When you get right down to it, feeling like we are helping others is the thing that has the biggest impact on our happiness. There is an interesting post on Fast Company that delves into this. Here is an excerpt:

"When people see their work as connecting to a broader purpose and helping other people to achieve their goals, they’re more satisfied with their careers. And, of course, satisfaction with your work generally lifts your overall sense of well-being."

But what does that have to do with my brand?

At the heart of a majority of exceptional brands, you will find a dedication to serving others. To helping. The best ones put it before their objective of selling more stuff. Because they realize that if they serve others well, they will be rewarded. And rewarded more handsomely than those brands who look at their reason for existing as nothing more than creating an economic exchange. Moreover, the feeling that you’re helping is very purposeful. It's something that can genuinely boost your happiness

From the 'what we do' brand to the 'what you can do' brand.

Okay, you like the idea of your brand helping you feel like you're doing some good out there in the world. So let's orient it to make that happen.

Look at your language. How do you talk about what you do? Do you use 'we' a lot (i.e. "We are the leading supplier in the region")? Do you spend a lot of time talking about yourself, your features, and your accomplishments as opposed to those you hope to serve?

Take a piece of that inward-focused language and see if you can find what it means for your prospect. Here's an example:

Inward-focused language:

"We are the leading supplier in the region"

Transformed to outward-focused language:

"You can feel confident you're working with a supplier that a majority of people just like you trust."

Have your people participate in this exercise. Let them find examples and transform them. It will transform you, helping you create a mindset of empowering those you serve. That reaches into a very powerful part of all of us, touching a need that we all have. To feel like we're making a difference. It makes you happy just thinking about it.

The next level: your brand helping others feel the happiness.

Does your brand help those it serves to feel like they're participating in making a difference in the world? I like that Chipotle offers me the opportunity to round up my order amount to help with a cause that they are supporting. It's never more than 99 cents. That's not a lot. But it makes me feel like I'm doing some good. It makes me feel…what's the word I'm looking for? Oh, yeah. Happy.

I appreciate the brand extending that opportunity to me. It makes me like them. Because they help me generate the happiness. There is a whole host of people like me, too. It's interesting to stop and imagine all the others out there feeling the same way I do. That's a lot of happiness. Wouldn't you like to reap the benefits of that? Just imagine your brand as a happiness generator.