Shared joy is double joy
What a day last Friday. Three clients shared their huge wins.
- One negotiated a salary increase and got more than they were asking for.
- One was offered the new job they wanted.
- One held his own with his boss’s boss and earned their respect, at long last. Their new found gravitas a far cry from the humiliation and shame they used to walk away with.
All in one day! It was a mighty trifecta. As one of them said, “it might be early but it’s time for wine”. It was 8am.
As the Swedish proverb goes:
Shared joy is a double joy; shared sorrow is half a sorrow
Sharing joy feels great, it’s like double joy. And I can assure you, their news made my day too.
Thrilled for them
Of course I was thrilled for them. How could I not be? I knew how hard they’d worked. It’s called ‘freudenfreude’, or finding pleasure in another’s good fortune.
So much better than ‘schadenfreude’ which is when you find pleasure in someone else’s misfortune.
Privately Pleased
I went about my Friday with an extra spring in my step and a big grin on my face. I couldn’t help it. As much as I was pleased for them, I was also pleased for me. We’d been working on these very issues together – negotiating that salary, interviewing for that role, holding one’s own with that boss’s boss.
I was in it with them. At least that’s how it feels for me. It’s what makes my work meaningful. And it matters for happiness, so I hope you get that from your work too.
New Happy is true
I recently started reading the book by Stephanie Harrison: New Happy. Her visuals are brilliant. You can see some of them here. This is from the back cover:
You have been told three lies: you’re not good enough; you need to achieve fame, wealth, and power; and you need to do it all on your own. This is Old Happy and it’s making us miserable. In this book, you’ll learn the truth: you are enough, you have unique and important gifts, and using them to help other people leads to your happiness.
Even if you don’t agree. Even if you don’t feel enough sometimes. Even if you can’t do much to craft your job to use more of your, as she says, ‘unique and important gifts’, you can always help others more.
There are many ways to help, big and small. And why not? Besides, in my experience, the freudenfreude that can come from it is worth it.
There’s no limit to happiness
Actually, I had more freudenfreude the week before, too. This time, a corporate client who I’ve been working with for the past five years won the 2024 Australian Financial Review Best Company to Work For in their category. How awesome is that! Happy dancing here.
And because there really is no limit to happiness, if it’s time for a pay rise, I have something that might help. I recently updated my guide to Successful Salary Negotiations. You can get your free copy here.
Remember, shared joy is double joy. If it helps you get that raise, let me know!
Image by Brooke Cagle from Unsplash
