A search for the Holy Grail (finding happiness at work)

My pursuit of happiness has taken me all over the world. I have climbed mountains, slept on beaches, danced on cobblestone streets, hiked through a rain forest, been caught in snowstorms, all in search of happiness. All of these experiences have fulfilled my search for a time, but it was never enough. Why couldn’t I have that feeling every day? Why couldn’t I wake up every morning excited to go to work? Is it just me, or do most of us ask ourselves this question most mornings?

This scattered worldwide search has found its way in to my academic and professional career. I studied liberal arts at PSU, which only reinforced my idea that I could have it all. Case in point? One semester I took Fundamentals of Financial Accounting right alongside Early Music, in which my final project involved attempting to play a squeaky recorder with sheet music from Ancient Greece that looked more like it should be in a museum than on my music stand.

Unconvinced that my smattering of fascinating classes couldn’t be used for some higher purpose I set out on the next leg of my career’s journey – my first job. Never would I work for a corporation I told my mom! So with my heart on my sleeve, and a head full of accounting and flute music I took a job with a non-profit organization. Life in the nonprofit world was not all that I imagined. On one hand I was happy to be making a difference in my community. I could see the results from the work that I did and it made other people happy. On the other hand, I had to bring my own pens in to work and cram myself into a cubicle with three other people. Every winter I would covertly monitor my cube-mates, noting every time flotsam from their persistent sneezing made its way over to my keyboard. After three years on sneeze watch, I decided it was time to move on!

Maybe working in a corporation wouldn’t be all so bad. I had a sneaking suspicion that it might be possible to do something good for the world, and still make money from the comfort of a cube inhabited only by me. When a green development firm hired me I thought I’d hit the jackpot. I worked in a beautiful office and got all the pens I wanted. In fact they even paid for my own hybrid car, free lunches and fancy after hour events. But everything in the office moved at breakneck speed. I was in by 7 am (3 hours later than my boss) even after a work sponsored dinner the night before. I powered through 60 hour work weeks and an endless stream of emails propelled by my coworkers’ peanut M&M’s, cookies, and coffee. I’d go to bed with work on my mind and wake up 5 hours later to do it all again. I was working so hard I didn’t even realize that I wasn’t happy. I did realize, though, that I missed my friends, family, being outside with my dog, and that I was spending most of my waking hours in a place that was chipping away at my body mind and spirit.

How could I take all of my experiences both in and out of the office and put it towards not only helping others, but also helping me. The answer came at Recess. Recess’s mission is to promote lifelong wellness through physical fitness, nutrition, rest and play. I could hardly believe that a company like this existed. How happy was I to witness first hand high powered lawyers taking time out of their busy day to attend a nutrition seminar, software engineers moving their desks out the way to hold a yoga class in the middle of their office, and service technicians taking the time to stop in to their office to have their cholesterol checked! I imagined all my previous employers and coworkers doing downward dog in the middle of the office and how having classes like these would have addressed the missing part of my search for happiness at work.

I am not saying there is anything wrong with working hard. Working hard is second nature to me. I still work through lunch most days and find myself checking my email on the weekends. But some days I take off an hour early so I can take my dog hiking, or I take a run in the afternoon if I didn’t have time in the morning, or even take a few hours out of my day to attend a meeting for the organization where I volunteer. For me personally, it is about having the support of my boss and company that makes me feel like the all-over-the-map life that I am living is welcome at work.

Work is work, but now I have seen that there are things we can do with in our work place to make the Monday blues go away. Just like the green revolution that prompted businesses to recycle and reduce carbon emissions, progressive businesses want to support a culture with healthy work life balance. Doing so, and reaping the rewards of loyal and happy employees, means embracing some of the messiness that comes with hodge podge of life experiences and interests that we all bring with us to work each morning.

I see it a lot with new clients. Sometimes to truly embrace the interests and needs of their employees, the groups I work with have to step outside of their comfort zone. At Ruby Receptionists, they knew that the job was demanding and wanted to make a change but weren’t really sure how to approach things.

“This is not the most exciting job and it can be hard on the body to sit all day, so we wanted to provide some kind of fitness stipend to our employees to help them feel good,” says Jill Nelson, the company’s president. As a result, the company agreed to pay for half of any membership to the gym around the corner. Nearly every employee took advantage of the offer, but they found they never went. The reasons ranged from inconvenient class times to not liking the meat market feel of the place.

It was exciting to see a company ready to make a change and their desire to take care of their employees. I went right to the employees and asked them what they wanted. Turns out they wanted a fun, safe, and inspiring workout.

So twice a week, after these virtual receptionists hang up their headsets for the night, they slide their furniture to the side and roll out their sticky mats for an hour of yoga—and they love it!

When I was working at my corporate job I remember thinking, there is no way I could ever workout during the day. I too had a membership for the gym a few blocks away, but the thought of changing my clothes, getting sweaty, showering, getting dressed and then going back to work all within an hour made me want to eat another cookie. It has taken me working with the clients for us both to see that the benefits outweighed similar doubts.

Besides increasing their flexibility and core strength, and decreasing aches and pains, the Ruby employees admit that the Recess classes have made them feel calmer, more centered, and just plain healthier. Plus, they have taken a lot fewer sick days.

I know firsthand that looking to balance work and life can feel like a quest for the Holy Grail. It was scary for me to draw a line in the sand and commit to finding a place where both my personal and professional interests were welcome. I think that is why every relationship I have with my clients is so rewarding for me. I can directly relate to feeling like work and life just don’t match but wanting badly to try; however, I also know that once you take the plunge the water’s pretty nice over here and I wake up feeling motivated to give the businesses I work with some gentle encouragement (and sometimes a shove) to take the leap.

What’s in it for me? It feels great to think I can help create places where more people like me feel at home. Every once in a while I get a letter like this from an employee at a business where Recess works and it reminds me of my own challenges and how important the work I am doing is.

Today was my 8th class and I can hardly believe what a difference they have made in my flexibility and stamina. I have virtually learned to breath again……not realizing that I have been breathing shallowly for so long. I believe it has lowered my stress levels a tremendous amount. Let me give you a great example that has shown me what great progress I have made. Last Sunday, I spent that very sunny day working in my garden, potting plants, pulling weeds, etc. Normally, I am not very comfortable bending/stretching and working in the garden is really hard work for me. This time, I felt so strong and flexible, I was able to bend, stretch and lift heavy pots with no pain. It felt really good and I ended up working for much longer time than I normally would have. Not only did I feel good on Sunday, but my muscles are not sore as they usually are after working in the garden. Normally, I hurt for a couple of days after but that didn't happen this time.

I feel happy and proud that I have accomplished so much in such a short time. And this success has motivated me to take the next step, which is to pull out my weight machine and start working out regularly. I've wanted to do this for so long but haven't followed through with any action. The progress have I made has provided the impetus for me to move forward.

So here I sit in my sunny corner office looking out at this beautiful Portland afternoon. And I don’t feel a longing to be anywhere else. Through my entire scatter brained trials and tribulations, I have finally found that elusive spot where my happiness, my health, and my work can all thrive together. A place where I can build relationships, make a difference, take care of myself, and help others find their elusive inner happiness at work too.