Even those who are fortunate to do what they love have to deal with times when clouds get in the way of their sunshine. The current economic climate can be an added downer. Real rain is necessary to make gardens grow. However, metaphorical precipitation of the mind can lead to lackluster productivity. A cheerful attitude on the job has no downside.

Shaun Achor is the head of the consulting firm Aspirant having American Express, Credit Suisse, and Microsoft among its clientele. He says, “Most people make the mistake of thinking that success leads to happiness. In fact, our brains work precisely the other way around, happiness gives rise to resilience, energy, and the ability to influence other people — all things that create success.” He also happens to be the resident psychology tutor at Harvard, and has spent the past five years studying “positive psychology”. His research has yielded interesting findings among them, “The two most important predictors of success are, first, whether we believe our behavior matters, that is, whether we think we can make a real difference — and many people lose that belief in hard times, because so much is out of their control,” Achor says. “And second, how do you manage stress? Does it paralyze you, or does it move you forward to action?”

It’s necessary to hop on the hopeful horse, hang onto the reins and giddyup.  But how? There are tools that can assist one into the saddle.  One that turns up often in formal academic studies on happiness is: Maintaining a network. This network can consist of friends, family, co-workers, and internet social utilities (i.e. Facebook, Myspace, and right here on Madison Who’s Who).

“Now more than ever, take the time to strengthen those connections in your life,” urges Achor. “You can start small by reaching out to just one person a day.”

You could start right now, right here.