Understand What You Need To Do To Increase Your Happiness.

by: Thelma Borbon

Understand what you need to do to increase your happiness.

Aim for what you want. Make calls and plead your case if need be. Schedule lunch together. The good news is that although another’s reaction could be off at first, his perspective changes more to your liking. Understand what you need to do to increase your happiness. 

The original horoscope clip from a paper I read many years ago is now lost forever. But back then, I decided to enlarge it into a thick yellow paper, which I still have. 

I clipped this because this is what I had to do to move forward with my personal and professional life. 

Twenty something

When I was in my early twenty’s, I received the best compliment from a friend. She said, “At least you know what to do with your life.”  Back then; I was tirelessly taking night courses to get my accounting designation. I thought I wanted to be a CMA. But something was missing. As I progressed in the corporate world in the accounting department, I felt I was missing something. I hardly spoke to anyone because I was engrossed in reports, spreadsheets and very tight deadlines. I really missed People contact. I needed to have a job that combines what I love to do (resolve problems) and helping people. Now, I’m not saying I didn’t socialize and have fun-filled conversations with my colleagues. But for the most part of the day, it was my computer and I.

Mid Twenty to Thirty something

Enter the fast pace world of the Real Estate Industry, Property Management (Industrial, Commercial, Retail, Residential, to name a few). It’s big. Huge. And it was the industry to be in. That is “Until the big R hit – Recession”.

I don’t know how many people reading this were hit with downsizing and amalgamation (big word for companies merging into one). It was a rude awakening! The companies did not know how to react to recession. They panicked and started massive layoffs instead of planning proactively.

Something also drastically changed in the workplace! “People’s attitude.” The morale was low, the people no longer trusted the companies they worked in, and the turnover of staff was massive.  The general attitude of the people was if the company does not care, why should we care. However, the upside to all of this is I saw and felt that people became closer and cared about each other.

This was the turning point in my personal and professional life. I came to realize that gone were the days when the companies felt responsible for the well being of their employees. Two out three people I knew that were 10 years or less away from retirement were given severance packages. Companies were looking at their bottom line. Those people that helped the companies succeed during its profitable years, were no longer an important part of the company during its lean years.

Mid-Thirty something

Changing of the tides. Companies hit with recession were starting to climb. Companies, at least in the industry I was in, were having difficulties retaining and hiring skilled staff back. In my profession, industry knowledge is fine, but experience is a must. My peers were no longer waiting to get their severance packages; instead they left as soon as something else better came their way. Companies were left with the cost of hiring, training and retaining new staff. Where companies had people with 10 years of more of seasoned experience with them, whom they laid off, companies were lucky to have employees with them maybe 2 years.

Companies learned the hard way that they have to learn to keep people. They had to treat people as if they are assets to the company and not liabilities. Companies learned and continue to learn how to keep the good people to remain competitive and reduce their massive cost of hiring, training and retaining new staff. More and more companies started offering shares of the companies’ profit and, flexible hours were being offered as incentives. Retention bonuses were being offered for those employees to stay during acquisitions and/or mergers. The CEO and heads of divisions were communicating the changing of the tides and keep everyone informed.

Finally, when malls and buildings were bought or sold, companies did not just buy or sell the profitability of the mortars and bricks, it was bought or sold with the benefit of how well it’s managed by the people and it’s service to the community. 

Now to go back to my clipped horoscope when I was in my thirty something;

Aim for what you want. Make calls and plead your case if need be. Schedule lunch together. The good news is that although another’s reaction could be off at first, his perspective changes more to your liking. Understand what you need to do to increase your happiness.

I had to ask myself and understand what I needed to do to increase my happiness and how to aim for what I wanted.

I felt that I needed to help people in business prepare for growth, manage their growth, and plan for those lean times proactively and not just reactively. And most importantly, to empower all people, no matter what level of responsibilities, with communication tools to help them.

After all, small, mid-size and large companies, started just like you, an entrepreneur with a vision to be happy and succeed.

Posted in: Personal Stories