I came across a really interesting read on Inc.com on “How to Be Happy at Work.” I think the majority of my friends are in the throws of their quarter life crisis, questioning the career they’ve chosen, the people they are dating (or not dating), whether they should go back to school or make a big move, how much money they should be saving…the decisions to question are endless. We are all placing some kind of pressure on ourselves to have “figured it out,” whatever the “it” might be.

Lately, I’ve often found myself so caught up in focusing on the fact that I am not where I think I should be professionally that I forget to stop and consider what it is I really want. This article challenges you to consider your “rules” for happiness and unhappiness. Once you take the time to truly think about factors that impact your happiness, you may realize that you are being unrealistic. Create a new set of parameters to define your happiness – or misery – and you just might surprise yourself!

It is always a good idea to think!

Of course, these “rules” apply outside of the workplace, too. Take a comprehensive look at your life; what makes you happy currently and what gets you down? Why? It is important to stop and contemplate every once in awhile. After all, if you don’t examine where you’ve been and how you got to where you are today, how can you ever know the way forward?