Easing Into Happiness with Strong Bonds and Joyful Activities

Consider how you have adapted over the past few years. What was the impact within your personal and professional networks? What was the impact on the quality of relationships with your family, your friends, your colleagues?

The topic of mutually satisfying relationships is coming up in my coaching conversations with women entrepreneurs and executives - particularly those who are preparing for the transition of finding fulfillment after 60.

• We have lost friends and have learned to appreciate the importance of creating strong bonds with mutually satisfying relationships.
• Mutual satisfaction in our relationships includes meaningful social interactions (interchanges) that are potentially rewarding and enjoyable – often characterized by the ability to “give” and “take”, sensitivity towards others, trust, and compassion.

During coaching conversations, we acknowledge and affirm that our social interactions have dramatically decreased and our personal activity time has increased. As a result, our threshold for the stimulation and energy necessary to engage with others has decreased. Returning to the same level of social interaction that we had prior to the pandemic has the potential to be overwhelming or even threatening.

Fortunately, research has found that roughly 40% of how we experience satisfaction—our happiness level—depends on our motivations, goals, and behaviours. This is encouraging because it suggests that by being intentional about what I think, believe, and do (choose to do) —within my control—I can affect a positive impact on my happiness. I can extend my happiness with a positive influence people around me.

Refining Our Interpersonal Relationships and Engaging in Joyful Activities

In our professional life, building good relationships with a wide range of other people is/was necessary and expected. Over the past few years, we have endured uncertainty around social contact (social distancing) and numerous lockdowns affecting availability of activities.

Upon reflection and reframing, we can appreciate that this has been an opportunity to refine relationships and build strong bonds with a narrow range of people, and become intentional about how we spend our time and choose activities.

We have had the opportunity to slow the frenetic pace and curb the need to attend every social and professional networking event. We have given ourselves permission to be selective about the activities that we find enjoyable. We have moved beyond being driven by obligation, peer-pressure, or the fear of missing out (FOMO).

The quality of our relationships and the choice of joyful activities will have an enduring effect on our happiness.

Have you determined what makes you happy? How are you easing into social interaction and joyful activities? Are you choosing and doing what eases you to (re)turn to happiness?

References and Resources:

For references and resources connecting Interpersonal Relationships with Happiness, invest in your own copy of The EQ Edge - Emotional Intelligence and Your Success, Steven J. Stein, PH.D. and Howard E. Book M.D.

Your Next Steps:

Are you ready to work with me to help develop skills, techniques, and strategies that work best for you?

• Schedule a 30-minute complimentary call to explore possibilities. On this call, we will get acquainted and discuss what outcome is important to you. I will explain the application process for working with me and how we would work together. By the end of the call, you will have a "quick-win" action plan for designing your "executive encore".
• Receive Maestro's Encore blog in your inbox with VIP content and specific exercises, self-assessments, and self-assignments related to this topic to accelerate your emotional well-being and resilience. Start with your 90-Day EQ Mini-Plan or the mini workbook Emotions Drive Performance: Triggers from Thinking to Results - Predispositions, Self-Handicapping, Self-Sabotage 

Explore the connections I make with this topic and emotional intelligence. You can reach me on LinkedIn. Or click to Get in Touch.