Work makes you happier than free time.

We tend to divide life into two areas: work and personal life. The term "work-life balance" suggests the danger of work and urges for balance. The common belief is that those who work a lot miss out on life. The opposite is true. Work holds a tremendous potential for happiness. However, this potential is not always easily accessible. To harness it, one needs both the willingness to actively work towards one's happiness and a specific skill. This contradicts the common belief that one needs to have their dream job and specific working conditions to be able to work happily. In fact, almost any job can make us happy if we understand how to skillfully utilize the existing potential for happiness. There are several factors that give work such a great advantage over leisure time:

1. Work offers us far more opportunities to experience flow than leisure time. Concentration is the key to flow, and nowhere do we concentrate more frequently and intensely than at work. Flow combines intense happiness with peak performance, making it a perfect fit for the work environment.
2. Those who work produce results, and achievement brings pride. By achieving a lot, one strengthens their self-respect and self-confidence. At the same time, they can hope to be respected by others for their accomplishments. All of this nurtures the soul and strengthens the personality.
3. Furthermore, work makes it very easy for us to show commitment. Every day, we can naturally contribute to the common good, make a difference in the world. This gives meaning to our existence, and our actions acquire significance – an essential requirement for perceiving life as fulfilling.
4. Today's work environment is highly complex. While this complexity is often perceived as challenging, it ultimately has its advantages. The human brain can only handle a limited amount of routine. The less routine, the more liveliness. Any deviation from routine keeps us alert and demands conscious reactions. This allows us to experience ourselves more intensely.
5. The complex work environment constantly presents us with unexpected challenges. The efforts associated with these challenges are beneficial for us. We are not meant for lounging in a deck chair, but for activity and action. "Man is busy searching for his happiness, but his happiness lies in being busy," observed the philosopher Alain. Research supports this: Nature rewards mental efforts with the release of happiness hormones.
6. All these factors lead us to develop and grow within our work activities. This is a rewarding experience for every individual. We make interesting observations constantly, can test ourselves in various ways, continuously learn, confirm our actions, satisfy numerous existential needs – and get paid for it all.

Leisure time is not capable of consistently and systematically providing us with all these opportunities. It rather offers a necessary complement, but cannot replace the happiness potential of work. Not coincidentally, unemployment poses one of the greatest risks to our mental health. For more information on Marion Lemper-Pychlau, please visit: http://www.trainers-excellence.de/redner/marion-lemper-pychlau.html