A Happy Person

A happy person is not a person in a certain set of circumstances but rather a person with a certain set of attitudes.  – Hugh Downs

If you are in a moment where it feels difficult to imagine being happy, then imagine feeling just a little bit better.  The road is paved thought by thought.

Thai Sunset/Coyote Karrick

Should or Want to?

Let your incentive for action be your inspiration.

Should.

Have to.

Need to.

Must.

I want to.

I like this aspect, that aspect…

I’m hopeful about this…

What feels good/better?  What part of your focus/thinking is driving your life?

Which Way Are You Going?/Coyote Karrick

Paving The Experience

Morning.

Sunshine.

Sip of coffee.

Gratitude.

Birds singing.

Gratitude.

Inspired thought.

Gratitude.

Sip of coffee.

Inspired thought.

Inspired action.

We move into a more powerful and positive feeling state sometimes thought by thought, sip by sip, and appreciative feeling by appreciative feeling.

Then maybe even to “Yeehaw!”  The ride can be more enjoyable if we take responsibility for the experience.

Hope your steps and thoughts are delicious today.

Love, Coyote

Paved With Flowers/Canon/Coyote Karrick

Some think, “Why did they have to pave this place over?!  Golf courses!”  Others think, “What a beautiful green pathway near a field of flowers.”  “It’s so wonderful this place exists and it makes me think of the wildflowers in the wilderness – I’m so glad those places exist too!”  There’s no right or wrong.  What thought feels best to you?  Keep choosing that focus…it will pave your path of experience.

To Do: #1. Focus

“What’s up?” I’m on the phone with a family member.  I’m enjoying a gorgeous morning, I say. I’ve had my coffee and “First Light” – my morning act of focusing and inspiring my thoughts for the day. The sun is shining, birds are singing, butterflies are dancing about, bees are making honey (”just for me”)…I love how they dart among the purple flowers outside my window. I think to myself, there is something amazing going on all the time!

“What else are you up to?” He asks. For a split second I think to myself, does there need to be more? I’ve got a million plans and there will be much more in my day, but I’m about as happy as I can imagine. In that moment, I’m also happy to realize I don’t need that ol’ big “to do list.”

Choosing a positive and appreciate focus (again and again and again) creates everything else in my day.  That’s number one on my list.

Check!  The rest of the list? Well, it’s never done!  Learn to focus and create a positive experience regardless of #2, 3, 4….

Photo:  Bees are buzzing/my new Canon/Coyote Karrick

What Works For You?

Photo:  Industrious Blur/NYC/iPhone/Coyote Karrick

Some ideas to bring more joy and energy into your day and what’s innovative at the office.  The June issue of Fortune Small Business shares some of the happenings in business for better life-work integration and satisfaction.

“…Intimate workplaces, cutting-edge benefits and creative input…that’s exactly what the companies profiled offer.  At Daxko, an Alabama software firm, employees keep stress levels down by playing Rock Band on a  52-inch office television.  Maya Design, a creative consulting agency blurs the line between work and life by allowing staffers to bring their babies to the office.  After one year at Colorado’s New Belgium Brewing, employees receive a free bike to lower their carbon footprint.  They also get  shares in the company, giving them a voice – and a stake…”

(Fortune Small Business Special Report Meet The New Boss, June 2009)

ENGAGE:  Imagine your life on the job a little more “outside the box.”  What might make your work day more balanced?  More fun?  Energizing?  What comes to mind?  What does it feel like to start dreaming about ways to improve your experience?  If you immediately come into contact with pessimism/skepticism/inner-critic that is telling you something about your expectations.  Have you given up on being “happy” at work?

Change can happen first with you – who knows your co-workers and bosses may follow.  But remember whose “job” it is to improve your state of well-being and happiness.  Here are some simple ideas – TRY IT IN YOUR DAY:

• Take a five minute walk.  Use it as a meditation or what I call “Rock Your Walk” (I walk to specific music and intend to feel and notice a specific quality in myself – strength, flexibility, self-appreciation, energy, etc.).   Note:  I see so many people (including myself) attached to their phone – so I’ve started walks without phones, without dogs, without music, without needing to get anything done, just a simple walk to feel my joy a little more.
• Breathe.  Come up with a creative reminder to take a deep breath before meetings, before picking up the phone, before answering requests, and throughout the day.
• Lean back in your chair with your eyes closed and visualize something that brings you joy for a full minute.  To stay focused for a whole minute (set a timer).  The monkey mind can be distracting so focus in your visualization on as many pleasing details as possible.
• Invert your posture!  Yes – stand on your head, or more simply and less attention getting – do a “downward dog” pose or stretch toward your toes over your chair.  Let the blood flow in new directions and feel more energized.
• Make a list of creative ways to fuel your mood during your work day and keep it at hand to remind you.

LINK:  Great Places To Work Institute based in San Francisco.  See what’s happening outside the “box” on the work scene.