Introducing “Work Happy”

Here at Wild + Brave, we believe that your experience of work matters. Being engaged at work is a key ingredient to living a vibrant life. We also believe that if we do not learn to engage with work in a vibrant way, we will be caught in a waiting pattern and waste whole seasons of life “passing time” or “getting through” the work activities that should enrich us, rather than deplete us. 

We also find that if our work life becomes chronically draining, or doesn’t feel meaningful and fulfilling, the costs to our well being, our relationships, our physical health escalate over time. We may ride a roller-coaster of energy highs and lows, or feel a simmer of burnout threaten to bubble over if nothing changes.

And it’s not just our happiness and health that suffer. Our success and accomplishment is undercut enormously.

We aren’t really exchanging our well being for success at work. In over 11 years as a coach to business people, it is truly rare to see anyone reaping sustainable success at work while letting their health and fulfillment suffer. At best we may experience a bubble of accomplishment that pops when we pay the price of our imbalanced life. 

If you’re tired of being on the roller coaster, and to become steadily successful and satisfied in your efforts, open your mind to the Wild + Brave approach to work: Work Happy.

Work is an essential part of living well. It is designed to help us resist compartmentalizing our work away from our experience of life. We don’t want to survive at work and thrive at home. We’re not even sure that is possible. What we do know is that for something that takes up so much of our human existence, if we improve our experience of work even a little, it will pay massive dividends throughout our lifespan.

“Work Happy” isn’t for people who “aren’t hardcore,” or a solution for people “can’t cut it” with intense goals or demanding roles. You can reach the fiercest hustle of your life — and better yet, sustain it — when you reach the hustle through the happy. You’ll find that when you’re working happy things don’t always slow down or become easy; often you exchange your “fight or flight” response for an “excite and delight” one. (learn more about this in next month’s free training on the 3 Kinds of Stress Response!) And better yet, become someone who isn’t immune to stress...but learns how to let stress fuel their success.

What does it look like to “Work Happy”?

Be Present 

Progress Daily 

Pursue What Matters

Bounce Back 

Actually Finish 

In the next few weeks if you follow us, you’ll see great quotes from some Wild + Brave thinkers and researchers, principles you can use, and challenges from our team. If you’re curious who is on this series’ thinking partners (or maybe want to do some of your own reading on your favorite topics), check out our current “Reading List.” This virtual bookshelf will guide you to some of the most trustworthy research as well as well-expressed personal stories from people who contribute great ideas to the “Work Happy” puzzle we’re trying to build.

Feel free to follow us on your favorite social platform, especially if coming back to our blog every few days is impractical for you. We’ll be sharing helpful quotes, quick challenges all around, doing live coaching on Facebook, and even writing some extra work-focused articles on LinkedIn. If you’re a super busy person (or taking a break from social media), I invite you to join the Wild + Brave Inner Circle for free email updates. We don’t send things out often — usually no more than every week or two — so it can be a simple way to stay connected in busy seasons. You can always click the quick reference links in the email if you see a topic you want to get all the details on.

Whatever you do, I encourage you to turn your thoughts for a second to what improving your experience of work could do for your life. For most of us, work is a big portion of life. What if you made a small investment, and let the benefits accrue? Even small changes add up. So don’t worry that you’ll have to change jobs to work happy… the biggest changes often come from small shifts.

I personally hope you’ll join us, and I’m here if you have thoughts you’d like to share.

Some of the things we’ll be doing together:

• Bring Your Uniqueness + Authentic Self to the Day’s Work
• Consistently Produce + Progress Toward What Matters
• Grow Your Capacity and Deepen Your Resilience
• Enjoy the Process of Work, not Just the Completion of Work
• Cultivate Awareness of Your Strengths and Weaknesses
• Engage in Meaningful Relationships + Activities Each Day

Whether you buy all the books on our recommended books list, or don’t have time to read a single page this month; you can always tune in, grab a few bits of research and inspiration when you can, and let them work for you right where you are.

Let's Work Happy Together,

Coach Morgan