Have you ever been unhappy? Of course you have. Do you recognize that languid, apathetic, flaggy mood that comes with it? That lackadaisical (yes, I had to look that word up too) feeling that wants to make you cry and maybe even does? Frustrated, angry with yourself, your mom, your boss, the world? Maybe you think I'm overdoing it now, but I'm talking from experience, you know. 

There have been times when my happiness level was relatively low. Sometimes it was clear to myself and the world around me why. It had to do with loss and grief and I could see a brighter future somewhere ahead. But sometimes it wasn't really evident why I felt how I felt and I would just hope unhappiness would stop lingering around.

One unhappy period I remember well, it was when I was unhappy at work. If you know me a bit, you are aware of how I love my work. I work hard, love the people I work with (team, clients, partners), am always in search for knowledge and innovation. Oh, and don't forget how I like beautiful results! I lost all that. I lost it because I wasn't happy. I wasn't happy because I wasn't able to follow my drives. To unleash my talents. And nothing, really nothing, came out of my hands (nor my brain). Success was far far away, I didn't perform at all, and I cried a lot. I told myself not to be childish, to work harder, to postpone the things I loved doing and just do the other stuff that was expected of me. The things I hated, but hey, maybe I could learn to love them too. It didn't work out. To cut a long story short, at some point in time I was so unhappy I decided to quit. And guess what? Other people appeared to be unhappy too. Collective unhappiness. It resulted in breaking up and starting all over. Setting up BR-ND. Following my heart. My emotional drives. Being happy again. And... performing like hell! Happiness works like an accelerator, increasing energy, productivity, speed, intelligence, creativity!

I can hear you think. Yeah, nice story of an entrepreneur who lives for her work. Most people 'just have a nine-to-five job'. They don't need happiness at work! They'll find it at home, at the bar on Friday night or at the football club. But then you're forgetting that lots of people spend most of their time at work. Don't we all deserve to be happy most of our time? Don't the organizations we work for and who pay our bills deserve to get the best out of us? Wouldn't the world be a better place if people - employees and employers - help each other feel good, just like we try to do in other relationships? After all, we spend a lot of time together on the work floor.

At BR-ND, we love happy people. And we strive to beautify the world by spreading happiness. We call it Destination Happiness. We build online tools to measure and create it. Based on 23plusone. It's not just our own experience that drives us. It's scientifically proven too. Happy people tend to do a better job. It helps when their human drives are triggered and balanced. When they feel a shared purpose. When they happify others and are happified back. Contributing to a better world. And having success along the way.

Looking for more evidence? Read and watch the Happiness edition of HBR, Dan Ariely on motivation, Shawn Achor on happy secrets, and all other proof we continuously post on our social media.

Looking for happiness at work? If you're fast, you may still be able to join our Sunny Experience Road Tour this Spring! Otherwise, contact us. We love to make you happy!

By Kim Cramer