Monday, May 24, 2010

Happiness & Doing it Right

Change Often Means Shifting Our View Point
According to a wealth advisor in Chicago "It's not fashionable to be positive right now."   Well, Richard Wiseman author of "Luck Factor", "Quirkology" and "59 Seconds", believes that change happens when we take small steps toward our goals and happiness is a huge factor in change. I can almost hear my mom when I read his three methods to "get" happy.
  • Smile;
  • Sit up;
  • Act Happy - and Wiseman's research supports these simple actions. 
During this great recession, there have been lots of reasons to wipe that smile off your face - unemployment, credit crunch, housing market, etc. Looking at your business and life "What is NOT wrong right now?" Ask yourself these question:
  • What have I gained in the last year?
  • What have I learned about my customers that I didn't know before?
  • What new skills have I learned?
  • What brings me joy today that wasn't in my life a year ago?
I could have asked you to list all the things that were broken and not working, but that would have sent you to the dark side. What is working is key to making changes and keeping your journey on YOUR path.

Wiseman also gives a test for doubters. Take a pencil and grip it between your teeth for 60 seconds. How do you feel? Most people will feel happier than before.

If you now need to feel grumpy, hold the eraser end of the pencil between your lips (no teeth) for 60 seconds and concentrate at holding it straight out.

These two activities elicit happiness and unhappiness because they actively make the muscles of your face reflect the physical expression of those moods!

So, this week when you are feeling crabby, imagine Lee Lucas, my Mom, whispering in your ear "Sit Up, Smile, Act Happy". Have a great week.

Copyright 2010 Linda Fayerweather
Changing Lanes LLC
419-897-0528
http://www.changinglanes.biz/

PS - Do me a favor and forward this on to someone who might need a reason to smile!


  
Slow Down and Focus
My grandfather drilled into my head the need do good work early on. His favorite one-liner was, "If you don't have the time to do it right the first time how are you ever going to have the time to do it over?". (And believe me, if he thought it wasn't right you DID do it over.) My grand-dad was a wise man.

He also taught me to shake hands the proper way, to remember names, and always say "thank you". He never read an email and probably wouldn't have made it as long as he did if somebody had sent him a TXT message. If he were alive today I'm sure he'd be labelled a renaissance man.

But today we are multi-tasking our way through trying to cram 60+ hours into a (some say) reasonable 40 hour work week. And then balance that with family, eating right and getting enough rest. If this is you then I have a question; How's that working for you?

So how do we manage? We slow down.

We do everything we do with 100% of our focused energy.

And we complete it - correctly. (Do you remember that feeling called accomplishment?)

The bottom line is if we are not committed to doing something with everything we've got then why even start it. Eliminate it. And that frees up the time necessary to other things well.

Do it for 30 days. Your business, personal, and spiritual life will reward you in ways that you can only dream about today. Let's both do it. And then we'll talk in a month and share how our lives changed.

Thank you for taking the time read this. I appreciate you!

Copyright 2010 Todd Pillars; an Appreciation Marketer with Send Out Cards. Please contact him today at 419-855-2273 or tpillars@gmail.com  to SUPERCharge your Referrals! Surf on over to www.sendoutcards.com/tpillars  to send someone an Awesome Day!