TALK HAPPY
I worked with a great guy who was always fun to see. He is the only man who ever called me “Sunshine.”
This name was not even a man crush kind of thing. My buddy just greeted all people with a smile and some enthusiastic greeting or another. For me the greeting was “Good morning, Sunshine.”
My buddy always had fantastic days. Along the way, he enjoyed tremendous success over equally and even more capable people. The reason for his success to me was very simple. Given the option of the people available to join a team, especially a team in a stressful, challenging, long-term project, managers would obviously choose the person with all the skills to do a great job.
In a very simple way, every business day can go better by my greeting people with the most positive yet appropriate greeting possible.
MAKE GRATITUDE LISTS
Happiness is an inside job.
I have seen people develop lifetime habits for the sole purpose of staying mentally healthy. I know of one mental health professional who, for his own sake, writes down one thing a day for which he is grateful.
At the end of the week, he compiles a list from the seven words. Once a month, he picks the top five things from his gratitude list and puts these words on another gratitude list for the month.
Once a year, he goes over what is now a list of 60 things for which he is grateful and picks the top five things for which he is happy every year. He has gone through this process for years.
He treats the human mind the way a physical therapist works with a human limb.
My glass is always full. It always has been. I am the one who is responsible for filling my own glass. I have held that responsibility since I was three years old. If I do not like the level in my glass, I fill it.
Mentally it is my job to keep my glass full as well.
However, what I am talking about is a celebration.
When I behave like I am happy, I become happy. Sunshine, exercise, and a healthy diet make me smile. Clapping my hands and dancing energize me. I do not have to wait until I am at some special event to have a party. I can have one without disturbing other people nearly any time I want.
EXERCISE WITH JOY
I used to see the happy runner. He was an interesting, colorful guy. I am not sure how many hours he ran a day. I saw him more than once on a street where I did not regularly go, so I conclude he must have been out there running a great deal.
He wore bright shorts, tank tops, shoes, and waved at the motorist. He was always smiling and having his own party as he ran down the side walk of a local major thoroughfare.
He was happy. He was like my friend who used to call me “Sunshine.” He created his own celebration. He was like so many people, you included, in that he was extraordinary at creating his own celebration.