Break free from your happiness trap!
This week I had the opportunity to speak at the Accessible & Inclusive Tourism conference in the Asia Pacific (AITCAP) where I shared Nepal’s inclusive tourism initiatives in the Himalayan region. I was happy to get encouraging feedback. A few participants even expressed how much they missed the joy of travelling. Given a chance, they would pack their bags and just take flight in the pursuit of happiness!
This raises a question, can happiness be attained by getting into travel mode? A quick answer will be YES! Over a billion International travellers had a variety of motivations, the underlying objective of the most was instant happiness.
Interestingly too many people limit their happiness under the assumption that taking holidays will send a negative message to their manager and/or organization. Which could potentially result in slowing down their career advancement.
Through ‘Project:Time Off’, the US Travel Association promoted the business case for taking time off from work. Many people were found to avoid it because they thought that it would negatively impact their supervisors’ perception of them.
Needless, this is far from reality in the US and many parts of the world. Research carried out by Shawn Achor in fact encourages the use of vacation time for the below reasons.
1. A positive, engaged brain improves important business metrics:
Research shows that when the brain can think positively, productivity improves by 31% GHtv, sales increase by 37%, and creativity and revenues can triple. The greatest competitive advantage in the modern economy is a positive and engaged brain.
2. Taking a vacation increases your chances of getting a promotion or winning a new business opportunity
Had Howard Schultz not travelled to Italy in the 80’s on a business trip, Starbucks would not have been a global brand and a synonym to the coffee community of today.
3. You become more productive/your customers will perceive you as more innovative
Steve Jobs was highly inspired by the ‘sophisticated simplicity’ of Japanese artisans, engineers and Zen philosophy. He used to travel to Kyoto for Shakunaga’s porcelain who was the Picasso of authentic ‘Takumi’.
Humans are hardwired to seek meaning in everything they do. From eating dinner with family to trekking in the Himalaya; it is the purpose that fuels our energy. In order to turn your next holiday into an opportunity for lasting joy, you should choose purposeful and responsible vacations. Such trips are more likely to lead to greater happiness, productivity and resilience.
