years. The problem with this dark plague is that everyone else around the unhappy teachers suffers, including the students.

Next time we are unhappy, we should think about how we impact the atmosphere for everyone around us. Do we want to leave a trail of unhappiness, devastation, negativity and sadness?

I would rather bring some sunshine and inspiration in people’s lives. It is not selfish to intentionally search for happiness. Why not proclaim that the mission of our institutions is the search for happiness? Instead, our missions are usually piles of lofty and empty words that do not amount to anything.

Are you dissatisfied with your place of work? Start a movement – forge a path to an intentional happiness. Start with your connections at the job. There must be a few good people whom you trust – secure good communications with them, establish the foundational network and then expand it.

Here is the first “baby step” to changing your workplace: propose to the few good people a daily meeting of 10-15 minutes. The purpose is to touch base and give support to each other. You will be amazed how much better it is to communicate face-to-face.

My final words are these of a cancer biologist: broken and missing cell communications are a defining characteristic of cancer cells. Just look at the pictures above. Get connected today – do not fall into a malignant state of mind.