Happy From 9 to 5

A post by Charlie Gilkey about whether people would buy a $47 step-by-step program to achieve happiness prompted a very lively discussion.

So I started thinking, is happiness a teachable skill? And therefore, can we learn how to be happy at work despite it not filling our souls or not being our “purpose”?

To answer my own question I went back to Martin Seligman’s book “Authentic happiness”. The preface told me that studies show that we have a predetermined level of happiness already set in us, and you can’t change that particular level. That is why primarily unhappy people will never feel happy in the long run and neither primarily happy people will feel unhappy forever.

However, despite this setting, which can be lower or higher, there is another happiness level that we can modify, increase and keep high long term.

Happiness seems to be based on values such as hope, secutity and trust. Can we learn about them when what we do for a living sucks, when we are scared about our future? Read more »

Like most Mondays, here’s a video to wake you up.

It’s my favorite trance song, and whenever I go road tripping in Europe, I feel Like I’m inside the video.

Turn up the volume, enjoy.

What do you do when you are uninspired?

For several reasons, lately all I’ve done is work, eat and sleep. Ok, add to that commuter time, hygiene and a rock concert.

The fact remains that I’ve been utterly uninspired to write. I’ve been reading way too many technical things and all I could write about was just more technical stuff.

When you are unispired to do what you do for a living, a.k.a. “losing your mojo”, even temporarily, we have a problem. Read more »

How many projects to you have to juggle before considering it’s unhealthy? 2? 10?

Lately, I have been managing way too many things at the same time, in the same 24 hours we all have. Prioritizing didn’t work because most things were showing up after some other project was already under way.

An then there were emergencies. Real emergencies, like a pipe getting broke in my kitchen.

All while trying to keep a job, 2 hours of commute time a day, private clients, having a life and doing my best to take care of myself (forget the gym).

My answer to my own question is 3. More than 3 projects is way too much for me if I want to stay healthy and sane. Alas, last week I even got sick with a cold, I couldn’t afford to be in bed getting better.

This week looks a bit better. Emergencies have been taken care of. Not finished but the worst is over. Major projects for this week are under control, not perfect, but at least done enough to require only touch ups. I managed to get 2 days for myself after work later this week (now THAT is a luxury in my life). Saturday hell is breaking lose again unless I can organize my time.

What are your favorite strategies to put some order into real chaos?

A short time ago I heard about the 10-10-10 strategy.

What is it? It can be resumed in what consequences will your actions have in 10 minutes, 10 months and 10 years from now.

How exactly do you go by knowing how your decision will affect the next 10-increments in your life?

Suzy Welch, author of 10-10-10 A life Transforming Idea explained it like this for Oprah radio:

 1.- Decide on what you’re deciding. Make a decision about what issue needs to be addressed. Read more »

U2 once said “Some days are better than others”. What happens when all your days feel pretty bad? What can we do to slow down our brain in the middle of a chaotic day?

I do have chaotic days both at the office and in my side business (on many occasions on the same day). Often, my brain reaches a state of oversaturation where I am forced to either stop all my activity or face having to re-do all my work because of the mistakes I make.

So I have complied a series of resources for myself that help me to center and rebalance while I’m surrounded by chaos. Here are my top 5: Read more »

Ok, it’s Monday again. I bet you’re as asleep as I am.

Let’s try to wake up and pretend we’re teens listening to The Rasmus’ “In the Shadows”.

I learnt at the Sibelius Museum in Turku, Finland, that this song produced more royalties for Finland than all of Sibelius works all the time. Not sure if that’s good or bad. What I do know is that everybody is a goth in Finland. Must be the weather. Black hair-dye is a serious business all ove rthe country and parturis (hair salons) abound. That’s why you’ll notice blond beards and black hair in the video.

So, turn on your speakers, click play, let it buffer, and wake up.

An article appeared on Yahoo Finance reports about the findings of the Gallup-Healthways Well Being Index on who are the happiest workers in America.Some of these results are:

• Business owners are the happiest, followed by professionals and by managers/executives
• Those 3 categories are those with the highest household incomes

However, not only the rich are happy.

• Those working in farming, fishing and forestry are the 4th happiest worker category even thou their income gets tied with the lowest earning categories.

Here are my thoughts on this. Read more »

My last 2 nights of sleep have been awful and right now I’d give up my kingdom for a cozy, quiet room with a nice bed (I don’t want to go back home as my neighbours downstairs are way too noisy and they never let me have my siesta on weekends).

I already said that I prefer tea to coffee and how it gives you tranquility while on a hectic day. Today I need to stay awake. And to be in a good mood because there is a company cocktail and since it’s THE time to mingle with big company names, I’d better smile a lot instead of wearing a frown. It would also be nice to be alert as I have my “wine tasting-in-French” course today (and I’m supposed to be speaking French, you know).

So, the challenge is, how do I stay awake without caffeine?

One of those energy drinks would awake me… but I won’t be able to sleep for the next 48hs.

Then there is coffee. I don’t like coffee. I will drink it if it’s very cold and there’s nothing else… but I will need milk. Forget black coffee, I can’t stand it. Read more »

Have you ever been fired? I have. Twice.

Once because after 2 weeks in the job my manager decided he didn’t like me and that there was a “skin feel” issue (words used by the HR manager).

The second it was plain downsizing, me and many more were fired during a recession (and 2 days before my birthday! I will always be grateful for my “best” birthday ever… knowing I wouldn’t get a job again for… 2 years!) . Never mind there were “procedures” about how to fire people in that company.

I don’t know what managers think when they fire you. Usually it happens on a Friday, at the end of the month. Very original.

Anyway, in both cases there were clear signs that my days were numbered. If this is happenening to you, beware. Get a parachute, you’re going to fall. Read more »