Maximizing Your Happiness and Success at Work

We are so busy with work these days. We get used to having a certain routine everyday, and after time, we are afraid to stray off that path. But to maximize your happiness and your overall success at work and in life, you must get out of your comfort zone, work on time management skills, and stay healthy while doing it. Read below to learn more:

1. Get out of your comfort zone: Try something new everyday!

Human beings are afraid of change (this has been scientifically proven). Getting out of your comfort zone by trying something new may seem scary, but this is only at the beginning. Change and lack of familiarity cause these fears to arise in us, however, by practicing something new as often as you can, you will make it a habit and lose that fear. You will start to see the benefits of getting out of your comfort zone as that fear turns into fulfillment and adventure!

Nothing contributes to our happiness more than shattering the delusions to which we cling.

An example of getting out of your comfort zone to try something new could be coming up to someone you’ve never spoken to, and starting a conversation with them. Most people want to meet other people, but are afraid of feeling rejection. If you come up to them and initiate the conversation, they will probably be excited and have a lot to offer to the discussion. People love talking about themselves — so make sure you ask questions about them! You never know who you can meet and who they may know, how they can help you, etc. By getting out of your comfort zone, you have just expanded your network with one conversation!

2. Don’t waste valuable time in meetings

If you work in corporate America, you know how much time can be wasted because of unproductive meetings.

To combat this, prepare ahead of time. If you’re leading the meeting, make sure that all of the meeting participants are on time and are ready to focus in the meeting. It helps when people don’t bring in their electronic devices and when they close their laptops — this ensures that everybody will be engaged and not distracted. Let them know that they can take notes on notebooks, as this is proven to increase retention, memory, and learning.

Another way to combat wasting valuable time in meetings is by keeping them organized and on a time-sensitive schedule. You can do so by making sure to send out an agenda with action items before the meeting, setting specific topics and goals of the meeting in mind before the meeting begins.

Lastly, if you are presenting or in charge of bringing any material to the meeting, make sure that it is open on your computer or email beforehand (such as presentations, emails, or other documents or files) in order to help make easy and fast transitions between presentations and save valuable time!

3. Stay active and healthy

What do most successful people have in common? They are fit and stay in shape. Many studies have discovered the direct correlation that exists between staying in shape and having a successful career. Working out, as well as nutritious eating habits, improve time management, boost mental performance and mental clarity, and improve employee morale, energy, and stress levels.

To stay active, make sure you can fit working out into your schedule. For instance, you can schedule your workouts in the morning by waking up earlier (if you’re a morning person) and going for a walk or jog in the park or around your neighborhood. Working out in the morning will surely give you a huge energy boost that will make you feel rejuvenated throughout the day. If you’re more of a night owl, you can do your exercise in the evening. The key is to find what works for you and do it consistently.

Hope these tips help you feel happier at work, and bring you great success in all of your endeavors!

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Spicing Up The Cubicle Life

The majority of us who are working in the corporate world spend 8 (or often more) hours every day sitting at our cubicles! That’s one-third of our day, the other third of which we spend sleeping. And we often wonder, “Can I leave my cube, or will my boss think I’m slacking?” or “If I leave my cube, will I miss something important?” Well, chances are that if something is really THAT important and needs urgent attention, the person who needs you will find a way to get a hold of you. So let go of the mentality that you constantly have to be at your cubicle, and start finding a way to improve your work life balance.

We all can work on finding a better balance to our work day — making sure we get all of our work done effectively and efficiently, while also making sure to keep our mental health in check. Here are a few tips I can give you, based on my experiences, which have really helped me improve the quality of my work day:

1. Enjoy the outdoors: Stepping away from your cubicle and into the great outdoors will allow you to clear your mind and make room for good thoughts. Whether you have a large park near your workplace, a shady tree, or even a small patch of grass, fresh air will surely bring you energy, happiness, and a positive perspective. You can take 10 minute walking breaks every couple of hours, meditate, or just sit outside for a bit. Being outside will provide you with a much-needed release from the often stuffy, cluttered, and overwhelming cubicle and office environment.

2. Eat lunch away from your desk: Your lunch hour is the perfect time to step away from your desk and clear your head. You can meet up with friends or family at a restaurant, walk over to a nearby cafe, or just eat outside. If you’re running out of time, you can eat at your company’s cafeteria — as long as you get some time away from your desk.

3. Get some much-needed exercise: Although you may feel like you’re taking away from important work projects or deadlines, getting exercise (whether it is at a nearby gym, a jog outside during lunch, or squats at your desk), will actually improve your productivity at work. Working out boosts your body’s endorphin production, bringing you new energy and a focused mind. If your company has a gym, or if you can find a gym near your workplace, that would be optimal. You can go for a short class before work, during lunch, or after work — and shower at the facility in case you need to get back to the office.

4. Cube swag: Cube swag is super important. Your cubicle is basically like your room at home. Would you like your room at home if you had bland walls, dim lights, office supplies everywhere, and unorganized papers? NOPE. Here are a few ideas to enhance your cube swag: First, decorate your cube walls by putting up pictures or quotes that motivate you, posters, a calendar, a clock, etc. Just make sure that whatever you put up will inspire you every day. Also, make sure you keep it professional. No selfies, please. Second, keep it organized. Keep a file cabinet of important files, keep your papers stacked neatly, and keep your desk clean. Having it organized will boost your productivity, and also assure your boss that you are sane and capable of getting the job done.

5. Find your spot: Take a tour of your company. Go to the cafeteria, walk around different buildings, and survey your surroundings. Chances are you will find a space that particularly appeals to you — you can bring your computer and do your work there. Sometimes, we find that certain places get our juices flowing, increasing our productivity and improving our mood.

I hope I was able to provide you with some tips to spice up your cubicle work life. If you have any other tips or suggestions, please leave them in the comment section below!

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Dealing with Disappointment

I came across this post from JillFit Physiques on how to deal with disappointment, and it just made everything seem so clear to me:

Truth: No one reaches adulthood without disappointing someone.

Whether it’s a parent or grandparent, a spouse or partner, or a close friend or family member — people will not always agree with our choices.

And if we think about it, we can see it from their point of view. It’s only human that they’d want us to remain in our safe zone. It’s safer for them because nothing has to change, and they perceive that it’s safer for us too. They want to keep us from making mistakes and ending up in pain. Of course they do, they love us and don’t want us to struggle. 

But that’s also an impossible task. None of us get out of this life without some real struggle (whether we go looking for it or not), and eventually, many of us will get to a point where we need to go out and do something for ourselves, something that speaks to our soul. And though that can be scary for all involved, it’s also just part of the journey.

And the outcome is disappointing others. It’s inevitable. And you might never convince your friends or loved ones to be on your team, but you can always practice kindness and understanding, and then do whatever you were going to do anyway. If you can’t convince them with words, your actions and outcomes will speak volumes.

And the irony of this is usually the second you don’t need anyone else’s approval anymore is usually about the same time they come around.

#MondayMusings

–Reposted from JillFit Physiques

We are not crazy. We are passionate.

It is rare that I come across something on the internet that gives me goosebumps. But this blog post, written by Yann Girard, was magical. Everything that I couldn’t put into words he said with wisdom and grace. I’ve chosen a few things he wrote about, and I want to touch upon them and add my own experiences.

1. Believing that you have a reputation will only hold you back. Our “reputations” are stopping us from achieving our true potential. It’s true, I have to admit, I am constantly worrying about what my family members will think of my career choices, and what my social media networks will think of me. As Yann Girard put it:

Believing that you have a reputation will only hold you back from really experiencing and living a life you deeply care about. It will hold you back from doing the things you’d really like to do but people discourage you.

Who cares what other people think? We should try different paths, find ourselves, explore the great outdoors, travel for a year, pursue our dreams of being a Hollywood actor, and the list goes on. At the end of the day, it’s your happiness and your approval that truly matter.

2. There will never be a good time for change. This is so true. But we only have obstacles in our way if we let them get in our way:

There will never be a good time for change. It’s almost always a bad time to change things in your life. You might not have enough money. People might turn their backs on you and talk shit about you…change will never be easy. But if you wait for change to magically happen you’ll most probably be waiting your life away.

3. Creating projects will help you find what you’re good at. I completely agree with this one. If we have our hand at trying different projects, putting our own spin on them, and even pitching new ideas at the workplace or for our own start-up, we will find ourselves in the process.

If you wait until you have that perfect idea or until you know who you really are or what you really want to do with your life you will probably never start doing anything.

It’s only by starting to create things that you will figure yourself out and find your true purpose in life.

4. The world is guided by fear. Girard points out that every single person is afraid of taking risks. We all fear failure, and that’s normal. But what makes people go from ordinary to extraordinary is overlooking that fear and going for your goals. Take that fear and make use of it; let it be your fuel for success.

5. Be human and admit your flaws. In our society today, we feel the need to hide our true selves, to hide our flaws. But what makes us unique is our flaws. Instead of putting on a mask, we should aim to be more human.

People connect with people and not perfect machines. So put that mask away and be more human instead. Don’t be afraid to show your flaws.

Make sure it’s your own story you’re telling and not someone else’s.

6. Nothing in life is really a waste of time. Every experience, whether good or bad, makes us grow. Every project we completed (or didn’t complete), every journey we embarked on, every failure we experienced, and every rock bottom we have hit; these experiences make us who we are. They tell our story.

Nothing. Is. A. Waste. Of. Time.

Not the shitty job you worked at for many years. Not the bad relationship you’ve been in for many years.

It’s either a blessing or a lesson.

7. The best things in life are the things we never really planned. I love that Girard wrote about this as one of his lessons. I feel the same way in that almost everything that I have accomplished thus far that I am most proud of was something I never planned. So say YES to different opportunities that are presented to you. Don’t want to be a salesperson but you get recruited for that position? Try it out, go on the interview, see if you like it. Tying in to the previous point, every experience is worth it. I gained confidence, strength, and life-long friends from the experiences that I didn’t plan, from joining a sorority (me, a sorority girl? Not even close!), to me accepting internships for HR, PR, marketing, you name it! Take every opportunity. You never know where it will lead you.

8. You have to lose yourself to find your true inner self. At this point of the article, I got real goosebumps. That is probably one of the wisest pieces of advice I have ever received from reading one article. Life is a journey. Let yourself get lost. You will find yourself along the way.

You actually really have to lose yourself to find your true inner self. I still haven’t found it yet but I have the feeling that I’m on the right track.

9. There is no such thing as overnight success. Girard is absolutely right on this one. Everything takes time to build. Be patient, be open, be kind.

Everything in life takes a hell lot of time.

But in the end, what truly inspired me and gave me renewed energy and motivation was his blog bio:

This is for the people who look at the world from a different perspective. The ones who are restless. The ones who strive for change. The ones who see things differently. The ones who don’t accept the status quo. The ones who challenge current thinking patterns. The ones who break down existing barriers. The ones who make the impossible possible. The ones who build new things. The ones most people call crazy, but we call them passionate. This is for the people just like you and me.

Thank you to Yann Girard for a beautifully written article. I could not have said it better myself. Please follow his blog and read more.

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Happiness is a CHOICE

When we stop chasing the world’s definition of happiness, we begin to see that the decision to experience happiness has been right in front of us all along.

10 Minutes of Meditation

In our busy lives today, we are constantly multi-tasking which can be so exhausting on our physical and mental health. I have learned from my own work experiences that it is really difficult to prioritize clarity in the mind because we need to always be thinking about work. But let me tell you, I have found that I perform WAY better at work when I give my mind a rest for just 10 minutes a day.

I try to blog about the simplest, fastest, and easiest techniques to increase health and happiness in the workplace, and in turn, in your life on a holistic scale. By downloading the app Headspace, you can get 10 free meditation sessions for 10 days. You do have to subscribe after that, but let me tell you, it is worth it. The app talks you through the different steps of clearing your mind and focusing on your breathing and the way your body feels in the present moment. A soothing and calming voice guides you through the phases step by step.

1. Make Yourself Comfortable: Before you start your meditation session, be sure you find a comfortable space. I usually like to meditate outside, under a tree or in the shade. Make sure you are sitting up with a tall posture, but feeling comfortable and calm.

2. Deep Breathing: The 10 minutes start with some deep breaths, where you close your eyes and get to focus on breathing and providing your body with serenity and quiet. The app guides you through deep breathing, allowing you to focus on where your breathing is centered. Focus on how your chest moves up and down. This is a very calming feeling.

3. Awareness of Environment: After you have closed your eyes, the app navigates you through the environment around you. What noises do you hear around you, and how can you actively listen to the noises without getting distracted and out-of-focus? What are the smells around you?

4. Scanning the Body: The app guides you through scanning your own body, imagining what parts of your body are in pain and feel heavy, as well as the parts of the body that feel comfortable, relaxed, and well-rested. After you scan your body, you evaluate your mood. How do you feel in this present moment? Do you feel relaxed and peaceful, or restless and distracted? This allows you to connect your mind and body together, creating a mindful spirit and an aware being.

5. Focus on Breathing: This last step has been most crucial to me in terms of helping me focus on my breathing, regardless of the overwhelming thoughts that may want to consume my mind. The app guides you through counting your breaths, each inhale counting as one breath, and each exhale counting as another. Count your breaths until you get to the number 10, and then start over. Why do this? This trains your mind to focus on your breaths, and your breaths only. When you get to the number 10, your mind has trained itself to go back to 1, no matter how distracted or stressed you may be. The result is a mind that can focus solely on your breathing.

6. Unwind and Stretch: Make sure to stretch and slowly open your eyes. Take your time getting up, as your body adjusts to the environment around you. How did that session make you feel? Did it bring thoughts to light that you hadn’t thought of before? Does your body feel more connected to the mind?

Overall, Headspace has really helped me prioritize just 10 minutes of my day for mindfulness, relaxation, and most importantly my mental health. Give it a shot, and let me know how it goes for you!

Get meditating,

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