The focus of Act Happy Week is to educate the public about purposeful actions you can take to create chemical shifts in your body that drive Positive Emotions. Here is today’s exercise: Day 1: Smile On Purpose Smiling initiates a complex shift of muscles, breath, and body chemistry (you release endorphins!) that creates a more … Read more
A few weeks ago I delivered one of my core talks, “Five Prescriptions for Living and Leading in a Turbulent World” to an enthusiastic audience. One of the participants approached me after the program to say, “Jim, I’ve been a subscriber for over a year, and I’ve never read anything about these 13 Principles of … Read more
Part One: Learn to Sneeze Several weeks ago the muscles in my lower back staged a revolt, making it impossible to sit, stand, walk, or lie down without enormous pain. Every time I’m just about over it, something simple trips the spasms again and I’m back to hobbling — one time it was putting on … Read more
Which came first: the chicken or the egg? We’ve puzzled this question for hundreds of years, and many are still divided on the best answer. But when speaking of the Positive Emotions family, Happiness vs. Gratitude, there is no debate about which comes first: Gratitude. Gratitude To build a House of Happiness, you must first … Read more
I was in a store with a colleague, and we passed the chocolate display. “Aren’t you going to buy something, Jim?” She asked. “No,” I replied, “I have a pretty full shelf right now.” “Oh, come on,” she said. “Can you possibly have too much chocolate?” I paused for a moment. “Actually, yes,” I confessed. … Read more
Let’s see a show of hands: how many of you are working on personal change goals? Yep, I thought so. How balanced is your thinking process? On the journey from “where you are today” to “where you want to be,” it is just as important to identify what you want to KEEP as what you … Read more
I don’t create a huge summer reading list any more. but people still ask. So as I’m making my selections, I’m sharing. Here are some books I’m reading while on the beach this year: For personal transformation, Daring Greatly, by Brene Brown. Everyone who has read this insists I will love it — about being vulnerable and showing … Read more
Happy, engaged employees are good for an organization. Research shows they are more creative, more productive, make better decisions, offer better service, and are more willing to go the extra mile. What’s more, happiness is as contagious as the flu, but it creates a positive vibe that leads to further engagement. To bring more … Read more
It was a bitterly cold snowy day when I arrived, and I was one of only four donors at the Red Cross Blood Services center. “I’m so glad you came in today,” said Valerie, the phlebotomist who served me. “This weather has forced cancellation of a lot of blood drives, and we are really in … Read more
As the year turns, I hope your “Leadership Sense” is tingling with the possibilities for a year of growth and improvement. Besides the daily tweaking and problem-solving that is part of your role, consider spending part of your time looking at the long term and the underlying systems that create the outcomes you’re currently getting from … Read more