THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | JULY AUGUST 2024 33 Is it ever too late to find happiness? Bestselling author and Harvard Business school lecturer Arthur Brooks doesn’t think so, as he says in his latest book, Build the Life You Want: The Art and Science of Getting Happier, co-authored with Oprah Winfrey. Brooks often coaches business leaders on how to use happiness to increase productivity and reduce corporate burnout. “We are all entrepreneurs. We are all CEOs of our own lives,” he says. “And happiness is the business of life.” When it comes to the State Department, Brooks thinks happiness may contribute to stronger diplomacy. In February, he was at the department, as part of the Secretary’s Open Forum, to talk to diplomats in Washington and around the world about how creating happiness in our lives will lead to stronger leadership in the workplace—potentially increasing our diplomatic effectiveness. He got a warm reception from the nearly 200 State employees attending in-person and another 1,000 online. Amelia Shaw is a Foreign Service public diplomacy officer who joined the State Department in 2014 and has served in Mexico, Laos, Ecuador, and the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. In 2015 she was the recipient of AFSA’s W. Averell Harriman Award for Constructive Dissent. Prior to joining the Department of State, she was a foreign correspondent for National Public Radio, the BBC, and CNN. The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely the author’s and do not reflect those of the U.S. Department of State. CAN HAPPINESS MAKE US Better Diplomats? The State Department has begun to recognize the need to improve the workplace environment. Here are some insights on the role happiness might play. BY AMELIA SHAW FOCUS ON MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT BETH WALROND
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