Filed under: Career Success, Life Choices, Networking, Relationships, Wellness
I’m doing another 30 Day Challenge in January, but with a twist. This time, @ginisays is joining me to teach our sharpest team members how to do a challenge and challenging them to join us. Holler at @knmanagement to get on board!
At its core, the 30 Day Challenge is about happiness. I know you want more happiness, and I know that you don’t know how to get more (if you did, you’da already got it).
Perhaps, something that you have not much considered: your attitude affects your happiness. Yes, yes, yes it does!
We all know FISH! Philosophy. We work with many people with great attitudes, and a few with not-so-great attitudes. We’ve seen the former promoted and the latter invited to work for somebody else. We’ve seen attitudes overcome big problems, and bust up marriages. Attitudes determine more than income, education or which side of the tracks you’re from. Attitudes are big.
Your attitude about the 30 Day Challenge determines, imho, 90% of the happiness you find as a result. Pickle-faced about change? Ok, but don’t complain when your doctor frowns at your jelly rolls, anxiety robs your sleep-time, or the other guy gets the promotion; just blame your methane attitude.
You already know what needs to change. Blue Bell habit, toxic relationships, anger, disrespecting God, apathetic work habits, watching inane shows, trying to outdo others, we all do stuff that we know drains our happiness. Start thinking of yourself as the person you want to be, and get busy doing what he or she does. And, please stop complaining about making the list.
Making the list should be a pain in the … a pain. Stay with it. Use the life balance categories as guides. Write down your personal happiness gains and drains in each category, then cull the list down to a few manageable choices. The idea is not to have an item in every category, but to have a few better choices to start making.
A couple examples:
- A manager feels that it would increase his career success if he regularly feeds his team members encouraging messages. His list might say, “Set up a twitter account, invite tm’s to follow me, and post one positive tweet per day for 30 days.”
- Another team member think she will make better relationship decisions if she has God’s help–wonder where she got that idea (smile). Her new habit is to: “Read The One Year Bible every day.”
So far, I’ve spent about two hours on my list. I’ve thought through church (gain), the kind of people I need less of (drain), more vegetables (gain), less flour (drain), more dinner parties (gain), less saying yes to every community impact opportunity (drain), and some other stuff I’m keeping to myself.
I doubt all those items will be on my final list, but they might. I schedule time with myself every evening to write a fresh list from scratch. After about ten of those, I’ll look for patterns. I expect to find some really important gains to increase and drains to close, and I expect to be even happier in 2012.
If you’re interested in starting with Twitter, this will help.
If you’re unsure about the value of Twitter, read this.
If you want to watch an inspiring challenge video, go here.
Let me know if you need personalized help with your list.
100,000 blessings, Jack
Filed under: Career Success, Giving Back/Community Impact, Life Choices, Relationships, Spiritual Grounding, Wellness
I have a friend that runs a 10K every Thanksgiving (jerk). Another who only brings “healthy food” to the overloaded holiday potluck (spoil sport). Still one more that – you’ll not believe this – gives gifts to the poor instead of her wealthy family and friends (grinch). One more (this is depressing) who re-institutes prohibition for his holiday party-going (party-pooper).
We are nearing The Time of Too Much - my label for the season that runs about now through January 1. It is a season I love. But it comes with lethargy and an extra 10 pounds, and then there’s the depressed cashbox. Sigh.
For the next 60 days, white hot temptation begs us to eat, drink, sit, watch, travel, and spend way too much. Delayed gratification seems totally irrelevant and I risk friendships even bringing this up at such an otherwise festive time. That it is my job is not one bit relevant. That I care about your wellness, and ultimately your success is received as busy-body harping.
Filed under: Giving Back/Community Impact, Networking, Spiritual Grounding, Wellness
Does it really pay to give back more than one receives? Really? Or is that just something your mom told you so you’d share with your sister (not that it worked)?
I mean, let’s think this through. If the world is governed by some vague universal law that only the fit survive, then a good taker would survive over a good giver, wouldn’t she? Maybe it works if you give to get? So the winners are the ones that give a little back scratch so that they can get a big back rub in return. No, that only works on Wall Street or Hollywood Blvd.
One of my favorite sayings belongs to John Adams: “Facts are stubborn things.” The facts say that it’s far more likely for you to get more of what you want out of life if you give to others. Despite the paradox, the most productive (and most promoted) winners give more than they receive and receive as a result of their giving attitudes.
Former Harvard University professor Shawn Achor discovered the link between happiness and giving back to others. For several years he taught the most popular course at Harvard and wrote an article and started a company to expand his happiness research.
He isn’t the first to make a living off of the happiness formula. Napoleon Hill (author of Think and Grow Rich) spent time learning from one of the most successful men of his day, Andrew Carnegie (yes, he is the Carnegie Hall in NYC guy, which is a very cool place to see a concert). Two of the most successful people of the last century thought that one got ahead by giving. This is not a popular notion today as evidenced by the covers of three dozen magazines at which I just glanced (I’m at Barnes & Noble).
Evidently, it is better to take and sue and strive and wrangle and fight and force oneself ahead. Sure divorces and legal hassles and all sorts of rough stuff will follow all that ahead-getting behavior; employees will hate you, children won’t come home for holidays, and little old ladies will refuse your arm to cross a street, but you’ll get ahead. Or, will you?
Maybe those magazines perpetrate a mythology that does not bear up under stubborn facts. Maybe some magazine editors need us to believe their stories offer paths to success even though they’re actually sensationalized blips and oddities. Believe it or not, dear reader, there was a day when persons with dysfunctional relationships were not celebrated as normal–a day before Us, People, Springer, and TMZ. Today, entertainment media need to pump up something that sells paper and commercial space in this digital age. They need to invent a sensational myth that You. Will. Obey.
If there’s a myth people will buy, you’ll find it on the cover of a magazine, right? Myths like, you can be skinny, happy, and filthy rich by living like Rihanna (‘scuse the bruises), Lindsey (‘scuse the cuffs), Gaga (‘scuse the egg), or Simon (‘scuse the snarky egoism). Can’t argue with success, right? Maybe the facts will help. Stubborn facts.
Smart people like facts, and I think that you are smart enough to see through the fog. I think that at a deeper level you know that life is more about helping others than it is about using others to get ahead. You know that when you lift others, you stand taller, but when you push someone down, you lower yourself in the process.
It turns out that giving back gets you more…at work. Research shows that the most giving people–the work altruists–were more engaged at work, more productive, promoted six times more often, and were generally happier all the way round (read more).
You want to be happier. That’s not a question, of course you want to be happier, who doesn’t? Here’s how: get into that upper tier of people that support others. Most of us are already there for our friends. To climb the happiness ladder, call your parents and support them with love and encouragement (that’s all it takes). To climb higher, instead of pushing buttons on your cell phone during a work break, invite new team members to join you and talk about their lives. Better, invite them to attend Community Impact and Get Fit! events with you.
By including new people, you support them, and help them become more productive, but here’s the amazing truth: you become happier. Even if they turn you down, the act of inviting and supporting others makes the inviter a happier person.
The facts today bear out what Jesus said 2,000 years ago. It is more blessed to give than to receive (Luke 6:38, Acts 20:35). Giving back makes you more engaged, more productive, more likely to be promoted, and happier.
Filed under: Wellness
Well eating? Shouldn’t it be “eating well”? No. I’m trying to be clever. Deal with it.
“Eating well” usually means, “I ate like it was Thanksgiving and I was two hours from walking the Green Mile. I ate a lot of rich, butter-laden, cream-drenched, New Orleans style food. I pushed down a couple thousand calories. I can’t move. I need a bucket.” You get the idea.
“Well eating” means “I use food as fuel to run this magnificent body, this gift from God, this only crate I get to run around in.” I admit that the former conjures thoughts of extreme pleasure, laughter, and joy. Food is a joyful gift. The latter, well, boooorrrrriiiiinnnnngggg.
You will admit, perhaps, that indulging in eating well–while joyful and right–cannot be sustained if one wants to sustain other things, like heartbeats. Too much joyful eating well and I cannot walk from the car to the restaurant without breathing heavy as a tea-partier at a gun show. Take a flight of stairs? Are you kidding? I was too busy eating well. Good report from the doctor? Shoot, I’m so busy eating well that I stay away from that lousy doctor. Energy at the end of the day to chase my kids–or my wife ;^]’ ?!? Gave it up years ago for the 
with a couple baskets of chips–gotta have me some Tex-Mex baby!
Here’s what I’ve noticed. I work to well eat, and it pays off later when I eat well. I really enjoy eating well, and because I see the payoff, I also enjoy well eating. I cut my caloric intake. I eat a lot less fat, very little of it saturated. I reframe my grocery habits by shopping at the edges (junk food lurks on the center aisles), reading labels (can’t pronounce it, don’t eat it), and varying the colors of foods I buy (heavy on the dark greens, reds, and blues). As a result, sweets and hearty family gathering type foods taste better. Really.
My doctor says I look years younger than I am. My kids are grown, but I can easily catch my little nephews. I sleep better by well eating than I ever do when I eat well.
I’m not perfect. Not even a very good role model. Since starting my job last March, my exercise routine was often set aside. When I worked out, I cut a few corners and rarely pushed myself. My diet changed, just a few calories here and there, for the worse. Over the last holiday season, I ate well. Too well.
I blimped up about 15 pounds.
This does not make me happy. I know, however, that I can drop it.
– I set a goal to lose 15 pounds and 7% of my lard.
– I joined the “moist to lean” contest at work, which keeps me motivated.
– I had an annual checkup and sought my doctor’s advice.
– I told my wife and a trusted friend to hold me accountable to well eating.
– I joined a fitness class so complete strangers can mock my failure or cheer my progress (courage!).
So far, I’ve lost 3 pounds!! At this rate, it’ll take me about four months to hit my goal. Pass the celery.
Filed under: Wellness
I learned a valuable insight this week. I (maybe not you, but I) can, during the course of a week, . . .
1. Drink more in one night than I normally would (see A below).
2. Dance more in one night than I normally would (see A below again).
3. Eat more in one night than I normally would (see B below).
LOSE ½ POUND!!!!! WE WON!!!!! (the latter exclamation will become clear in a minute.)
A: Our company threw a party to celebrate winning the Baldrige Award. The theme of the night was “WE WON” shouted at top volume repeatedly. The shout was led by our fearless (really fearless) leader Brian “Canned Ham” Nolen and agreed to with enthusiasm by our fearless leader and light-stick-horns-on-his-head-wearing Ken “Mixed Nuts” Schiller. We have two fearless leaders, which should prove fun on our trip to Washington DC, where there are no fearless leaders whatsoever, but there are a lot of hams and nuts.
We traveled to and from the party in limos (all of us, not just Janet and me). Paparazzi greeted us when we arrived. The party bar was open (not kidding). We had a live, 80s rock cover band complete with tats and makeup (LC Rocks), and a dance floor that Janet and I used (a lot). It was in my expert opinion the best frat party I have attended in 30 years. Nuf said.
B: Last night, we had friends over to watch the entertaining BCS game. The theme was “stadium food.” Nachos, fried cheese sticks, hot sauce. Ugh, I still have heart burn, but it was fun.
How did I lose ½ pound? Musta been the dancin’
Part of wellness includes mental health. Working for a company that knows how to throw a great party, blowing it out on the dance floor with your honey, watching football with friends (even if you care nothing about who’s playing); these are things that lead to mental wellness.
Now I gotta hit the gym. Hard.
Filed under: Wellness
Well eating? Shouldn’t it be “eating well”? No. I’m trying to be clever. Deal with it.
“Eating well” usually means, “I ate like it was Thanksgiving and I was two hours from walking the Green Mile. I ate a lot of rich, butter-laden, cream-drenched, New Orleans style food. I pushed down a couple thousand calories. I can’t move. I need a bucket.” You get the idea.
“Well eating” means “I use food as fuel to run this magnificent body, this gift from God, this only crate I get to run around in.” I admit that the former conjures thoughts of extreme pleasure, laughter, and joy. Food is a joyful gift. The latter, well, boooorrrrriiiiinnnnngggg.
You will admit, perhaps, that indulging in eating well–while joyful and right–cannot be sustained if one wants to sustain other things, like heartbeats. Too much joyful eating well and I cannot walk from the car to the restaurant without breathing heavy as a tea-partier at a gun show. Take a flight of stairs? Are you kidding? I was too busy eating well. Good report from the doctor? Shoot, I’m so busy eating well that I stay away from that lousy doctor. Energy at the end of the day to chase my kids–or my wife ;^]’ ?!? Gave it up years ago for the #5 Guadalajara Platter with a couple baskets of chips–gotta have me some Tex-Mex baby!
Here’s what I’ve noticed. I work to well eat, and it pays off later when I eat well. I really enjoy eating well, and because I see the payoff, I also enjoy well eating. I cut my caloric intake. I eat a lot less fat, very little of it saturated. I reframe my grocery habits by shopping at the edges (junk food lurks on the center aisles), reading labels (can’t pronounce it, don’t eat it), and varying the colors of foods I buy (heavy on the dark greens, reds, and blues). As a result, sweets and hearty family gathering type foods taste better. Really.
My doctor says I look years younger than I am. My kids are grown, but I can easily catch my little nephews. I sleep better by well eating than I ever do when I eat well.
I’m not perfect. Not even a very good role model. Since starting my job last March, my exercise routine was often set aside. When I worked out, I cut a few corners and rarely pushed myself. My diet changed, just a few calories here and there, for the worse. Over the last holiday season, I ate well. Too well.
I blimped up about 15 pounds.
This does not make me happy. I know, however, that I can drop it.
– I set a goal to lose 15 pounds and 7% of my lard.
– I joined the “moist to lean” contest at work, which keeps me motivated.
– I had an annual checkup and sought my doctor’s advice.
– I told my wife and a trusted friend to hold me accountable to well eating.
– I joined a fitness class so complete strangers can mock my failure or cheer my progress (courage!).
So far, I’ve lost 1/2 pound (I weigh in at the office later today). At this rate, it’ll take me about four months to hit my goal. Pass the celery.
Filed under: Wellness
My friend Allison is an Internet genius and recent graduate of The Spartan Academy (a.k.a. Michigan State). She sent me an article from The New York Times (therefore, highly suspect) claiming that people who exercise more also drink more liquor. This, at last, offers a binding a solution to the age-old question of why Jesus was so skinny and Baptists are so . . . not skinny.
The article is totally boring, and the writer is clueless. She claims that no one knows why people who exercise more drink more. Had she asked any Tri-Delt, she’d have known that people work out SO THAT they can feel less guilty drinking a third beer. Thirty minutes of vigorous exercise burns about two beers worth of calories. That’s it, so really one should not have that third beer. Most people, however, will have the two beers anyway, which we all know is the REAL cause of the “Freshman 15” and adds an additional 40 pounds of lard to a man’s beltline or a girl’s thighs, hips, and derrière, over the course of his or her 30s.
So, the kids riding the smart bus exercise during college to avoid the bulge. The habit continues through early adulthood, sometimes.
Thanks, Allison, for that tremendous motivator to (1) exercise harder, and (2) celebrate with an ice cold beverage of one’s choice. “Let beer be for those who are perishing, wine for those who are in anguish! Let them drink and forget their poverty and remember their misery no more” (Proverbs 30).
I’m having a good day, think I’ll get a water.
Filed under: Wellness
Here’s a tip to get you weller faster: get some sleep. My daughter posted a great article on Facebook telling the world why sleep matters. (She’s a 4.0 college student, evidently focused on right things, like getting enough sleep. Takes after her mother.)
Sleep is Awesome! To quote the clever author, “Get more sleep to be nicer, sexier[!], and just more awesome.”
Insufficient sleep increases one’s risk of CANCER 200%. If you sleep less than 7 hours per night, your risk of HEART DISEASE doubles mine. A sleepless night offers the same performance obstacle as being LEGALLY DRUNK. Many people who just read that will have trouble sleeping tonight. What to do? Exercise today! It also will not hurt to eat a light meal a couple hours before bedtime.
The National Sleep Foundation (yes! we have one of those) reports direct correlations between sleep, exercise, eating, and (duh) stress. While exercising right before bed may keep you awake, exercising during the day will help you sleep more soundly, and sound sleep causes your exercise routine to be more effective. I was not surprised to learn that all the body stuff works together. If stress is low (mind wellness), sleep is easier; sleep and exercise increase mind wellness; eating the right food makes the other three work better. I was also not surprised to learn that a good night’s sleep makes you FAR BETTER at solving problem, which is the likely cause of all that mindful churning that’s keeping you awake.
Relax. Get some rest. “God gives rest to those he loves” and he love you! I’m hunting a nap now.
Interesting what people put themselves through to find health and live longer. Sweaty health clubs flourish this time of year. Wealthier people spend 1/3 more than their Wal-Mart stricken neighbors to get organic (health) food. We see lines at the doctor’s office, and read about pharmaceutical companies recording one after the other banner year in sales.
People will pop pills, strain and sweat, diet ’til they drop, and guzzle all sorts of pyramid-marketed juiced up potions to be forever young and healthy. Not to mention the glorified service of the cosmetic surgeon, which has more to do with appearing healthy than than actually being healthy.
Other than the dubious motives of acquiring fake body parts, the things mentioned above are helpful. People should eat well, exercise, and visit the doctor for an annual physical. Wellness normally results from good physical practices, and absence of them guarantees eventual illness. But have you considered what God says about how to begin a health regimen?
Jesus said that life depends first on a sound diet that feeds the stomach AND the soul: “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4). Ancient wisdom states the path to health rather plainly as well. “Don’t be impressed with your own wisdom. Instead, fear the LORD and turn away from evil. Then you will have healing for your body and strength for your bones” (Proverbs 3:7-8).
I gather from these ancient instructions that health includes not only diet and sweat, but also the Bible and perspective. Wise people enjoy healthy food and physical activity. They also enjoy thinking of themselves as creatures needing God’s instruction, willing to follow him in truth and kindness, and grateful for some soul food to go with their greens.
