We (my daughter and I along with my dear friend Laura Landsberg and her daughter) just got home from a delightful, though somewhat gray and wet week on Hornby Island. As I made my way back into the city, with a car full of freshly picked blackberries and damp clothes (yes, it mostly rained) I felt the relentless stress of city living reenter my soul. By the time my key was in the front door anxiety had a firm hold. For me, September is the month where “it” all begins. “It” might be all that didn’t get done or followed-up on during the past Fall, Winter and Spring. Or “it” might be everything I avoided doing ’cause it was Summer, or “it” might be the numerous great ideas that were born while, in my case, doing things like picking blackberries. No matter, it’s a familiar sensation and this year it seems to have come back around at warp speed..Before I had even managed to set my suitcase down, the to-do list had pulled centre stage. I should paint, mow, call so and so. I should write that book, get more exercise, I should make a pie before the berries go bad, pay my bills, market my business, write my blog, go school supply shopping, get some food in the fridge, make a gift for my new nephew, go back to school, finish that workshop…

I did manage to get the pie baked– a really glorious, deep purple, sweet and summery blackberry pie. At least I have my priorities straight!!

“The more we care for the happiness of others, the greater our own sense of well-being becomes. Cultivating a close, warm-hearted feeling for others automatically puts the mind at ease. This helps remove whatever fears or insecurities we may have and gives us the strength to cope with any obstacles we encounter. It is the ultimate source of success in life.” Dalai Lama

Bhutan, a tiny kingdom in the Himalayas, is the only country with a Gross National Happiness index. The GNH is based on equitable development, environmental conservation, cultural heritage and good governance. The interest in happiness as a measure of national health is growing. Ruut Veenhoven, emeritus-professor of ’social conditions for human happiness’ at Erasmus University Rotterdam in the Netherlands has been compiling a world happiness data base. Veenhoven defines happiness by how much a person likes their life. Certain conditions conspire to support a happy life and it shouldn’t be of any surprise to note that rich nations tend to score higher than poor. But there is another critical factor at play- freedom.

These lofty insights into happiness have practical applications in the business world. Fundamentally, it would seem happiness is good for business. Current findings from the field of positive psychology and neuroscience are confirming that it is possible to raise happiness on a personal level and that our own happiness is highly contagious. Furthermore, happiness is good for our health. And healthy people make better, more productive employees. It seems, therefore, that any organization that truly takes an interest in happiness, in the wellbeing of employees (and customers), must encourage choice and freedom, and educate and inspire one another to demonstrate and continually cultivate a “warm-hearted feeling for others”.