WiseLeader
  • Executive Coaching for Women
    • Next Level Leadership
  • Women Manager Cohorts
    • Mid-Level Managers Cohort
    • Advanced Leadership Cohort
    • Leading Change Together
  • Exec Women’s Roundtable
  • Team Working Sessions
  • Land a Job
  • Speaking
  • Blog
  • Bio
  • Resources
  • Member Login
  • Contact
  • Executive Coaching for Women
    • Next Level Leadership
  • Women Manager Cohorts
    • Mid-Level Managers Cohort
    • Advanced Leadership Cohort
    • Leading Change Together
  • Exec Women’s Roundtable
  • Team Working Sessions
  • Land a Job
  • Speaking
  • Blog
  • Bio
  • Resources
  • Member Login
  • Contact

Dr. Rita's Blog

Happiness — Fleeting or a Way of Life?

8/20/2018

1 Comment

 
I feel happy most of the time these days. It’s become a way of life for me.

It wasn’t always. Happiness used be more of a come-and-go thing for me. I assumed that was just the way happiness was. Not so.

There has been a lot of interest in happiness lately, given the increase in research studies and books about the topic being written. Come to find out, there are specific things we can do to make happiness a way of life.

Here are just a few to get you started:
​
Don’t Overthink
I used to get caught in this one all the time. I’m happier now because I’ve made a commitment to stop worry in its tracks. The moment a worry thought crosses my mind, I stop. 

Then I remind myself that worry is a self-defeating behavior and if I worry, I will make myself sad and depressed. Once I realized I was doing this to myself, it was easier to quit.


Be Grateful
Research shows that people who appreciate things feel a strong sense of satisfaction and are more optimistic—and thus happier. 

Just stopping for a few moments throughout the day to think about the people we love and the goodness that surrounds us can boost our feelings of happiness.

Some people keep a gratitude journal and challenge themselves to write something new every day for which they are grateful.
be grateful
become social

​Become Social


The need for social inclusion is one of every human’s strongest motivational forces. Find places you can go where you can be with people you enjoy and admire. Invite people to join you in activities you enjoy. Help them be social, too.
 


Don’t let being too busy keep you from reaching out!
Be Kind
Kindness is the ultimate happiness secret. When you are kind, you feel good about yourself and eliminate negative feelings like guilt and emotional distress. Make kindness a habit.

Who can you go out of your way to be kind to today? A stranger. A loved one. Your manager. A colleague. Your small act of kindness will brighten their day and you’ll feel happier, too. That’s a win-win for sure!
​

Learn to Cope
Stress is universal and can be brought on by problems. Look for solutions. Creative solutions always exist if you clear your mind long enough to let them in. 

Take things one step at a time. 

Don’t procrastinate. Start. Seek advice.

And don’t zone out  on your phone or social media. That will be a waste of time. When you finally put your device down, you will feel bad about how much time you wasted. 

Research is showing that spending time on our phones not only makes us unhappy, it actively makes us sad and depressed.

Do something that makes you feel good. A walk. A bath. A massage. Make the time. You can’t be happy if you don’t have your own unique, healthy way of coping with stress that works for you.
learn to cope

​A special thank you to Leah Cook, Senior Director, Strategic Projects, Finance at Thomson Reuters for sharing her notes on the happiness research with me that I’ve used to spread the word on happiness.
recommended book
If you’d like to know more about happiness, take a look at Sonja Lyubomirsky’sbook “The How of Happiness: A New Approach to Getting the Life You Want,” or Shawn Anchor’s book “The Happiness Advantage: The Seven Principles That Fuel Success and Performance at Work.”

Or, if you prefer TED talks, go to :


Sonja Lyubomirsky - The How of Happiness

Shawn Achor - The happy secret to better work
​

​Happiness

A glimpse into Bliss.
Not in this moment. Here. Now.
Could life be better?


Photo: Downtown Farmers’ Market, Minneapolis, MN
©Barbara Jo Shipka 2018. All rights reserved.
www.kaleidoscopelenses.com
happiness

​Share what works for you here. We all encounter stress every day. The more ideas we have for coping, the happier we all can be.
 
Send a note and let me know how you’re becoming happier.
Picture
Read August Newsletter
1 Comment

    Author

    Dr. Rita Webster
    Chief Leadership Officer
    612-598-6614​
    rita@wiseleader.net

    Picture

    Archives

    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    December 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    December 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    October 2017
    April 2016
    February 2016
    December 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015

    Subscribe to Rita's Blog

    RSS Feed



    View my profile on LinkedIn

    Looking for a Leadership Coach?

    I'd love to hear from you!
    612-598-6614​
    rita@wiseleader.net

    Smiling Dog Design

General Info​


About Rita
Blog
​Privacy Policy
Contact

Executive Coaching, Roundtables ​& Team Sessions


Executive Coaching for Women
Next Level Leadership
Mid-Level Managers Cohort
​Advanced Leadership Cohort​
Leadership Mastery Cohort
Exec Women's Roundtable
Team Working Sessions
Land a Job You’ll Love​
Contact Rita
Visit Rita's Blog
Join Rita's Newsletter
Listen to my Radio Interview
Post a Review for Rita on Google
​WiseLeader   •   Minneapolis, MN   •   612-598-6614​
Rita@WiseLeader.net   •   www.WiseLeader.net
© WiseLeader | All Rights Reserved​.
Website Designed by: WCW Designs