The Blog

Employers like those in the Silicon Valley use a variety of workplace perks, ranging from free food to indoor rock climbing, to improve the happiness of their employees at work. This is good business: happy employees are more productive and motivated, and more likely to stick with a company.

But even without fancy benefits, it’s possible to create your own sense of happiness at work. Whether selling real estate is something you feel passionate about or something you simply know you do well, you can increase your happiness at the office (or even working from home) using the strategies listed here.

Ways to Be Happier at Work

1. Find a Career You Enjoy. To be happy, you must do something you love every day. For some people, a career that they enjoy may mean finding a job that uses skills they are proud of. In other cases, a career you enjoy could be work that you are passionate about or find personally fulfilling. If you are not happy in real estate sales, ask yourself how you can be happier or if it is time to move on. Take a look at yourself, your skills, and interests, and find something that you can enjoy doing every day.
2. Find a Job That Gives You Time Outside Work. Admittedly, unless you have self-control and the ability to say no, you may not have a lot of time outside of work. Not everyone needs a career that inspires deep passion or speaks to their personal values. For many people, a job is something that allows them to create a lifestyle they value outside the office. Consider what you want your life to look like and work from there.
3. Take Charge of Your Own Professional and Personal Development. Take charge of your own growth by investing in your personal and professional development. Develop a plan and goals for your career, then pursue them. Ask for specific and meaningful help from your broker or sales manager. Pursue opportunities and connections that you find valuable, even if your current brokerage isn’t creating those opportunities for you.
4. Take Responsibility for Knowing What Is Happening at Work. Knowing what is going on makes you happy. Feeling out of the loop at work, or knowing that you are missing key information that other agents have, can leave you feeling dissatisfied, undervalued, or less experienced. But if you wait for someone else to fill you in, the information you need may never come. Participate in office meetings and attend local trainings.
5. Only Make Commitments You Can Keep. One of the most serious causes of work stress and unhappiness is failing to keep commitments. In many cases, agents spend more time making excuses for failing to keep a commitment and worrying about the consequences of incomplete tasks than they spend completing their work. To manage stress levels and minimize unhappiness at work, create a system for tracking your commitments and managing your schedule. Stay organized enough that you can judge quickly and accurately whether you are actually able to commit to a request or a new assignment. 
6. Avoid Negativity. Are you the negative person who is unhappy? Participating in a toxic work environment will increase your unhappiness, no matter how much you enjoy your job. Choosing to be happy at work means avoiding negative conversations, gossip, and unhealthy work relationships as much as possible.
7. Practice Professional Courage. Sometimes, to be happy, you must practice professional courage. Many people are afraid of conflict, especially in a work setting when it feels like conflict can impact your professional future and financial security. If you’ve never learned how to engage in meaningful conflict, you likely think of it as scary, harmful, and hurtful. Learn to say no to things and people that will take you away from what you love.