Changing the world makes you happy

I'm not sure this comes as any surprise but kudos to Harvard Business School Prof Rosabeth Moss Kanter for putting it down on paper. In an article titled "The Happiest People Pursue the Most Difficult Problems" she gives several anecdotes about individuals tackling enormous social problems. These social entrepreneurs are happier then your average Joe because they are able to walk around every day knowing that what they are doing is making a difference.

"People can be inspired to meet stretch goals and tackle impossible challenges if they care about the outcome. I'll never forget the story of how a new general manager of the Daimler Benz operations in South Africa raised productivity and quality at the end of the apartheid era by giving the workers something to do that they valued: make a car for Nelson Mandela, just released from prison. A plant plagued by lost days, sluggish workers, and high rates of defects produced the car in record time with close to zero defects. The pride in giving Mandela the Mercedes, plus the feeling of achievement, helped the workers maintain a new level of performance. People stuck in boring, rote jobs will spring into action for causes they care about.

Heart-wrenching emotion also helps cultivate a human connection. It is hard to feel alone, or to whine about small things, when faced with really big matters of deprivation, poverty, and life or death. Social bonds and a feeling of membership augment the meaning that comes from values-based work."

A pretty good case to go out and do some good - even if it can't be your job every day.