Choose to be happy. Not making a conscious choice to live as your happiest and most blissful self, is to accept a life of stress and unhappiness; and the cost of which is ugly with 45% of Australians unfortunately suffering from a mental health condition in their lifetime.

What is Stress

Stress is the human body’s natural response when one is dealt with challenging situations and high levels of mental and emotional pressure. Large levels of stress over extended periods of time can cause detrimental effects on one’s mental and physical health. Today more than ever it is a major cause of mental and physical health issues, relationship breakups, productivity declines and general enjoyment of life (Health Direct Australia). Within today’s Australia it is extremely common for full-time employees to experience high levels of work-related stress, and according to Safe Work Australia; “more professionals make claims for mental stress than any other factor, and a third of these claims are due to work pressure” – this is no small issue.

Control Your Lusts

Spinoza, the 17th century Dutch philosopher, famous for his comprehensive works on ethics said the following: ‘We do not find joy in virtue because we control our lusts, but contrariwise, because we find joy in virtue we control our lusts’. If you are like me it will take you a few reads to grasp that what Spinoza is saying is that to live and lead ethically we must find joy in being virtuous.

People are 83% more committed to leaders who stand for something and are 86% more likely to follow leaders who take the lead on ethical change - 2019 Edelman Trust Barometer. Studying organisational and human behaviour that involves helping leaders find their best-self to live and lead authentically, has taught me that it is impossible for a one to be ethical without being virtuous in character.

What is Ethics and What Are Moral Virtues?

ETHICS can be defined as moral standards that govern an individual or organisation...