by Lynette Silva

Recognize This! – Deeper, more meaningful relationships with others are a fundamental driver of happiness.

Today is the International Day of Happiness. (Yes, that’s a thing.) Each year, a new area of focus is assigned to help us all achieve greater happiness and inspire the same in others. This year, the focus is on connections.

From the International Day of Happiness “Happiness Pack” (get yours here):

“After years of happiness research, one thing has proved fundamental – the importance of our connections with other people. Yet modern societies are built as if the opposite was true. We are surrounded by people, yet we feel genuinely connected to almost none of them. The effects are devastating. Social isolation is as potent a cause of early death as smoking; and the epidemic of loneliness is twice as deadly as obesity. We could change this in a day if we all reached out and made at least one positive connection. For this year’s International Day of Happiness we are asking everyone to reach out and make new connections with others.”

I agree. We are in a relationship desert when it comes to deep, meaningful connections with others. And yet, it’s just those types of connections that bring us greater happiness.

How can you build deeper connections?

My personal approach to building deeper connections – and greater happiness is to:

1.  Celebrate Moments of Joy – Finding joy in the regular moments of the day makes me happy. Even in the mundane, I can often find something to make me smile. But it’s when I can share that joy with someone else – a connection – that the joy is that much greater for me.

2.  Appreciate the Little Things (and the Big Ones, too) – We can get so caught up in the “busy-ness” of everyday life that we forget to appreciate the little things. Why are we encouraged to stop and smell the roses? Because it’s a pleasing experience that can bring a moment of happiness. Pausing in our busy days to appreciate others, their contributions and their successes is a major way we can help bring happiness to others.

3.  Cultivate a Sense of Meaning and Purpose – A great deal of research on happiness comes down to knowing why we are here, understanding the greater value we bring. At work, we have the ability to help others increase happiness by sharing with them the meaning and purpose of their work in how their efforts have helped us. (Check out this eBook for more.)

Want to learn more about building connections while making deeper connections, too?

Join us at WorkHuman 2015 in Orlando, FL, June 8-10. The entire conference will be about how we all work better and achieve more through the human, interpersonal connections we have with others, and how we can help build those together.

What brings you happiness in life and at work?