Call To Action: Say Good Morning. Make eye contact. Say something extra. Touch. And, of course, SMILE.
Kjerulf says that happiness at work is different from job satisfaction. Happiness at work requires 2 things:
1. Results: You are good at you do and your work is meaningful to you.
2. Relationships: You like the people you work with/for, they like you back.
Anyone can be happy at work and we should, not all the time but most of the time. Happy enough that when we get home, we look forward to going back to work the next day. Work is only 2nd to sleep in how much time we spend.
Showing posts with label happiness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label happiness. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Monday, May 30, 2011
Daniel Kahneman on the Perception of Happiness
Call to Action: Make all happy experiences memorable.
Kahneman presents cognitive difficulties when measuring happiness. He presents the difference between the experiencing self and the remembering self. He notes the following observations:
1. The ending of a story is more important than the significant events.
2. Experiences are created in the service of remembering.
3. Happiness is usually comparative.
4. Money can buy happiness only to a certain extent, but lack of money undeniably results in misery.
In my opinion, if you become aware of your experiences then the difference between the moment and the memory fades. If you live in the moment, the confusion of the past and future will no longer matter.
Kahneman presents cognitive difficulties when measuring happiness. He presents the difference between the experiencing self and the remembering self. He notes the following observations:
1. The ending of a story is more important than the significant events.
2. Experiences are created in the service of remembering.
3. Happiness is usually comparative.
4. Money can buy happiness only to a certain extent, but lack of money undeniably results in misery.
In my opinion, if you become aware of your experiences then the difference between the moment and the memory fades. If you live in the moment, the confusion of the past and future will no longer matter.
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Dan Buettner on Living Longer
Dr. Buettner presents results from a research on how to live the good life beyond a hundred years. He shows happy communities Sardinia Italy, Okinawa Japan and an Adventist group in California.
The main suggestions are as follows:
1. Integrate physical activities in your daily life.
2. Have weekly moments of peace.
3. Have a specific purpose for waking up in the morning.
4. Eat more plants.
5. Drink moderate amounts of wine.
6. Eat until you are not yet full. (80% is the recommended amount)
7. Live surrounded by loved ones.
8. Have around 6 lifelong friends in the same healthy & happy lifestyle.
9. Find some form of faith-based spirituality.
Personally, I think 8 & 9 blur together into one factor. But, that's just me.
http://www.bluezones.com/live-longer/power-9/
The main suggestions are as follows:
1. Integrate physical activities in your daily life.
2. Have weekly moments of peace.
3. Have a specific purpose for waking up in the morning.
4. Eat more plants.
5. Drink moderate amounts of wine.
6. Eat until you are not yet full. (80% is the recommended amount)
7. Live surrounded by loved ones.
8. Have around 6 lifelong friends in the same healthy & happy lifestyle.
9. Find some form of faith-based spirituality.
Personally, I think 8 & 9 blur together into one factor. But, that's just me.
http://www.bluezones.com/live-longer/power-9/
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Jonathan Zittrain on Trust & Kindness
Call to Action: Engage in Online Communities.
Zittrain frames the existence of the Internet and the success of open communities as a collective movement in trust and kindness. His wit and eloquence is matched by his incisive commentary on human behavior. One of the most worthwhile talks to watch.
Zittrain frames the existence of the Internet and the success of open communities as a collective movement in trust and kindness. His wit and eloquence is matched by his incisive commentary on human behavior. One of the most worthwhile talks to watch.
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Barry Schwartz on Choice & Misery
Call to action: Define your own fish bowl.
Choice is good but more choices is not better. The secret to happiness is low expectation.
Why Choice Makes People Miserable
1. Regret & anticipated regret
2. Opportunity costs
3. Escalation of expectations
4. Self-blame
Choice is good but more choices is not better. The secret to happiness is low expectation.
Why Choice Makes People Miserable
1. Regret & anticipated regret
2. Opportunity costs
3. Escalation of expectations
4. Self-blame
Monday, May 2, 2011
His Holiness The Karmapa
Call to action: Be aware. Find happiness in every breath you take.
His Holiness joked around by saying that everything he wanted to say has already been said by the speakers before him. So, he went on to tell part of his life story.
He then acknowledged that development in the world is good. But, he said that we should also focus on the development of our hearts. He said that interpersonal connection should match the technological connection that is happening worldwide.
He mentioned the destruction of some Buddhist statues in Afghanistan and said we can look at destruction in the sense of the fall of the Berlin wall. Anything negative can be seen in a positive light.
He mentioned that when we are climbing a tree, we should be aware that we are not destroying the roots. He said that we already have the information to change, that this information should cause a change in our hearts towards action to effect the change. This should provide us with a sincere motivation for our future well-being. We should fully immerse ourselves into whatever we do to benefit the world.
He observes that we await big changes but we sometimes fail to notice the subtle changes. We look for how happiness should look like in the grand scale of things but we should know that happiness can be seen even in every breath we take. He expressed that we should be so grateful for all the talents that we can share, and that we should spread the positivity that comes from that everywhere in the world.
The Karmapa has a coffee table book with 180 sayings and high quality images, The Future Is Now: Timely Advice for Creating a Better World.
His story reminds of Avatar The Last Airbender.
He was chosen as Karmapa and taken from his family at age 7 and his epic story continues to unfold.
His Holiness joked around by saying that everything he wanted to say has already been said by the speakers before him. So, he went on to tell part of his life story.
He then acknowledged that development in the world is good. But, he said that we should also focus on the development of our hearts. He said that interpersonal connection should match the technological connection that is happening worldwide.
He mentioned the destruction of some Buddhist statues in Afghanistan and said we can look at destruction in the sense of the fall of the Berlin wall. Anything negative can be seen in a positive light.
He mentioned that when we are climbing a tree, we should be aware that we are not destroying the roots. He said that we already have the information to change, that this information should cause a change in our hearts towards action to effect the change. This should provide us with a sincere motivation for our future well-being. We should fully immerse ourselves into whatever we do to benefit the world.
He observes that we await big changes but we sometimes fail to notice the subtle changes. We look for how happiness should look like in the grand scale of things but we should know that happiness can be seen even in every breath we take. He expressed that we should be so grateful for all the talents that we can share, and that we should spread the positivity that comes from that everywhere in the world.
The Karmapa has a coffee table book with 180 sayings and high quality images, The Future Is Now: Timely Advice for Creating a Better World.
His story reminds of Avatar The Last Airbender.
He was chosen as Karmapa and taken from his family at age 7 and his epic story continues to unfold. Sunday, May 1, 2011
Chris Anderson's TED Vision
Call to action: Be involved.
He basically says that everything leads us towards HAPPINESS. And, that TED uses the truth, curiosity and diversity to have the conversations that results in positive action.
If you have the extra time and propensity to be amused with British humor, watch.
He basically says that everything leads us towards HAPPINESS. And, that TED uses the truth, curiosity and diversity to have the conversations that results in positive action.
If you have the extra time and propensity to be amused with British humor, watch.
Matt Weinstein: Connection Brings Happiness
Call to action: Cherish family & friends.
Weinstein relates his story of how to go on living after losing his life savings to a bad investment. He has a book on how to have fun.
Weinstein relates his story of how to go on living after losing his life savings to a bad investment. He has a book on how to have fun.
Srikumar Rao on Happiness
Call to action: Invest in the process. Do your best.
Rao affirms that everything in our life is a quest for happiness. He gives pointers on how to start to be happy. What do you have to get in order to be happy?
1. There is nothing you have to do, get or be in order to be happy.
2. You have spent your entire life learning to be unhappy.
3. We falsely believe in the "if-then" model, where IF this happens, THEN I will be happy.
4. We are exactly where we are compared to 10 years ago, even if we have achieved SOME of the things we aimed for.
5. We insanely just change the "IF" conditions.
6. We find happiness in nature by accepting the universe for exactly as it was.
7. We are now still trying to make things different or better because we are just changing the "IF" conditions.
8. All we do in life is go on journeys.
9. Choose your journey.
He teaches us to be happy... No Matter What.
Rao affirms that everything in our life is a quest for happiness. He gives pointers on how to start to be happy. What do you have to get in order to be happy?
1. There is nothing you have to do, get or be in order to be happy.
2. You have spent your entire life learning to be unhappy.
3. We falsely believe in the "if-then" model, where IF this happens, THEN I will be happy.
4. We are exactly where we are compared to 10 years ago, even if we have achieved SOME of the things we aimed for.
5. We insanely just change the "IF" conditions.
6. We find happiness in nature by accepting the universe for exactly as it was.
7. We are now still trying to make things different or better because we are just changing the "IF" conditions.
8. All we do in life is go on journeys.
9. Choose your journey.
He teaches us to be happy... No Matter What.
Jill Bolte Taylor Finding Nirvana
Call to action: Choose peace. Choose now. Because you can.
Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor, neuroanatomist, relates her captivating story of experiencing a stroke and living to tell about it. She asserts that we have this great capacity to experience life and the power to choose to step into the consciousness of either of our brain hemispheres, which function very differently.
"I believe that the more time we spend choosing to run the deep inner-peace circuitry of our right hemispheres, the more peace we will project into the world, and the more peaceful our planet will be."
Her book, My Stroke of Insight: A Brain Scientist's Personal Journey, will tell you the same story of struggle, survival and joy.
Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor, neuroanatomist, relates her captivating story of experiencing a stroke and living to tell about it. She asserts that we have this great capacity to experience life and the power to choose to step into the consciousness of either of our brain hemispheres, which function very differently.
"I believe that the more time we spend choosing to run the deep inner-peace circuitry of our right hemispheres, the more peace we will project into the world, and the more peaceful our planet will be."
Her book, My Stroke of Insight: A Brain Scientist's Personal Journey, will tell you the same story of struggle, survival and joy.
Martin Seligman: The Science of Happiness
Call to action: Work for pleasure, flow and philanthropy.
Selignman relates a brief history of psychology with the positive trend toward optimism. Succinctly, "Psychology makes people less miserable."
Psychology started with the disease model, which he says was problematic. The current evolution is moving towards positive psychology where concern is on:
1. strength and weakness
2.a. buidling the best things in life
2.b. repairing the worst
3.a. making lives of normal people fulfilling
3.b. nurturing high talent
3.c. healing pathology
Happiness is now measured by authentichappiness.org. There are 3 types of happiness leading to 3 lives:
1. Pleasant life (positive emotions)
2. Good life (engagement, flow)
3. Meaningful life (service)
4. Balanced life (I venture to add this type of life to include those of the eastern views epitomized by different kinds of monks where they do not have pleasant, good or meaningful lives but are happy in a state of equilibrium.)
Extremely happy people in the 1st type have similar behavior. They are social.
(At this point, I went looking for the progress report with data from experiments. As of 2005, three good things and using signature strengths seem to work on both well people and those with depressive symptoms. (M.Seligman et. al., Positive Psychology Progress Empirical Validation of Interventions, July-August 2005, American Psychologist, 410-421.)
Some suggested interventions are:
1. Mindfulness
2. Gratitude visit
3. Strengths Date
4. Fun vs. Philanthropy
5. Savoring
6. Hope
* I added the last two, taken from here.
He suggests that a full life is greater than the sum of each type of happy lives. He ends by making an appeal to make business, entertainment and design create full lives.
I think and believe that the gamification of reality will be the intervention of choice to provide the way towards a full life.
Martin Seligman has a number of books. I've been following his work for a few years now. Definitely, all the data are valuable. Still, I feel there's something lacking in his overall view of happiness. His focus is on external interventions, whereas in the best TED talks, the speakers assert that happiness is a personal choice. That happiness can be achieved now.
Selignman relates a brief history of psychology with the positive trend toward optimism. Succinctly, "Psychology makes people less miserable."
Psychology started with the disease model, which he says was problematic. The current evolution is moving towards positive psychology where concern is on:
1. strength and weakness
2.a. buidling the best things in life
2.b. repairing the worst
3.a. making lives of normal people fulfilling
3.b. nurturing high talent
3.c. healing pathology
Happiness is now measured by authentichappiness.org. There are 3 types of happiness leading to 3 lives:
1. Pleasant life (positive emotions)
2. Good life (engagement, flow)
3. Meaningful life (service)
4. Balanced life (I venture to add this type of life to include those of the eastern views epitomized by different kinds of monks where they do not have pleasant, good or meaningful lives but are happy in a state of equilibrium.)
Extremely happy people in the 1st type have similar behavior. They are social.
(At this point, I went looking for the progress report with data from experiments. As of 2005, three good things and using signature strengths seem to work on both well people and those with depressive symptoms. (M.Seligman et. al., Positive Psychology Progress Empirical Validation of Interventions, July-August 2005, American Psychologist, 410-421.)
Some suggested interventions are:
1. Mindfulness
2. Gratitude visit
3. Strengths Date
4. Fun vs. Philanthropy
5. Savoring
6. Hope
* I added the last two, taken from here.
He suggests that a full life is greater than the sum of each type of happy lives. He ends by making an appeal to make business, entertainment and design create full lives.
I think and believe that the gamification of reality will be the intervention of choice to provide the way towards a full life.
Martin Seligman has a number of books. I've been following his work for a few years now. Definitely, all the data are valuable. Still, I feel there's something lacking in his overall view of happiness. His focus is on external interventions, whereas in the best TED talks, the speakers assert that happiness is a personal choice. That happiness can be achieved now.
Neil Pasricha on Counting Blessings
Call to action: Enjoy this moment.
Webby Award winner, Neil Pasricha, explains how to cheer yourself up in 3 awesome steps:
1. Attitude. Grieve, pick yourself up and move on.
2. Awareness. Find your inner 3 year old and see things for the first time.
3. Authenticity. Be cool with who you really are.
He ends by pointing out that we only have so much time to enjoy all of the sweet things in life. So, we should enjoy the moment we are in right now.
Check out his awesome books. They say the sequel is better.
The 17:33 video is worth watching.
Webby Award winner, Neil Pasricha, explains how to cheer yourself up in 3 awesome steps:
1. Attitude. Grieve, pick yourself up and move on.
2. Awareness. Find your inner 3 year old and see things for the first time.
3. Authenticity. Be cool with who you really are.
He ends by pointing out that we only have so much time to enjoy all of the sweet things in life. So, we should enjoy the moment we are in right now.
Check out his awesome books. They say the sequel is better.
The 17:33 video is worth watching.
Nic Marks: 5 Ways Towards Happiness
Call to action: Measure your happiness daily.
Marks points out that all our visions of the future are apocalyptic and worst case scenarios. Using fear to push any agenda, triggers the fight or flight mechanism. He also notices that our measure for progress is economic. This then appeals to greed. He said we should instead dream of positive futures.
He suggests that new measures should be social justice, sustainability and well-being. He presents worldwide statistics that show happiness, love and health are the top wants of humans.
He introduces the Happiness Index and shows that Costa Rica and other Latin American countries are happy. He mentions Costa Rica's commitment to zero carbon footprint by 2021, they're abolished army and focus on social welfare.
He suggests that better feedback loops must be placed so that citizens will be more aware of their impact in the world. He then shows the 5 things we can do towards a happy life.
1. Connect with people
2. Be active
3. Take notice (be aware)
4. Keep learning
5. Give
I liked the way he said that, "Happiness should not cost the Earth." If you want a little more data for three dollars, read The Happiness Manifesto.
Marks points out that all our visions of the future are apocalyptic and worst case scenarios. Using fear to push any agenda, triggers the fight or flight mechanism. He also notices that our measure for progress is economic. This then appeals to greed. He said we should instead dream of positive futures.
He suggests that new measures should be social justice, sustainability and well-being. He presents worldwide statistics that show happiness, love and health are the top wants of humans.
He introduces the Happiness Index and shows that Costa Rica and other Latin American countries are happy. He mentions Costa Rica's commitment to zero carbon footprint by 2021, they're abolished army and focus on social welfare.
He suggests that better feedback loops must be placed so that citizens will be more aware of their impact in the world. He then shows the 5 things we can do towards a happy life.
1. Connect with people
2. Be active
3. Take notice (be aware)
4. Keep learning
5. Give
I liked the way he said that, "Happiness should not cost the Earth." If you want a little more data for three dollars, read The Happiness Manifesto.
Dan Gilbert on Deciding To Be Happy
Call to action: Choose to be happy in any context.
Gilbert explains that our prefrontal cortex is responsible for simulating possibilities. But, it also hinder us from making good decisions by making us believe that "different outcomes are more different than they really are."
He gives a lively discussion and explains that 3 months from a really bad event is enough for us to move on. He says that happiness can be synthesized and suggests that it is as enduring and real as the kind of authentic happiness when you get exactly what you aim for.
He also proves that freedom is a friend to authentic happiness, but it's an enemy to synthetic happiness. He provides an entertaining narration of the experiments they did at Harvard. He admits that some things are better than others. But, trying to get the better thing in a bad way is not good.
He concludes by saying that we don't have to chase happiness because we can be happy if we choose to be happy.
Dan Gilbert is amusing and convincing in this talk as well as in his book, Stumbling on Happiness.
Gilbert explains that our prefrontal cortex is responsible for simulating possibilities. But, it also hinder us from making good decisions by making us believe that "different outcomes are more different than they really are."
He gives a lively discussion and explains that 3 months from a really bad event is enough for us to move on. He says that happiness can be synthesized and suggests that it is as enduring and real as the kind of authentic happiness when you get exactly what you aim for.
He also proves that freedom is a friend to authentic happiness, but it's an enemy to synthetic happiness. He provides an entertaining narration of the experiments they did at Harvard. He admits that some things are better than others. But, trying to get the better thing in a bad way is not good.
He concludes by saying that we don't have to chase happiness because we can be happy if we choose to be happy.
Dan Gilbert is amusing and convincing in this talk as well as in his book, Stumbling on Happiness.
Brene Brown on Being Whole-Hearted
Call to action: Believe that you are good enough.
Brown studied human connection and saw that shame got in the way. Shame is fear of disconnection. We all feel "I am not good enough" at some point in our lives. But, "in order for connection to happen, we must allow ourselves to be seen, really seen."
She realized that those who are happy and "whole-hearted" feel worthy of connecting with people even though they may not be good enough. They accept themselves. They have 4 things:
1. Courage to be imperfect
2. Compassion to be kind to the self first, then others
3. Connection because of showing their authentic self
4. Comfortable with vulnerability & uncertainty
Those who are not whole-hearted, do the following:
1. Numb vulnerability and all emotions including capacity for joy
2. Hold on to certainty. I think it is more precise to call it righteousness. If something is uncertain, we want to be right. The fundamentalists use religion to be irrevocably right.
3. Try to reach perfection. I also think we try to become normal and be part of the crowd.
She ends by suggesting to love without guarantees and with vulnerability, and just be grateful for all the moments without thinking of what bad things will happen after feeling all this happiness. She hopes for a future where everyone works from a place that says, "I am enough."
I can't express how valuable her book is if you really want to let go of all your misguided misconceptions. The subtitle says it all, The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You're Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are.
I think it is also worth to watch her entire talk.
Brown studied human connection and saw that shame got in the way. Shame is fear of disconnection. We all feel "I am not good enough" at some point in our lives. But, "in order for connection to happen, we must allow ourselves to be seen, really seen."
She realized that those who are happy and "whole-hearted" feel worthy of connecting with people even though they may not be good enough. They accept themselves. They have 4 things:
1. Courage to be imperfect
2. Compassion to be kind to the self first, then others
3. Connection because of showing their authentic self
4. Comfortable with vulnerability & uncertainty
Those who are not whole-hearted, do the following:
1. Numb vulnerability and all emotions including capacity for joy
2. Hold on to certainty. I think it is more precise to call it righteousness. If something is uncertain, we want to be right. The fundamentalists use religion to be irrevocably right.
3. Try to reach perfection. I also think we try to become normal and be part of the crowd.
She ends by suggesting to love without guarantees and with vulnerability, and just be grateful for all the moments without thinking of what bad things will happen after feeling all this happiness. She hopes for a future where everyone works from a place that says, "I am enough."
I can't express how valuable her book is if you really want to let go of all your misguided misconceptions. The subtitle says it all, The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You're Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are.
I think it is also worth to watch her entire talk.
Malcolm Gladwell on Human Diversity
Call to action: Accept and work with the different kinds of humans.
Gladwell talks about spaghetti and the variability of food choices. He relates our choices in food and our satisfaction with those choices to our levels of happiness. He makes a point that embracing the variability of human tastes will bring us more joy than a prescribed "universal" product for everyone. That is why we have different kinds of spaghetti sauce, and different kinds of mustard and an entire menu of coffee.
"In embracing the diversity of human beings, we will find a surer way to true happiness" - Malcolm Gladwell (2004)
Malcolm Gladwell is my personal hero. He looked into things that made me think critically about society and how my life figured into the scheme of things. I read Outliers and Blink with awe and big grains of salt. My most valuable take away from his books is an undeniable sense of awareness of the world we live in.
Gladwell talks about spaghetti and the variability of food choices. He relates our choices in food and our satisfaction with those choices to our levels of happiness. He makes a point that embracing the variability of human tastes will bring us more joy than a prescribed "universal" product for everyone. That is why we have different kinds of spaghetti sauce, and different kinds of mustard and an entire menu of coffee.
"In embracing the diversity of human beings, we will find a surer way to true happiness" - Malcolm Gladwell (2004)
Malcolm Gladwell is my personal hero. He looked into things that made me think critically about society and how my life figured into the scheme of things. I read Outliers and Blink with awe and big grains of salt. My most valuable take away from his books is an undeniable sense of awareness of the world we live in.
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