9 Tips for a Happy Office Space :)

Hujambo fellow happy humans Sunshine is here to greet you this morning. Happy International Day of Happiness Woot! Woot! For those of you who don’t know it already, today you can officially smile at your favorite girl or guy, with no regrets. Don’t worry you should be greeted back with a happy smile, so we hope At the Nairobi Garage, we are always glad to help you out with the smile business. So cheer up don’t let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game. Go ahead share some happiness in your office-space today. Giggle, laugh, share some office-space joy and make some memorable smiley selfies. Life is too short to be picking on the little stresses that come in form time to time. Time never returns, treat it as an asset and make those minutes of happiness count.

Tomorrow those worries will be back, knocking on your door asking,”Guess who’z back?”Obligations, duties, and pressures, we all have them, share them and live through them. Then why don’t we ever think about sharing something so common as happiness? We all keep fighting for gold when the beauty of life is in simple things, “all that glitters a’int gold,” rafiki! So stop digging in the dirt and embrace your sorrows with a smile. Give it a chance!Chant your happy mantra today and be happy. Respond to adversity with the stimulating power of being in positive energy, smile today and keep your soul smiling tomorrow. Make it your mission today to be happy and stay happy in the office-space. Its a piece of cake!For those who don’t know how to get happy in the office-space, here are a few tips from cool masters of happiness to blow off those Monday blues and inspire you with all things Happy in the office-space today:

  Martin Githaiga “In a nutshell: Optimism, Humility & Simplicity!”

  HR & Administration Lead Branch 

“A hint to my optimism for work is: One, I have always been an optimist ever since I can  remember in whatever situation. That is one of the main reason I believe I am always happy.  Two, not many people get to do what they love. I have had a passion of serving people all my life, I pursued HR in College and I am grateful I have been able to practice HR all through my career so far. This is how come I enjoy my work and another secret to my happiness (doing what you love). Three, Simplicity! My mantra has always been “simplicity is the highest form of sophistication” Being simple eradicates anything that can cause stress. Less stress means more time to be happy, smile, laugh and crack jokes. My Special tip on being happy is HUMILITY! It is through being humble that you become approachable, once you are approachable you interact with people at their best, feed off their positive energy and in the end up happy. In a nutshell: Optimism, Humility & Simplicity.”

  George E. Kaburu “Wake up early every morning, pray to God and meditate.”

  Head of Performance, Africa’s Voices Foundation

“I have a couple of reason for an optimistic disposition all the time – a kind of a man of all season spirit: One, I wake up every morning at 4.30am to pray to God and meditate. I realize and submit that you need the grace of God to live a full life. Two, many years ago I read the book The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran about work and his words have rung in my mind since then, here is an excerpt: “You work that you may keep pace with the earth and the soul of the earth. When you work you are a flute through whose heart the whispering of the hours turns to music. And if you cannot work with love but only with distaste, it is better that you should leave your work and sit at the gate of the temple and take alms of those who work with joy. Work is love made visible.” Three, Tea! For some reason this beverage keeps me on the move – I take all variants of tea – from Genmaicha to Rooibos. I am always on the lookout for the most exotic variants – hook me up if you have any.”

Charles Chuck “I LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE what I do and I enjoy doing it.”

  Touch Inspiration

“My Role model is Steve Jobs, While reading his Autobiography I found this quote: “Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it.” I LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE what I do and I enjoy doing it. (It’s got its ups and downs but since I’m in love with it I’ve learnt to cope with both situations). This is the first reason why I’m mostly kinda happy. Secondly, God has given me soo much, to say the least. (Life, Good health, a job … etc) knowing that many folks out there need this but don’t have it, is reason enough for me to smile for my God because it’s just awesome. Third, I am sooooooooo optimistic to an extent that I can see light in the darkest room/situation. Almost nothing can succeed in getting my mood(s) down.”

 Dos Kariuki “Appreciation!”

   Ian Isherwood “Simply change your expectations for appreciation, and you can turn that     frown upside down!” 

  Founder Date Me Kenya 

“Here is a little bit about my happiness… Happiness is an inside job. As a kid growing up, a wise bird told me “If you believe you are happy, you will be happy.” I tell myself this every day when I have my 6 am morning coffee. Simply change your expectations for appreciation, and you can turn that frown upside down! So cheesy I know, but it’s true. Smile more, be silly, have fun and don’t take things toooo seriously! Unless your boss is coming, then you must be as serious as a lawyer. Happiness is everywhere. Just look at Nairobi Garage, it’s not only the coolest work space in Nairobi (yes, I genuinely mean that) but it’s also oozing with optimism, passion, and people chasing their dream. The startup scene in Kenya is an exciting place to be at the minute… What’s not to smile about! Shit does happen. We all have bad days. But so what? Life is too short to be stressed, sad or upset. Chase your dreams, follow your heart and always remember, YOU control your own happiness!”

 John Murunga “Drink tea and work with millennials!”

  Clients Services Manager GeoPoll

“I am a client service manager overseeing research work across Africa and that comes with a tiny bit of pressure So you could be having one of the best mornings of your life until you get a call from a brand manager in Lagos…those brothers can make you feel small I tell ya! So yes I had to get an antidote for these moments…. I have several but these two sort me out any day-everyday….drum-rolls. One,TEA! I know right I loooove tea from the bottom of my soul and I can never take tea with a frowned face #sigh and the second is working with millennials (I am mtoto wa nyayo)…..these earthlings just have a way of exhibiting hope, drive, passion and beauty that life has to offer…..!”

  Joshua Wandate “Getting organized before your day starts”

  Quantitative Analyst UmatiCapital

“My secret optimism is well, a secret! But, I am motivated by the simple fact that I love the work that I do. The special tip on being happy in the office space is getting organized and get settled in well enough before the work of the day starts. I believe that one cannot be happy in the office space if their tasks are not well organized. Distractions will deter any chance of happiness.”

  Christopher Kost “Cherishing every good moment”

  Kunihiko Kawano “Always smile :)”

  CEO AmoebaX

“Don’t be disturbed by anything that troubles you at work. Its more important to keep calm during a tough day be it anywhere in world and always, always smile!”

Here you have it! Happiness at it’s simplest, now you can start out your “how to be happy at work checklist” and get it done! Sawa Sawa! After all the effort and time we give to our work, humans simply want to love and to be loved for their dedications and commitment. A deserving good job pat on the back! That is pretty much the point of everything we do.  Yes money matters as well, but how do you know you are really wealthy? Count the things money cannot buy you. Thus the theory of happiness and how do you share love? Be happy for everything the Lord has blessed you with, including the little moments.  A smile, folding your hands, a hug or even a simple Thankyou can change the whole world around you. The elephant can pass through the eye of a needle just keep calm, be positive and you shall see the light! Now smile child and give yourself a break …do not forget to cheka sana leo “Muhahahaha!”  clap along if you believe happiness is the truth!  

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