Laughter Yoga

Yoga has become so popular in the area that you can't really get by as a "student of happiness" without at least giving it a try.  All the happiness experts recommend it and rave about the benefits of stretching and meditation.  I have a problem, though. I'm about the least flexible person on the earth.  The couple of times I actually ventured out to a class, I spent most of my time in the only position I've really mastered: Child's Pose.  And no matter how many times I heard that no one judges ("Namaste!") I still am embarrassed by my unbalanced poses. I tried to improve in the privacy of my home with the help of YouTube videos, but my Downward Dog (not to mention just about every other pose) is ridiculously inept.

Another "happiness" recommendation is laughter. I have to agree that nothing feels quite so good as a great big laugh... it's hard to feel stressed or sad if you're laughing.

Well, "Laughter Yoga" is this movement started by Dr. Madan Kataria, "The Laughter Guru" and laughter yoga clubs are popping up all over the world.  I'm always into new experiences so when I saw there was a nearby club, I thought I'd check it out.  I figured I'd fit right in and provide entertainment since my yoga poses were so laughable.

As it turns out, we didn't do the traditional yoga (thank goodness!) but more fun little games that helped us exercise our "laughing muscles."  OK, this felt a little more like an Improv class than an exercise class, but I'm all for games of any sort.  I was warned that as a new person, I'd feel a little uncomfortable, and that it would take about four classes to start to see the benefits... at which point, apparently, I'd have the ability to break into laughter at any time. This is particularly useful, I was told, during times of stress.

Well, being someone who has broken into uncontrollable fits of laughter at inappropriate times (church, class, work meeting), I wasn't sure I needed practicing in laughing, but maybe more practice in being able to control my laughter!  I remember once as a kid, when my brother farted in church, I couldn't stop laughing no matter how many stern looks my parents threw my way!

But I digress. Other than the insanely, uncontrolled laughing, there's no doubt, laughing helps us relieve stress, and being able to "laugh on demand" is bound to help put us in a better mood.  Much like smiling with someone, laughing with someone certainly seems to create a connection. Even though I'd just met the 15 or so people in the class, laughing together helped me feel welcome and uninhibited. It was a lot less intimidating than Yoga Poses! I am actually pretty good at laughing!

I also liked that some of the "games" were aimed at defeating negative emotions and embracing the positive. I'm all about looking for the positive in life and I admire those who help spread positivity in the world. As Lori, the facilitator on Thursday said, "It's contagious!"

I'm not sure if I'd recommend breaking out into a big belly laugh when you're stressed in the office - at least not publicly.  Just sneak into the bathroom and let the fits of laughter begin!

Much thanks to the Arvada Laughter Yoga group for giving me a great first experience with Laughter Yoga and for bringing more happiness and laughter to the world.  Laugh on! Or as the mantra goes (said with an Indian accent as taught by Dr. Kataria): "Veddy good, Veddy good, Yay!"

Workplace Happiness expert, Shawn Achor, to speak at WorkHuman

I just love TED talks and this one, featuring Shawn Achor, is one of the most popular of all time.  His message is one that I've heard several times (especially since I subscribe and read so much about workplace happiness): It's not being successful that makes us happy so much as being happy that makes us successful.

This talk is full of good humor, but the 5 actions we can all do each day comes at the end of the video.  I won't spoil the ending for you, but I can tell you that I think the 5 actions apply to happiness in general... not just workplace happiness.

If you're a Shawn Achor fan, you might want to hear him speak at the upcoming WorkHuman conference, sponsored by Globoforce.

Happy International Happiness Day!

Because I subscribe to so many different blogs and sites dedicated to Happiness, almost every day I get something that reminds me of all the benefits of happiness and how we might achieve more happiness in our lives, whether at work or at home. I've been meaning to pass along these resources by way of this blog, but it's been difficult to make the time.

However, today, I'm making the effort because it's International Happiness Day! Yes, this trend in looking at Happiness has become so popular that in June, 12, the United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution declaring March 20th an International Day of Happiness.

But where did all this attention to happiness start? I assumed it was due to the interest by scientists to study positive psychology.  However, according to Wikipedia, the International Day of Happiness "was the result of the effort the Kingdom of Bhutan and its Gross National Happiness Initiative."

Measuring happiness in the workplace is also becoming popular.  Recently I saw an article suggesting that Happiness was one of the three most important measurements in Agile Development (the field that I work in.)   The article suggested measuring moods with a Niko-niko calendar.

Do you think happiness can be measured?  Whether or not we can measure it, what ways can you contribute to workplace happiness?

Being Authentic

"Be weird. Be random. Be who you are. Because you never know who would love the person you hide." Don't change so people will like you, be yourself and the right people will love you. #AuthenticityIsMagnetic

This was shared with me via Project Happiness on Facebook.  Their mission: Offering programs to spread happiness through classrooms and communities globally. Join the movement! 

http://www.projecthappiness.org/

Globoforce offers "The Power of Thanks"

One of the blogs about workplace happiness that I subscribe to comes from Globoforce, an organization that specializes in recognition and talent management.  Today they came out with a new post: A Blueprint for a More Human Workplace.

The post talks about the continuing trend in organizations to understand how important workplace happiness is and that millennials are revolutionizing workplace expectations for everyone

What do we expect? More humanity for one. We expect to be treated as individuals. We expect to have a voice and agency in the curation of our work cultures, and we expect to build and leverage relationships at work to enrich our performance and our experience of work.

That’s why, more than ever before,  people are looking for meaning, fulfillment and camaraderie in their work. Leading companies understand this and are focusing on creating more human work cultures, imbued with purpose, happiness, appreciation, trust, and respect..

The post goes on to offer a book written by Globoforce's Eric Mosely and Derek Irvine: The Power of Thanks to the first 20 people who leave a comment. I'm happy to say that I was 4th to comment and I'm very excited to get the book! Gratitude is key to happiness in both business and in personal life and I'm interested in the insights from these authors on how we can use the power of thanks to create a culture of gratitude in the workplace.

BTW, I just checked and there are only 7 comments as of now (5pm MT on 2/5/15) so 13 more people can still receive a free copy of the book!

A Very Special Mentor and Leader

I've long been supportive of the concept of mentoring and have participated in various mentoring programs in my career, both as a "mentee" when I was a new manager, and as a mentor, to help others.  In fact, I'm such a proponent that I'm currently helping to roll out a new program within my organization.

Recently, I have been participating myself in a mentoring relationship, partly to "Beta Test" the new program, but mostly because I was struggling with some things and I really wanted advice from a leader who I respected, Paul Clip.  I was hesitant to ask Paul to be my mentor for two reasons: 1) He is in my "chain of command"...not something that's recommended in a mentoring relationship and 2) He's super high-up in that chain which means he's very busy.  I really did not want to bother him with my problems when I know he has so much more on his mind.

A couple of weeks ago I started a new daily ritual where I thank someone each work day.  The thing is, I'm not a big fan of "token thank yous"...  The thank you's need to be sincere, and I feel a little worried about doing them every day, lest they become watered down.  The other issue with this particular thank you, is that thanking your boss's boss's boss publicly seems like a totally kiss up move...and "kissing up" is another thing I'm not a big fan of. But most people who know me (and probably all my bosses) realize I don't do the kiss up thing.  I speak my truth and sometimes that means I disagree with my bosses and sometimes that means I tell them when I think they're awesome.

But, as I wrote about on a different blog, sometimes Thank You doesn't seem enough, and you wish there were some "Uber-Thank You" word.   You want the recipient to know that their graciousness and generosity changed your life for the better, and because of them, you will be able to pay that forward.

How Paul helped me most with this mentoring was that he listened to me...  really listened.  And, like any good mentor or coach, most of the time he let ME figure out how to best take some control in resolving the issues I was having.  He provided a sounding board and sent me some links to relevant material, but he was always there with full attention, sometimes even going over our appointed times.  I'm amazed that Paul, in the very senior position that he's in, was able to take all the time he has to listen and be there for me.  He never once has acted as though I've been an imposition.

But besides making the time to be my mentor and to listen, the other thing that I respect so much about Paul is that he sees every person for the unique individuals they are, both personally and professionally.  I have no idea how he has the time to make every person feel special, but he does.

Thank you, Paul, for teaching me so much about leadership... not just from our mentoring sessions, but from your actions.

Lessons for those of you who want to participate in a mentoring program:

* You don't need to have a formal mentoring program in your workplace to get a mentor.
* Ask someone you respect to be your mentor.  Don't assume they won't have the time.  You have nothing to lose by asking.
* If you do ask for a mentor, set the agenda.  Don't expect the mentor to set the agenda or tell you what to do.  Be respectful of your mentor's time.
* Whether you are the mentee, the mentor, or not even participating in any kind of "program": Take time to really listen and understand the objectives of the relationship or issues that you're trying to resolve before you jump into solving the problem.
* Recognize that the mentee needs to reach their own conclusions and take control of solving their problems.  This is not something a mentor can do for them.
* Whether you participate as a mentor or a mentee, like anything, the more engaged you are, the more successful you will be.

What Kind of Smart are You?

Source: BestEducationDegrees.com