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| Happy People Win Newsletter |
Volume 6, Issue 6
June 2012 | |
| NOTE: if you are using Outlook to view this and it has strange spaces, please click on "click here to view it in Web browser" at the top and it will look as it was intended to look. ☺ Thanks!! |
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 Happy June!
June is my birthday month. How to celebrate? I have decided to make it "Thank You" month, practicing my attitude of gratitude. (Sadly, saying "thank you" seems to be a lost art these days.) SO - I made a bunch of cards I am sending out. In the mail. Another lost art. Plus, I am making some fun, crafty items to give (Yes, Michael's Crafts stores are heaven to me). And finally, I am doing 30 random acts of kindness this month.
So...thank YOU for being loyal readers.
Thank you for taking the time to write me nice notes after a newsletter (I make a point of thanking each of you, myself, to let you know how much I appreciate it).
Thank you for recommending me to speak (10 years later, still word of mouth - woo hoo).
Thank you.
Keep smiling. ☺
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Price increase June 15th!
Ventura, CA July 21, 2012
Fresno Convention & Entertainment Center
Sept 18, 2012
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New in Research
Research from the journal Complementary Therapies in Medicine found that soaking in warm water daily for 8 weeks is more effective at easing anxiety than a prescription drug. Add an essential oil for greater benefits: Sage sharpens memory and bergamot relieves stress, according to the journal Alternative and Complementary Therapies.
Curiosity may have killed the proverbial cat, but being inquisitive has an upside: People who ask questions perform better at new tasks, according to recent research. Asking questions is a sign of intellectual maturity!
Scientists at the University of Oxford in England found that a good laugh significantly raises pain tolerance by flooding the brain with endorphins and can dull your aches and pains as effectively as a pill.
Feeling blue? Whether it's a hug or a handshake, physical contact can boost your mood, but when you simply see someone caressed, blood rushes to the same part of the brain as when you're touched, according to new research.
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Make Your Employees Smile
1. Give People a Voice
2. Pay Workers Fairly
3. Recognize and Reward
"Making your employees happy doesn't have to cost a lot of money," Spiegelman says. "People want to feel valued."
4. Create a Career Path
5. Create Playful Titles
6. Make Room for Fun
Spiegelman is an advocate of wacky team-building exercises. He once staged a murder mystery on the call-center floor and gave teams eight weeks to solve it. "Do little things that make people step out and enjoy what they do," he says. "I don't care what the setting is."
7. Walk the Talk
8. Send Hand-Written Notes
9. Create Traditions
"You have to create traditions," says Spiegelman. For example, Beryl has an annual talent show with judges and this past August was the sixth year it was held. People look forward to it in a big way, to participate in these traditions.
10. Manage From The Heart
- Paul Spiegelman in INC. |
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Improve Your Mood
- Flip Through Old Photos -
When you're feeling down, break out your kids' baby albums or pics from your favorite vacation. It may actually make you feel happier than a square of Godiva chocolate would! That's what researchers found after they examined how much people's moods rose after eating a chocolate snack, sipping an alcoholic drink, watching TV, listening to music, or looking at personal photos. - me at age 3 - To keep your spirits high, try hanging one of your favorite photos at eye level in an unexpected spot, such as taped to the window in front of your kitchen sink. You'll score a quick mood boost when you're doing something mundane, such as washing dishes. - MSN Health |
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- Eleanor Roosevelt-
A little simplification would be the first step toward rational living, I think.
A woman is like a tea bag - you can't tell how strong she is until you put her in hot water.
Do what you feel in your heart to be right- for you'll be criticized anyway. You'll be damned if you do, and damned if you don't.
Happiness is not a goal; it is a by-product.
In the long run, we shape our lives, and we shape ourselves. The process never ends until we die. And the choices we make are ultimately our own responsibility.
It takes as much energy to wish as it does to plan.
No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.
We are afraid to care too much, for fear that the other person does not care at all.
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Harvard Business Review
Working with a difficult person can be distracting and draining. Next time a colleague irritates you to no end, try these three things:
- Manage your reaction. If someone annoys you, don't focus on his behavior. Focus on how you react, which is usually the only thing you can control.
- Keep it to yourself. Emotions are contagious, so complaining about a co-worker can bring everyone down. And it can reflect negatively on you. If you must vent, do it outside the office.
- Work together. It's counterintuitive, but by spending more time together you may develop empathy for your colleague. You might discover reasons for his behavior: stress at home, pressure from his boss, etc.
Irrational Colleagues
Don't insist on rationality. It will only further frustrate you and make the other person defensive. No matter how many well-constructed arguments you offer, you won't progress until you understand your colleague's point of view.
Figure out the other person's rationale. Resistance to logic always comes from somewhere. Find out what is motivating your coworker, whether it's conscious or unconscious. Then you can address the underlying issues.
It's frustrating to watch a colleague behave irrationally, whether it's refusing to follow a policy or failing to recognize a good idea. But people have reasons for doing things, even if you don't fully understand. Next time a colleague can't consider a completely reasonable suggestion, try these two things. |
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Animal lovers everywhere are sure to appreciate these two delightful details:
- A penguin visited a nursing home on Wednesday.
- The penguin's name is ROAST BEEF.
Roast Beef, a 13-year-old African penguin, is specially trained to make appearances at community events - but those appearances usually involve youths. This was Roast Beef's first-ever visit to a nursing home. The 5-pound little guy wowed about 60 residents of the Hannah Duston Rehabilitation Center in Haverhill, Mass., and deeply moved nursing-home staffers, visitors and his own aquarium handlers at the same time.
"Upon leaving, our penguin biologist ran into a person who has both parents [in the nursing home] for Alzheimer's," said Tony LaCasse, spokesman for the New England Aquarium where Roast Beef lives. "That person told the biologist, 'I saw a sparkle in my parents' eyes that I haven't seen in a long, long time.' "
Workers at the New England Aquarium got the idea to visit the Hannah Duston Rehabilitation Center after receiving a letter and artwork from one of its residents. Sandra Sterling, a former Miss Massachusetts from the 1950s, painted a poster of several species of penguins and wrote about how much she loved the tuxedoed birds. LaCasse said Sterling's letter and paintings ultimately led to a "Eureka" moment at the aquarium. "Everybody loves penguins - it doesn't matter how old you are!" he said.
Sterling got to meet Roast Beef on Wednesday - ("She looks stunning," LaCasse noted) - and dozens of other residents and onlookers got to see the cheerful bird up close. LaCasse explained what it takes for aquarium workers to get Roast Beef ready for an outing:
When it's time to go, he'll swim right over and hop right into a plastic carrier - like the kind you put a cat in," LaCasse said. "He'll be quite happy about it. And then we assemble his mobile cube."
For the duration of his outings, Roast Beef stays inside a special, air-conditioned cubicle with toys inside to keep him occupied. Handlers don't let him leave the cubicle during community events.
"It's for people's safety," LaCasse said. "Penguins are adorable, but they have sharp beaks and they can projectile poop at any time. When we go out into the public we don't want that to happen to anybody."
Touché!
- Laura T. Coffey, Animal Tracks, Today Show
See the video!
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