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21 Habits of Happy People

21 Habits of Happy People
“Happiness is a habit – cultivate it.” ~ Elbert Hubbard Happiness is one aspiration all people share. No one wants to be sad and depressed. We’ve all seen people who are always happy – even amidst agonizing life trials. I’m not saying happy people don’t feel grief, sorrow or sadness; they just don’t let it overtake their life. 1. Be thankful that you woke up alive each morning. 2. Surround yourself with happy, positive people who share your values and goals. Accept others for who they are as well as where they are in life. 4. Keep up to date with the latest news regarding your career and hobbies. 5. Don’t wallow in self-pity. 6. Some statistics show that 80% of people dislike their jobs! 7. Take the time to see the beauty around you. 8. Don’t take yourself – or life to seriously. 9. Holding a grudge will hurt no one but you. 10. Develop an attitude of gratitude. 11. Always make sure your loved ones know you love them even in times of conflict. 12. Honesty is the best policy. 13. 14. 15.

Turning Engagement Upside Down – Part 2 | Life by Design Turning Engagement Upside Down (Human Capital Magazine Interview – Part 2) With employers failing to get cut-through with traditional notions of what engages employees, Human Capital Magazine’s Chief Editor, Iain Hopkins, recently interviewed ‘Employee Activated Engagement’ expert Ian Hutchinson, Chief Engagement Officer of LifebyDesign.com.au, who says it’s time for a fresh take on engagement. In Part 1 of this interview Ian Hutchinson answered questions from Human Capital Magazine such as: What is the problem with existing models of engagement? You mention the top-down approach – what’s the alternative? Now, Part 2 continues: Human Capital: What are Life by Design’s ‘7 Key Motivational Engagement Drivers’? Ian Hutchinson: We’ve boiled it down to seven key drivers, which we present as a set of cards (see the People Glue Employee Engagement Kit). For individual employees, they can see there are seven key motivators that really drive them at work. IH: Absolutely. Add to the discussion!

ENFP Profile Extraverted iNtuitive Feeling Perceiving by Marina Margaret Heiss Profile: ENFP Revision: 4.0 Date of Revision: 28 Feb 2011 [The following comes partially from the archetype, but mostly from my own dealings with ENFPs.] ENFPs are both "idea"-people and "people"-people, who see everyone and everything as part of a cosmic whole. ENFPs often have strong, if sometimes surprising, values and viewpoints. ENFPs can be the warmest, kindest, and most sympathetic of mates; affectionate, demonstrative, and spontaneous. For some ENFPs, relationships can be seriously tested by their short attention spans and emotional needs. In the workplace, ENFPs are pleasant and friendly, and interact in a positive and creative manner with both their co-workers and the public. Extraverted iNtuitive Feeling Perceiving by Joe Butt ENFPs are friendly folks. ENFPs have what some call a "silly switch." One study has shown that ENFPs are significantly overrepresented in psychodrama. ENFPs are global learners. Famous ENFPs:

The Psychology of Happiness: 13 Steps to a Better Life We think we know what will make us happy, but we don’t. Many of us believe that money will make us happy, but it won’t. Except for the very poor, money cannot buy happiness. Instead of dreaming of vast wealth, we should dream of close friends and healthy bodies and meaningful work. The psychology of happiness Several years ago, James Montier, a “global equity strategist”, took a break from investing in order to publish a brief overview of existing research into the psychology of happiness [PDF]. About 50% of individual happiness comes from a genetic set point. If we have no control over our genetic “happy point”, and if we have little control over our circumstances, then it makes sense to focus on those things that we can do to make ourselves happy. What does not bring happiness? The happiness paradox Writing in The Washington Post last June, Shankar Vedantam described recent research into this subject. Why aren’t rich people happier? Which future would you prefer?

10 causes and cures of unhappiness One of the quickest ways to spread the sunny rays of happiness over your life is to directly confront the negative attitudes darkening your doorstep. While neither universal nor all-encompassing, the joy-stealing attitudes and corresponding cures listed below are common enough to warrant a thumbtack on the wall of many lives, including my own. 1. Jealousy: Destroy the green monster by celebrating the successes of others. If your friend succeeds, celebrate his victory as your own; if your enemy succeeds, remind yourself that jealousy is self-defeating, pointless, and merely extends an enemy’s power over you. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. Unhappiness is both self-defined and self-imposed (meaning a person who believes himself happy is), so if you’re capable of controlling your mental state without examining its constituent elements, I stand in awe of your mental abilities and politely leave you to your devices. Jul

Tidbits, titbits or tipbits? Text of Steve Jobs' Commencement address (2005) Stanford Report, June 14, 2005 This is a prepared text of the Commencement address delivered by Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple Computer and of Pixar Animation Studios, on June 12, 2005. Video of the Commencement address. I am honored to be with you today at your commencement from one of the finest universities in the world. The first story is about connecting the dots. I dropped out of Reed College after the first 6 months, but then stayed around as a drop-in for another 18 months or so before I really quit. It started before I was born. And 17 years later I did go to college. It wasn't all romantic. Reed College at that time offered perhaps the best calligraphy instruction in the country. None of this had even a hope of any practical application in my life. Again, you can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backward. My second story is about love and loss. I was lucky — I found what I loved to do early in life. I really didn't know what to do for a few months.

untitled Even Happier: The 7 beliefs of the super happy people Super happy people: there are so very few of them! I think I got to meet the first one when I was 20... You certainly don't see them on TV, and even if you were to, it wouldn't help much: you got to meet them to understand what they are about. You might be wondering if those happiness superheroes actually exist... 1-You are ok You are as you are, with all your limits, with all your faults, the good and the bad. 2-Your life is no accident Your life has a meaning: it might be humble, it might be great, it might be rational, or it might be totally weird! 3-You can choose the life you want You can enjoy what you have and change what you don’t like. 4-Your past is ok There are things your are proud of, and maybe others you wish you hadn’t done. 5-Your present is interesting This crazy thing called life is so damned interesting! 6-Your future is bright Things will turn out well. 7-You are loved Loneliness is just a state of mind: if you close your eyes, love is all around you!

The future of higher education and other imponderables We will be running an open online course from Oct 8-Nov 16, 2012, addressing some of the concepts in this post. Registration is free (duh). The discussion below is part of a proposed text with Johns Hopkins University Press that I’m co-authoring with Dave Cormier and Bonnie Stewart. I’ve been interested in changes in higher education since I was at Red River College in the late 1990′s. That simple example gets at the heart of what’s happening in higher education: What people do with information determines the types of institutions required in a particular era. Since my experience at Red River College, I’ve spent quite a bit of time traveling and speaking about changes in knowledge, learning, teaching, technology, and by extension, the system of education. Educators are not driving the change bus. I have delivered two presentations recently on the scope of change in higher education, one in Peru at Universidad de San Martin Porres and the other at the CANHEIT conference. (adapted)

Mark Twain Gives Nine Tips for Living an Extraordinary Life by Henrik Edberg Is truth stranger than fiction? Perhaps. In this great article written by Henrik Edberg, we find that Mark Twain had expressed in his writings over the years an entire philosophy for living. If he were around today, it seems he would be on the lecture circuit with the likes of Eckhart Tolle or Wayne Dyer. “Let us live so that when we come to die even the undertaker will be sorry.” “When your friends begin to flatter you on how young you look, it’s a sure sign you’re getting old.” You may know Mark Twain for some of his very popular books like Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. Twain is known for his many – and often funny – quotes. 1. “A man cannot be comfortable without his own approval.” If you don’t approve of yourself, of your behaviour and actions then you’ll probably walk around most of the day with a sort of uncomfortable feeling. This can, in a related way, be a big obstacle in personal growth. 2. “Age is an issue of mind over matter.

16 Of Nature’s Best Natural Pain Killers Christina Sarich | Are you in pain? You don’t have to reach for over-the -counter pain killers, or even the heavy pharmaceutical hitters prescribed by your doctor; there are literally hundreds of natural pain killers waiting for you in the abundance of nature. You can count on plants and herbs to alleviate everything from arthritis pain, to headaches, to burns – read on to find out more. Many pharmaceutical pain medications, while effective and useful at times, can be downright dangerous, but there is another solution to your pain problem. “Almost always, if we find pharmaceuticals doing the trick, we’ll find a plant doing the same trick—and doing it more safely,” remarks botanist James A. James N. “No matter how well you prescribe medication, chronic sufferers don’t get complete relief. Before you do anything else though, you have to ‘quit the junk food that riles up the body’s pain system.’ Once you’ve done that, you can turn to the many herbs that truly deliver. 1., 2., and 3. 8.

Ten Skills for the Future Workforce Ten Skills for the Future Workforce Sense-making, social intelligence, novel & adaptive thinking, cross-cultural competency, computational thinking, new-media literacy, transdisciplarity, design mindset, cognitive load management, virtual collaboration. These are the 10 skills needed for the future workforce. For a full report, see the work done by the Institute for the Future with Apollo Group looking at the Skills Needed by 2020 (also available on the IFTF website). A summary map is also available. The related, Shape of Jobs to Come: Possible New Careers Emerging from Advances in Science and Technology (2010 – 2030) full study from FastFuture is also very insightful (summary of study). Note: last time I checked, the FastFuture website had exceeded its bandwidth limit. Thanks to Josep Comas for pointing me to these resources.

50 Rules for Dads of Daughters {by Michael Mitchell} I was in tears as I read through this list, as I’m sure many grown daughters will be. Mothers – bookmark this list of rules and encourage your daughter’s daddy to read them, memorize them, and put them in to action. And, to all you Dads out there – be sure you pay close attention and heed these wise words. About Michael Michael Mitchell is an (almost) thirty-something dad who blogs daily tips and life lessons for dads of daughters at lifetoheryears.com. He spends his days practicing the arts of fatherhood and husbandry, while attempting to be a man of God and a professional raiser of philanthropic funds. On the rare occasion he’s not tied up with the aforementioned and other pursuits of awesomeness, he enjoys fighting street gangs for local charities and drinking from a cup that’s half full. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. Photo Credit :: Danielle Rocke Toews 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31. 32. 33. 34. 35. 36. 37. 38. 39. 40. 41. 42.

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