Business News workplace feature puts the spotlight on Aaron Malloy.

For some of us, January can be a miserable month. A minefield of failed resolutions, dried-up pine needles and smug inspirational quotes.

Over the past couple of weeks, you’ve probably been encouraged to ‘shoot for the stars’, ‘put on your positive pants’ or ‘be the best version of you’.

If you find yourself suffering from motivational overload, this article could be the antidote you need.

It’s about 23-year-old Aaron Malloy, who has a no-frills, straightforward approach to happiness.

His philosophy might not be on trend, but it is real.

Aaron’s no-nonsense approach to life is understated. He’s a Peel lad with a reputation for turning up for work with a smile on his face.

When we asked if we could interview him for an article, he looked confused.

‘I’m not sure what you want to talk about,’ he said cautiously. ‘It’s not like I’ve launched a multi-million-pound company or climbed Mount Everest.’

But we disagreed: ‘We just want to talk about how you manage to stay happy – even in January!’

‘What?’ said Aaron, roaring with laughter. ‘January is fantastic! I’m stoked about January.’

[‘Stoked’ is slang for being excited and very happy about something].

Happy is normal for this customer service agent from the company plan.com. He doesn’t feel the need to broadcast it.

‘Why would you go around telling people that you’re happy? That would be as weird as telling everyone that you’re miserable.

‘You can’t be productive if you spend all day talking about being happy and you can’t be happy unless you are productive. See what I mean?’

‘Sort of,’ we replied. I was just pleased he hadn’t walked out of the room yet.

Aaron added: ‘I like being busy and I like helping people and that means at the end of the day, I always feel like I’ve given my best. That’s enough to make anyone happy, isn’t it?’

Apparently not, if the internet is anything to go by. Mental health problems, especially in the young, have rocketed over the past decade.

Many blame the isolation brought about by our increasingly digital age, while others point the finger at the unattainable lifestyles seemingly being enjoyed by celebrities on social media.

‘I don’t pay attention to all that stuff,’ he said. ‘All I know is that a few months ago I was stacking shelves in a supermarket. Now I’ve got my dream job working at the fastest growing tech firm in the UK. Some days I can’t believe I’m here. I love technology, but I didn’t think I was smart enough to get a job here.

‘For some reason, they saw something in me and took a chance. I want to prove to them that they made the right decision.

‘That doesn’t leave much time in the day for reporting back about my happy/sad status. I’m just getting on with it.’

It is apparent Aaron has an infectious appetite for life.

Two qualities that earned him major brownie points in the plan.com recruitment process.

He puts it down to being in a wheelchair and crutches for several months after tearing both his Achilles tendons during a rugby match.

While most of his mates were heading out to the pub, going on dates and learning to drive, Aaron was sitting at home waiting for his legs to heal. He said the whole experience left him wanting to ‘play catch up’.

He said: ‘Not being able to get around made me frustrated so by the time I was back on my feet, I wanted to do all the things I’d missed out on. I still feel like that.

‘All I could do was play video games. It wasn’t difficult – it’s not like I overcame a long-term illness or started my own company. All I had to do was wait. You can’t feel proud of yourself because your legs got better, it’s not an achievement.

‘I don’t get down because I feel productive. I honestly wake up happy because I am going into work where there are loads of brilliant people. I’ve had enough jobs to know how rare that is.

‘There’s so many big personalities here, It’s brilliant. I love hearing the banter and I love working hard. It’s full on but there’s always someone to talk to if you have a problem.

‘Maybe I should be make more plans, but I like taking a day at a time. Why fix something if it’s not broken?’

Aaron, from Peel went to QEII High School. His hobbies are cars, video games and going out with his mates.