Posted in : Blog
Posted on : March 20, 2024
In 2013 the United Nations began celebrating the International Day of Happiness as a way of recognizing the importance of happiness and well-being in the daily lives of people around the globe1. The resolution to proclaim March 20 as the International Day of Happiness was initiated by Bhutan as a country that has focused more heavily on national happiness than national income since the early 1970s. In fact, Bhutan adopted the measure of Gross National Happiness over the measure of Gross National Product to emphasize the importance of happiness as a sign of progressive development². By recognizing and celebrating the International Day of Happiness on March 20, it can work as a timely reminder to prioritize our well-being and cultivate happiness in our daily lives and organizations.
On a very personal level in writing this blog, I took some time to consider what makes me happy, and how in times of stress I have used therapy-based approaches to cultivating a sense of happiness or well-being. Here are a few examples that hopefully can help you in your journey to cultivate more happiness in your individual life and in your communities.
One of the beautiful things about having an International Day of Happiness celebrated at the U.N. and a country which has intertwined happiness with their national goals, is that as organizations there are resources to help us consider the happiness and well-being of our employees. For example, the Bhutanese have outlined four pillars of Gross National Happiness which touch on elements such as governance and socio-economic development⁴, there are nine domains which the Bhutanese government uses to measure happiness in the country including psychological well-being and culture⁵, and the UN delivers a world report on happiness outlining the types of data that can be used to evaluate happiness and well-being on a global scale⁶. Therefore, from an organizational perspective, we can also look at a number of ways to cultivate happiness and well-being with our employees in mind.
This International Day of Happiness, I would like to encourage everyone to join me in a commitment to prioritizing our well-being and doing things that make us happy. Even beyond ourselves as individuals, let us each find ways to create a world where happiness thrives, where compassion knows no bounds, and where the pursuit of happiness becomes a shared endeavor both personally and organizationally.
- CCDI Research Team
References (click here to review the sources)
Mental Health in the Workplace: https://ccdi.ca/media/3612/educational-resources-mental-health-en.pdf
[1] United Nations, International Day of Happiness: https://www.un.org/en/observances/happiness-day
[2] History of GNH, GNH Centre Bhutan: https://www.gnhcentrebhutan.org/history-of-gnh/
[3] What is mindfulness? Mindful Staff: https://www.mindful.org/what-is-mindfulness/
[4] The 4 Pillars of GNH, GNH Centre Bhutan: https://www.gnhcentrebhutan.org/the-4-pillars-of-gnh/
[5] The 9 Domains of GNH, GNH Centre Bhutan: https://www.gnhcentrebhutan.org/the-9-domains-of-gnh/
[6] World Happiness Report 2023, Helliwell et al.: https://happiness-report.s3.amazonaws.com/2023/WHR+23.pdf
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