How To Find Happiness (Interesting Research Study)

If you’re feeling sad, stuck, tired or hopeless, I have a helpful insight for how to find happiness – which is based on interesting research about “presenteeism.” Learn more about this empowering perspective.

I’ve always noticed the word “cure” in pedicure.

And I find the presence of this “cure” suffix very fitting.

For me, a pedicure is a helpful cure for many things:

• the flu
• heartbreak
• the doldrums
• sleep-deprivation
• writer’s block
• and then some!

Last week I became sick – due to overworking and under-self pampering.

This week, as soon as I could muster the energy, I meandered across the street to get a yearned-for pedicure.

“Pick a color,” I was immediately instructed.

So I headed over to “The Great Wall Of Nail Colors,” and began trolling for a peppy hue – landing on a gold color with gold flakes of sparkles.

I sat down in the pedicure lounge chair.

To my right sat a conservatively dressed woman, garbed in a dark blue skirt suit. A lawyer, I guessed.

To my surprise, this conservative appearing woman handed her pedicurist a neon lime green polish for her toes.

Hmmm…really?

To my left sat a salt-and-pepper haired woman (in her seventies) who handed her pedicurist a sparkle-infused purple polish – a surprising color choice, considering she was dressed head to toe in beige. Or rather head to ankle in beige – since her toes were about to tell a totally different colorful tale about her spirit – than the rest of her pale, neutral ensemble.

As I looked around the salon, I became aware of how pretty much everyone’s little piggies were not dressed to go to market. But rather these piggies were dressed to boogie-down at a disco.

Being the “Glad Scientist” that I am (I’m a research geek on happiness studies), I found myself intrigued and delighted by how flashy these women’s toe color choices were – compared to the rest of their conservative appearance.

I wondered:

• Are these women more goofy, playful, wild, provocative in the rest of their lives – than they might appear at first glance?

Or ….

• Is a pedicure a solo safe haven to let their spirits out for a joy ride?

I hoped it was the former!

Basically, I hoped that this toe nail polish created a ripple affect into the rest of their lives to live boldly and colorfully – getting in touch with their inner “kick-ass” self!

I looked at the names of some of those polish choices:

• “Turning Heads Red”
• “Major Celebration”
• “Sexy Time”
• “Eternal Optimist”
• “Lady Luck”

I thought about how these are great mood-boosting mantras to go along with those pizzazz-boosting colors.

It would be fun to consciously choose to take on being these polish names – from head to toe – and not just simply from ankle to toe!

It would be awesome to live up to the name of our toenail polish – for as long as the toenail polish can last!

All of this brings me to a favorite topic of mine: “presenteeism.”

What the heck is presenteeism?

First, let me explain to you how I discovered this fascinating topic called “presenteeism.”

I was researching my TEDx presentation – called “Fun is your high performance fuel. The importance of play at work.”

During my TEDx research, I came across something called “presenteeism” – which studies reported can be as dangerous to a business as “absenteeism.”

“Presenteeism” is about how you “show up” to work – you’re present – but you might as well not be there.

You’re present – but you’re emotionally absent – because you are not engaged in your work!

Although your body might be in your office chair – your mind and heart are entirely somewhere else.

As a result, your performance and productivity suffers.

The cure for presenteeism?

You must take time to create fun, playfulness and heart-felt connections at work.

My visit to the nail salon reminded me that “presenteeism” isn’t just a work problem.

Presenteeism is a life problem.

If we’re not careful, we can get so busy, so stressed, so overwhelmed, or simply so bored-in-our-routine – that although we are present in our lives, we’re emotionally absent.

The solution? We need to make sure we’re adding color and pizzazz to our lives – and in more places of our lives than just our toes!

We need to stay on our proverbial toes – and make sure we’re letting our spirits out to play – on a daily basis.

Basically, just as “fun is a high performance fuel at work,” fun is a high performance fuel in all aspects of life:

• friendships
• love relationships
• interactions with our children
• inner interactions – with ourselves when alone with ourself

My “how to find happiness” tip:

Today think about how you can add a little more fun to your life – a little more pizzazz!

Think about how you can swap your old ways for bold ways!

Plus think about how you might add more color into your life – by adding in more music, more art, more spicier/unusual food choices, more daring heart-felt conversation.

Look at this list of powerful verbs (below) – and decide to use them in more than just a physical sense – but emotional sense:

• leaping
• jumping
• pouncing
• prancing
• skyrocketing
• obliterating
• conquering

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