The International Day of Happiness is celebrated across the world on March 20. This date coincides with the spring equinox, a global phenomenon observed by people worldwide at the same time.
From a purely personal perspective, I believe that happiness is not something to be celebrated on a given day, and that one should take the time each day to find the secret to happiness. The truth is that making others happy is the real pursuit of happiness. For us to have a happy workplace, we should join our efforts to build this workplace and deepen our sense of responsibility to deliver high-quality work and maintain a high-quality working environment. We can all search within for our best positive qualities, identify our strengths, think positively, and open new doors to hope and optimism each day. Let us all remember that happiness is the first fruit of good management. Therefore, we conclude that the more aware managers become of the best approaches to good management, the better able they are at bringing out the best in their employees and capitalizing on their potential to get work done. Among the key factors in improving workplace processes is how managers treat their employees. This includes incentivizing them, boosting their self-confidence, transferring knowledge to them to help them enhance their own performance, and allowing them to make mistakes. This ought to transform poorly performing employees into creative and competent ones. The success of the manager is measured against this. I must emphasize to you all that to care about work means to care about employees first since this is how to create a truly happy workplace, instead of merely circulating slogans in emails on occasions.
Although the concept and definition of happiness differ from one person to another, happiness is a common feeling shared among humans. Broadly speaking, happiness is relative and is based on one’s potential and motives, and therefore it is a decision that comes from within. It is a deep feeling experienced when people are fully satisfied and content with their life. Perhaps this meaning is best reflected in this Quranic verse: “And indeed your Lord will give you so that you will be satisfied”. People must pursue what makes them happy, including boosting their self-confidence and self-esteem, building successful social relations, being able to control their own emotions, getting engaged in meaningful work, and participating in leisure activities that provide them with feelings of happiness and pleasure. They must also make sure to surround themselves with happy or positive people, to find a balance between social and professional life, to live by their values and principles, to do good deeds, to love others, and to make others happy. It is also important not to procrastinate, or put off today’s work for tomorrow, in compliance with the Quranic verse that reads: “When you have taken a decision, put your trust in Allah”. Perhaps this is a quick recipe to happiness, a recipe that I thought I would share with my colleagues at the Securities and Commodities Authority.
I shall conclude my speech by thanking and appraising Almighty Allah for blessing us with a wise leadership that has provided us with all the means to live on this land of happiness. The incontestable truth is that the secret of our happiness lies in the blessing of having a prudent leadership that has truly endeavored to make us the happiest people on Earth, thanks to its insights and wise vision.
We thank Allah for His many blessings.
May Allah bless us with success and prosperity.
