Thank someone each day

I've been participating in the #100DaysOfHappiness project.  This project asks that we take a picture each day for 100 days of something that makes us happy.  I'm on day 36, but, admittedly, I have a harder time on work days because a lot of what makes me happy isn't something that one typically takes a picture of.  It makes me happy when I get an email that says, "Good job!" or when someone asks in a meeting, "Yvette, what do you think?" I'm happy when someone says, "Thank you, that really helped me!"  Short of taking photos of emails, it's really hard to capture the jolt of happiness I get when I receive positive, friendly, or helpful communication with colleagues, yet I've determined it's a major contributor to my work happiness.

So, in addition to my picture-taking to complete my #100DaysOfHappiness," I've decided to also thank someone every work day.

Today, I'm thanking Carolyn Nelson.  I haven't met her in person, but she sent out a Newsletter about Agile Coaching -- a topic I'm very interested in.  I asked if we could chat, and not only did she take the time to chat with me, she took the time to introduce me to additional people who have a shared interest.  In the short time I've known her, she has shown a genuine interest in my work and in me. What an awesome feeling.

Crucial Conversations

I haven't been writing regularly on this blog for a variety of reasons. I hadn't missed a week until early May and that was when our organization was hit with a small layoff and a reorg that meant I was put in a new role.

The new role has left me very busy which is one of the reasons I stopped writing in this blog.  However, there were also a lot of responsibilities in the new role which I haven't agreed with and have left me frustrated. I no longer felt happy myself and felt fearful of speaking up, because after all, I was lucky to have a job.

In the last two days, I've been in a class that is designed to give us the tools to speak up, in a respectful way, to voice concerns to anyone.  Crucial Conversations gives great insights into how relationships and communication can spiral downward if not done well.

I feel more confident now about voicing my concerns and working with my organization to make some positive differences. And I feel especially grateful that I work for a company that encourages this attitude and gives us the resources to safely speak up if we feel unhappy.

For those of you who are unhappy in your current jobs, I highly recommend checking out this book and taking control of respectfully voicing your concerns and becoming an agent of positive change.

Meanwhile, I am also determined to resume my resolution to find the positive in my job and update this blog more regularly.  It's so easy to get consumed by our negative feelings, but empowering to take control and find a way to make things better.

Creating a Culture Together

The Culture Blueprint With Rob Richman From Zappos Insights

I loved the messages in this video, particularly those ideas starting around the 10 minute mark where Rob talks about everyone having the ability to "opt in."

I Love Going on Vacation!

I haven't missed a week of posting on my Happier at Work Blog, so even though it's late on a Friday night, I wanted to create a quick post just to say: I'm going on vacation!!

Yes, next week I probably WILL miss the first week of the year of writing a blog post because I will be enjoying spending time with family in LA and cruising with my son in Mexico! 

I have a list of articles about workplace happiness and a lot of things that I'm grateful for, so I have no shortage of material... just a shortage of time today.

I wanted to share this article from Oprah.com that highlights 8 habits of happy people at work, the first being: the anticipation of an upcoming vacation! Well, that was definitely true for me this week. Though I do love my job, I also have been looking forward to the week off. Today I was able to delegate, complete, and delete a bunch of todos and now with this last item off of my todo, I'm ready to close up shop and enjoy some rest and relaxation! 

Do something worth remembering...

"To do something worth remembering with a photograph or a scar. I feel genuinely lucky to, hand on heart, say I love doing what I do."

I was moved by this video and these words. I,too, feel lucky that I love what I'm doing. And even though it's not an adventure in the traditional sense, I enjoy the challenge and the people.  When I come to the end of my life, I will not regret these days spent solving problems, writing software, and coaching people.

How about you? Do you love what you do?

12 Personality Traits of a Great Boss

I've heard that the biggest factor in our happiness at work is our boss. When we like our boss and our boss likes us, we're happy.  And if it's the opposite... we're usually looking for a new job.  I know this has been true for me... Here's another great infographic from OfficeVibe about personality traits of a great boss:

Infographic crafted with love by Officevibe, the corporate employee engagmement platform that encourages daily team building

I Love No Meetings!

I think this was the first work day I can remember that I didn't have a single meeting! It was a great day! We started a new "no meeting policy" for Wednesday afternoons at my workplace, too, and I love it.  I understand that sometimes meetings are important, but we have so many sometimes, that I feel like it's hard to ever find a solid block of time to get much done.

I'm trying to stick by some of our best practices - have an agenda, stay focused, and keep meetings short. I've also tried a few new things with 1:1's...  doing them while walking when the weather's nice or treating someone to lunch.  It definitely helps me feel like I'm talking to a friend rather than 'working.'

Here's an article from OfficeVibe that talks about how we can make meetings "suck less"! http://www.officevibe.com/blog/making-meetings-suck-less