My weekly emails are for you if you want a transformational SHOT OF POSITIVITY that makes you think, gets you laughing, and sparks a positive change. Start each week inspired.
The secret currency for a richer life
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Hey Reader are you interested in being richer? This week's #ShowUpPositive Spark is HAPPINESS. I have been on a three-week hiatus, which kicked off with the World Happiness Summit (WOHASU) in London. These two days were filled with speaker after speaker dripping wisdom and hope. So, I am going to take a few weeks to share some of my favorite insights with you, starting with the opening keynote speaker, Arthur Brooks. Love and happiness are the secret currency of life. As our experiences of love and happiness increase, our lives become richer and more fulfilling.
Arthur teaches happiness at Harvard Business School, and the number one thing his students get wrong is defining happiness as a feeling because feelings are vapor (here and gone).
Happiness is actually the combination of three things - enjoyment, satisfaction, and meaning.
Many people suffer a deficit of happiness because they lack one or more of these elements.
Pursuing pure pleasure leads to addiction, not enjoyment of life.
Enjoyment = pleasure + people + memory
Seeking satisfaction by avoiding struggle will put you on the hedonic treadmill and rob you of satisfaction.
Satisfaction = all you have ÷ your wants (it turns out the key to being satisfied is wanting less, NOT having more)
Meaning = coherence + purpose + significance
Meaning is found in identifying why you are alive and for what you are willing to die.
Your happiness is impacted by genetics, circumstances, and habits.
You can't change genetics and may have limited influence over circumstances, but you have dominance over your habits.
Research shows that focusing on four habits can increase your happiness by up to 25%: faith, family, friendship, and work*
*Work must include feeling needed or valued and appreciated.
Reader, whew! That is a lot to digest! In fact, I encourage you take a week or more to focus on each component - enjoyment, satisfaction, and meaning. Here are some activities to break it down.
My happiest times examples... College was one of the happiest times in my life. I had a clear purpose to get an education that would lead to the career and life experiences I desired. My wants were small, and my friendships were the most important thing in my life. I just returned from a spring break family vacation. The crew included my husband, daughter, two dogs, daughter's friends, my husband's high school best friend, and his fiance. I thoroughly enjoyed myself despite the 14-hour car ride because fun + friends and family + making memories. Reader. this week, you can discover your treasure trove of riches and then commit to growing them. Enjoy! Hey Indy friendsI'm speaking at DisruptHR Indy next week. Grab a ticket and come join me. Culture Mash-up: Co-create, Activate, Elevate - Traditionally, companies have written down their culture as if it were a song sheet for everyone to follow. In today’s workplace climate, this approach is counterproductive. Now more than ever, workers want inspiration, independence, self-expression, and the freedom to contribute in ways that have meaning for them. People don’t care about the words uttered in the C-suite and displayed throughout the hallways. They judge the culture and their readiness to contribute or pull up stakes based on the daily experiences created in their teams. These microcultures form a new mashup in which people sing different words, tunes, notes, and rhythms yet harmonize together to deliver an outstanding performance. If this resonates with you and you are interested in knowing more, book a chat. |
Rita Ernst, Positivity Influencer
Author | Speaker | Organizational Psychologist
My weekly emails are for you if you want a transformational SHOT OF POSITIVITY that makes you think, gets you laughing, and sparks a positive change. Start each week inspired.
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